SEC athletic directors adopted a nine-game conference football schedule starting with the 2026-27 season, the league announced Thursday. The development comes as the CFP is set to implement new metrics in 2025 that place greater emphasis on strength of schedule, a change that could benefit SEC teams.
The expansion marks a major shift for the SEC, which has traditionally played eight conference games per season. The league has debated the idea for more than four years, but renewed television revenue and potential advantages in playoff positioning reinvigorated discussions.
“Adding a ninth SEC game underscores our universities’ commitment to delivering the most competitive football schedule in the nation,” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said in a statement released by the school. “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.”
Under the nine-game format, each SEC team will play three permanent conference opponents and rotate through six others each season.
New SEC schedule format
Starts in 2026 Each team will play nine games, with three perminant opponents Each team’s other six opponents will rotate among the league’s 10 remaining schools Each team will face every other SEC program at least once every two years. And every opponent home and away every four years. Each team is required to play at least one Power Four opponent (or Notre Dame) every year.
Ripple effects
Now that the SEC has approved a nine-game conference schedule, the ACC is expected to follow suit, potentially bringing all Power Four conferences to uniform nine-game slates, according to…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/sec-adopts-nine-game-conference-slate-starting-in-2026-as-cfp-metrics-shift-emphasis-on-schedule-strength/
Author : Cody Nagel
Publish date : 2025-08-21 21:48:00
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