🚨 @SEC to implement nine-game conference football schedule beginning in 2026, reinforcing the SEC’s position as the nation’s leader in competitive excellence and fan excitement.

🔗 https://t.co/pMhRTuZGu0#SECFB x #ItJustMeansMore pic.twitter.com/NqzseBDd4E

— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) August 21, 2025

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (August 21, 2025) - The Southeastern Conference (SEC) today announced it will implement a nine-game football schedule beginning in 2026, reinforcing the SEC's position as the nation's leader in competitive excellence and fan excitement. The decision, approved by the SEC's Presidents and Chancellors following a recommendation by the league's Athletics Directors, was announced by Commissioner Greg Sankey.

Under the new format:
The SEC 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.
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 high quality non-conference from the Atlantic Coast, Big Ten or Big 12 conferences or Notre Dame each season.

Corndog sip and pig

9 conference games AND a conference championship? What is the benefit? SEC schedules are already the toughest.

In before "we'll still go 8-4"

Good for season ticket holders every other year.

Colonel Kurtz said:

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Corndog sip and pig

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I thought last time this was discussed we were talking about corndog, sip and msu

Will be interesting to see it play out.

Edit

See post below for how it's going to most likely shake out.

This means Georgia will finally play at Kyle Field. Eventually. Maybe.

LB12Diamond said:

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Actually not. They are losing a home game every other year.

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Well if they are like most fair weather fans they'll be able to sell that 1 conf game for more money than New Mexico State and UTSA combined. LOL

the SEC should have its own college football playoff now

let the cannibalization begin

Finally!! Texas, LSU, Arkansas. Make it happen @SEC.

If Arkansas doesn't work, give us OU. Just not Mississippi State.

Actually thinking about again, we will still probably have 7 home games one season and 8 the oppo season when we have 5 SEC home games bc they will get rid of the good out of conference game now and keep the three home games Vs smaller schools.

The SEC no longer requires a P4 OOC game per the release.

LB12Diamond said:

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Actually not. They are losing a home game every other year.

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Not if you schedule your P4 OOC game as a home game the year you only have 4 conference home games.

Pretty sure it's already been noted as MSU with LSU and sips.

OU is sips Mizzou and Hogs.

Hogs is sip, Mizzou and OU.

LB12Diamond said:

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Pretty sure it's already been noted as MSU with LSU and sips.

OU is sips Mizzou and Hogs.

Hogs is sip, Mizzou and OU.

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And I'm fine with that. On the average Mississippi State should have more downers than up years. A nine game conference schedule is hard enough. Why do we want to make it even harder on ourselves?

Also like the sips having us OU and hogs every year. Yes the sips beat all 3 last year but that had more to do with all three not playing great when they met the sips. It will not stay that way and all three love beating the sips.

As you see in the release by the SEC, there is no power 4 requirement for one of your OOC games anymore.

Beyond stupid if the SEC wants as many teams as possible in the CFP

The Marksman said:

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Beyond stupid if the SEC wants as many teams as possible in the CFP

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It's not coincidental that the day prior to this a statement came out that the CFP committee will use strength of schedule now.

LB12Diamond said:

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Pretty sure it's already been noted as MSU with LSU and sips.

OU is sips Mizzou and Hogs.

Hogs is sip, Mizzou and OU.

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If that's the case I hope they stagger Arkansas and Oklahoma for us so we have at least 3 rivalry games every season.

Arkansas is about the same quality opponent as MSST and we have way more history vs Arkansas than OU does. Here's what I'm hoping for:

Alabama: AUB, TENN, LSU
Arkansas: TEX, A&M, MIZ
Auburn: BAMA, UGA, MSST
Florida: UGA, TENN, SC
Georgia: FLA, AUB, SC
Kentucky: VAN, SC, MIZ
LSU: BAMA, A&M, MISS
Missouri: OU, ARK, UK
MS State: MISS, AUB, OU
Oklahoma: TEX, MIZ, MSST
Ole Miss: MSST, LSU, VAN
South Carolina: UGA, FLA, UK
Tennessee: VAN, BAMA, FLA
Texas: OU, A&M, ARK
Texas A&M: TEX, LSU, ARK
Vanderbilt: TENN, UK, MISS

LB12Diamond said:

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The Marksman said:

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Beyond stupid if the SEC wants as many teams as possible in the CFP

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It's not coincidental that the day prior to this a statement came out that the CFP committee will use strength of schedule now.

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Came here to say this.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/other/college-football-playoff-selection-committee-changes-how-it-views-strength-of-schedule/ar-AA1KU7VJ?ocid=BingNewsVerp

Quote:

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The College Football Playoff selection committee will put greater emphasis on strength of schedule in determining the field for the upcoming season.

The change in metrics was part of a slew of modifications made to the selection process, the committee announced on Aug. 20.

For the 2025 season, the schedule strength metric has been adjusted to apply greater weight to games against strong opponents. Also being introduced is the record strength metric, which goes "beyond a team's schedule strength to assess how a team performed against that schedule."

In the new metric, teams will be rewarded for defeating high-quality opponents and they won't be penalized heavily for losing such games. Conversely, teams will have minimal rewards for defeating low-quality teams but will be soundly penalized for losing such games.

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LSU Arkansas and State please

Playoff committee just said they are going to focus more on strength of schedule. With 9 sec games plus one more power 4 game, this should really help with sec playoff teams. As a bonus, I'm sure sec is getting boatload of cash from espn for that 9th game.

Going to cost a lot to lose a home game every other year. They better be renegotiating tv deals for more games.

But in the long run, you figured it was coming and will lead to better games.

LB12Diamond said:

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The SEC no longer requires a P4 OOC game per the release.

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Not true. One OOC must be P4 or Notre Dame.

Latest from @bmarcello on X:

Each SEC team will receive additional money: an average of about $5 million each year from ESPN.

- Very possible that the $ jumps in the future.

- Will this push SEC back to favoring 4 AQs in 16-team CFP? TBD but it now seems possible.

TXAG 05 said:

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LB12Diamond said:

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The SEC no longer requires a P4 OOC game per the release.

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Not true. One OOC must be P4 or Notre Dame.

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I see that now. We will see if that continues. Sankey clearly has some assurances that 4 or more SEC teams will be in playoffs most seasons to move forward with this now. If not, he's going to be in trouble.

Can we ask for vandy, mizzou, and state every year??

MaroonStain said:

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LSU Arkansas and State please

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If not Arkansas, then there will be no Arky game at Kyle in 2026. Figures. We would play in Fayetteville last of series.

I'm sure that moron Sankey didn't secure one extra cent for an extra SEC game

AgDad121619 said:

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I'm sure that moron Sankey didn't secure one extra cent for an extra SEC game

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You're going to be very disappointed

BMX Bandit said:

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AgDad121619 said:

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I'm sure that moron Sankey didn't secure one extra cent for an extra SEC game

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You're going to be very disappointed

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a $5 million bump that offsets loss of a home game gate doesn't equal a windfall. - I hope I am wrong though

We have a real conference now. Seeing (some) east teams so rarely made it always feel disjointed. Now that we'll see everyone twice each four years, once at home, makes it more cohesive.

NoahAg said:

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9 conference games AND a conference championship? What is the benefit? SEC schedules are already the toughest.

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Better entertainment for fans.

kyledr04 said:

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Going to cost a lot to lose a home game every other year. They better be renegotiating tv deals for more games.

But in the long run, you figured it was coming and will lead to better games.

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ESPN will pay about $5 million more per year to each school. So, even if the value of a home game against a cupcake is $5 million (and it isn't that high), the schools will get $10 million over 2 years, which will more than cover the loss.