Projecting the best records for the top college football conferences
USA TODAY Sports’ Paul Myerberg breaks down who he thinks will win the in each of the Power 4 conferences and the Group of Five.
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Each SEC team will be required to play a “high-quality” non-conference opponent from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, or Notre Dame.Some schools, like Mississippi and Auburn, will need to quickly adjust their future non-conference schedules to meet the new requirement.Other teams, such as Florida, Georgia and Alabama, meet the requirement in the next decade.
SEC schedules are now required to get even tougher.
The league announced it will finally make the move to a nine-game conference slate starting with the 2026 season, but that wasn’t the only notable decision the SEC made on Aug. 21. It will also require its teams to schedule one additional “high quality” non-conference opponent from the ACC, Big Ten or Big 12 or Notre Dame each season.
In short, every SEC school now will be mandated to play 10 games a season against a Power 4 team. It should up the strength of schedule of its programs, and it’s no coincidence it came after the College Football Playoff selection committee announced a day prior it would put greater emphasis on strength of schedule.
“The SEC has established itself as the leader in delivering the most compelling football schedule in college athletics,” commissioner Greg Sankey said in a statement. “Fans will see traditional rivalries preserved, new matchups more frequently, and a level of competition unmatched across the nation.”
With the non-conference schedule requirment set to be in place for 2026, it’s time to look to see if SEC teams will already meet the standard, or if they’ll soon have to figure out who to play.
Which SEC teams have a Power 4 non-conference team scheduled?
The good news is…
Source link : https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/sec/2025/08/21/sec-non-conference-game-opponent/85767876007/
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Publish date : 2025-08-21 23:59:00
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