The SEC announced Thursday that it will move to a nine-game conference schedule in 2026, aligning itself with other Power Conferences like the Big 10 and the Big 12. Within that release was a necessary mandate.
Will they or won’t they or will they or won’t they or will they or won’t they or…
They will. The SEC announced Thursday that it will move to a nine-game conference schedule in 2026, aligning its format with other Power Conferences like the Big 10 and the Big 12.
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Within the press release was this key mandate…
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. The SEC will continue to evaluate its policies to ensure the continued scheduling of high-quality non-conference opponents.
Without this important detail, the move to nine games would have been weak.
Let’s look at Ole Miss’ 2024 record as a reason why. Rebel faithful thought a 9-3 record against this slate was worthy of a College Football Playoff spot.
Power conference teams are in bold.
- Furman
- Middle Tennessee
- at Wake Forest
- Georgia Southern
- Kentucky
- at South Carolina
- at LSU
- Oklahoma
- at Arkansas
- Georgia
- at Florida
- Mississippi State
The first four teams, and not any sort of dismissal of SEC schedule difficulty, is why Ole Miss didn’t make the CFP.
Ole Miss has a game at Charlotte and versus Wofford on the books for its 2026 schedule. Nine SEC games gets the Rebels to 11. And if they add Wake Forest again? Sure, that’s not any sort of murderers’ row, but it’s 10 Power Conference games. If Ole Miss goes 6-3 in the SEC after charging through Charlotte, Wofford, and Wake Forest, it’s a lot harder to leave them out. And that’s just in a playoff where 11 Power Conference teams have spots. If it gets to 15 or 16?
This little detail as part of a larger change is going to put more SEC teams into any playoff should it stay in a format without automatic bids.
If this change was made in anticipation of four automatic spots for SEC and Big 10 teams, that’s sad.
But at least they mandated better football games.
Is a game like Texas vs. Wake Forest captivating? No, but it’s a better challenge than Texas vs. another version of Sam Houston State.
Is it in Texas’ best interest to keep challenging games like Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame, and Arizona State on the future non-conference schedule? If we’re being honest, probably not.
While making those types of contests yearly occurrences may not be the most optimal decision for the Longhorns, they shouldn’t be completely eliminated from the schedule. Winning those types of games is fun. Did playing Michigan knock Texas out of the College Football Playoff?
Life is about balance, though. For every Ohio State, maybe there should be a Rutgers. For every Notre Dame, maybe a matchup with Boston College isn’t all that bad. Hello, Sa
Those games aren’t as fun, but they are a possible outcome. Other possible outcomes? Texas at Ohio State, LSU at Clemson, and Notre Dame at Miami.
The additional SEC game is the right move. It’ll make more money for all the members. It’ll create a more captivating race for the conference championship. It’ll create more exciting football games, dang it.
But making sure SEC members play 10 total Power Conference games? It’ll make the viewing experience for Texas fans and other SEC supporters across the entire season the best in the country.
Maybe most importantly, it’ll remove all doubt as to which teams have to travel the toughest road to make it to the postseason.
Category: General Sports
