NEWS: Sankey, SEC, add ninth conference game in 2026

After pushing for a ninth conference game for a while, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey finally gets his wish as the league’s presidents voted Thursday to add another conference game starting 2026.

Sankey went on The Paul Finebaum Show after the move became official to discuss the implications of the move to nine conference games and how it came about.

“It took a while,” Sankey said. “A lot of factors involved – you and I have talked about bowl eligibility, the CFP. Some of the work by the CFP so far this year is progress. It’s not a destination, but the honoring of schedule strength that’s been communicated is really important for the Southeastern Conference. Being leaders in college football, continuing to play games against non-conference opponents at a high level in addition to the nine games. I think that’s a representation of fulfilling that leadership responsibility. That’s not something that’s done every place. Not everyone agrees. I’m certain that our coaches are concerned about the competitive aspect. We’ve got to continue to improve the selection process for the postseason.

“Yet, when you factor that in along with our media relationship with ESPN. What we experienced from viewership last year, when you go back to the COVID year where we played conference-only games and had the highest viewership consumption on the SEC Network because every one of those games were great games, a lot of lessons that also set us up for future decision-making and future opportunities. Those are but some of the factors that brought us to this conclusion.”

The SEC joins the Big Ten and Big 12 as power leagues with nine conference games. In 2026, the ACC will be the only power conference playing eight league games.

The SEC’s historic decision to play the same number of league games as the Big Ten could facilitate a possible compromise between leagues on an expanded 16-team playoff format in 2026.

How it works

The nine-game schedule would come with three annual opponents and LSU fans have already began theorizing which teams that would be. Texas A&M, Arkansas, Ole Miss, Alabama, and Mississippi State being among the group that most fans discuss, but there’s also a rivalry with Florida that has been a staple of the sport.

The other six games will rotate among the 12 “non-rival” teams in the SEC. Each team will face every other SEC program at least once every two years and every opponent home and away in four years, per the SEC.

The SEC’s move to nine games was a surprise to many. Since splitting into two six-team divisions in 1992, the SEC had played eight conference games for the past 33 years. The SEC has been the most dominating league over the past two decades, winning 15 of the last 19 national titles. A reason many wanted to remain at eight games. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” an SEC AD said.

However, Sankey had been a proponent for a nine-game SEC schedule for a while. He addressed his support of a nine-game schedule at last month’s SEC media days. SEC teams are required to schedule at least one additional high-quality non-conference game from the Atlantic Coast, Big Ten or Big 12 or Notre Dame each season.