SEC football going to a nine-game conference schedule

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey announced the conference will be implementing a nine-game league schedule for football beginning with the 2026 season.

“Adding a ninth SEC game underscores our universities’ commitment to delivering the most competitive football schedule in the nation,” Sankey said in a release.

“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 news comes one day after the CFP revealed it has added an enhanced schedule strength metric for the College Football Playoff selection committee to use starting with the first set of rankings this season, scheduled to be released Nov. 4.

Per the SEC release on the expanded nine-game league schedule, under the new format:

• The SEC will continue with a single-standing, non-division 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.

The release also states that, “SEC teams are required to schedule at least one additional high quality non-conference (team) from the Atlantic Coast, Big Ten or Big 12 conferences or Notre Dame each season. The SEC will continue to evaluate its policies to ensure the continued scheduling of high-quality non-conference opponents.”

Georgia coach Kirby Smart had stressed the importance of maintaining a strong nonconference schedule at the SEC Spring Meetings.

RELATED: Kirby Smart points to value of playing Clemson in 2024 opener

Programs like UGA, Alabama and Florida that have challenging nonconference opponents scheduled in their future will count on the CFP Selection Committee — now with an enhanced schedule strength metric in place — to recognize and reward quality wins appropriately.

Smart said Tuesday he would be in favor of a widely expanded College Football Playoff format “if done the right way.”

The SEC’s decision to move to a nine-game league schedule could clear the way for the resumption of talks related to the College Football Playoff expanding from 12 to 16 — or perhaps more teams — as early as the 2026 season.

The Big Ten had stipulated it would not be on board with the proposed 16-team CFP format the SEC and other leagues were in favor of this spring until the SEC moved to a nine-game league schedule — like the Big Ten plays.

There have been proposals for 24- and 28-team CFP fields since those spring discussions.

Smart pointed out a more widely expanded CFP field could keep more fanbases engaged in an era where programs not making the current 12-team CFP field fall to mid-tier bowl games, where interest is fading.

Rich Clark, the executive director of the CFP, said Monday there is no rush to make a decision on expanding the playoff field, saying, per The Athletic, that “it’s worth sticking to the 12 team (field) until we can come to a really solid, sound decision for the future.”

The SEC has played an eight-game league schedule since the 1992 season, when the conference expanded from 10 to 12 teams with the additions of South Carolina and Arkansas, with the exception of the 2020 season, when the regular season consisted of 10 scheduled conference games.