Here’s why a 9-game SEC football schedule seems less likely after this season | Adams

Once the SEC expanded from 14 to 16 teams with the addition of Texas and Oklahoma, a scheduling debate ensued.

Should the league stick with an eight-game conference schedule for football or add a ninth game?

The College Football Playoff selection committee likely provided an answer when it chose only three SEC teams for its 12-team field. And that was with current eight-game scheduling format that’s in place for this season and next.

If the SEC could qualify only three teams for the playoffs this season, why would it risk a ninth conference game?

This was an odd SEC season in that there were no dominant teams as was the case with its national championship teams from 2019 through 2022. Instead, you had almost half the conference’s members still in the running for at-large playoff bids deep into the season.

I expect more of the same next season. The schedule again could play a prominent role in the parity.

Seeking a fair conference schedule is a noble quest. But it’s as futile as the pursuit of perfection.

The SEC’s newest members know all about that.

Texas went 10-2 in the regular season while qualifying for the SEC championship game and the CFP. That schedule included only one team (Georgia) currently ranked in the top 25. And the Bulldogs beat the Longhorns 30-15.

Contrast that regular-season schedule with Oklahoma’s. The Sooners played six SEC teams ranked 19th or higher in the CFP Top 25. That included No. 3 Texas, No. 7, Tennessee, No. 11 Alabama,

No wonder Oklahoma won only six regular-season games.

Texas wasn’t the only beneficiary of a lighter SEC schedule. So were Tennessee, Missouri and Ole Miss. Florida struggled to overcome a more challenging conference schedule, as did Arkansas.

Perhaps, next season, the CFP selection committee would be wise to weigh strength of schedule more in selecting and seeding teams….

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/heres-why-9-game-sec-100203403.html

Author : Knox News | The Knoxville News-Sentinel

Publish date : 2025-01-12 10:02:00

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