BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — The Southeastern Conference is moving to a nine-game conference schedule beginning in 2026, ending a yearslong debate and potentially easing a path toward another expansion of the College Football Playoff.
The change was approved by conference presidents and chancellors Thursday. It previously had been recommended by league athletic directors.
“Adding a ninth SEC game underscores our universities’ commitment to delivering the most competitive football schedule in the nation,” SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said. “This format protects rivalries, increases competitive balance, and paired with our requirement to play an additional Power opponent, ensures SEC teams are well prepared to compete and succeed in the College Football Playoff.”
The SEC has played eight conference games each season since 1992 when the conference expanded to 12 teams with the addition of Arkansas and South Carolina. The Atlantic Coast Conference still plays eight league games. The Big 12 and the Big Ten already play nine.
Getting to nine should improve strength of schedule arguments for the SEC moving forward, even though the conference has said for years its eight-game slate is more daunting than other leagues’ nine games. The change came one day after the CFP selection committee said it will place more emphasis on strength of schedule when determining which teams make the 12-team field.
The committee said the schedule strength metric has been adjusted to apply greater weight to games against strong opponents. An additional metric, record strength, has been added to go beyond a team’s schedule strength to assess how a team performed against that schedule.
Under the SEC’s new format:
— The league will continue with a single-standings, non-divisional structure;
— Each school will play three annual opponents focused on maintaining many traditional rivalries;
— Each team’s remaining six games will rotate among the remaining conference schools; and
— Each team will face every other SEC program at least once every two years and every opponent home and away in four years.
SEC teams are required to schedule at least one additional non-conference game against a team from the Atlantic Coast, Big Ten or Big 12 conferences — or Notre Dame.
“The SEC has established itself as the leader in delivering the most compelling football schedule in college athletics,” Sankey said. “Fans will see traditional rivalries preserved, new matchups more frequently, and a level of competition unmatched across the nation.”
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