SEC to move to nine-game conference schedule in 2026

Teams will play three annual opponents, protecting rivalries. The remaining six games will be rotated among the remaining teams in the conference with the guarantee that each team will play every other SEC program at least once every two years and every opponent home and away in four years.

One person who is on the record against the nine-game schedule is coach Sam Pittman, who offered a passionate defense for the eight-game setup in November.

"Eight’s plenty," Pittman has said previously. "We’ve got to figure out exactly how to get to the championship game, but we don't need nine. Everybody would be limping into the postseason play. It's something about college football and you go out and play somebody that you never played before. As in, we're going to play Notre Dame next year. There's no way in the world you're going to schedule nine SEC games and Notre Dame. We might, but we shouldn't."

That's exactly what is on track to happen after the latest change. Arkansas will make the return trip to play Notre Dame on the road in 2028 after the Fighting Irish play the Hogs in Fayetteville this year.

The decision was approved by SEC Presidents and Chancellors following a recommendation by the league’s Athletic Directors and announced by the commissioner of the SEC, Greg Sankey.

The conference will keep its current format as one, 16-team divisionless conference following the additions of Texas and Oklahoma from the Big 12.

All SEC schools are required to schedule at least one additional non-conference game against a school from one of the other Power Four conferences (Big Ten, ACC and Big 12) or Notre Dame. Pittman specifically was against that setup in November should the conference move to an eight game schedule.

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

It is also likely more attractive because nobody knows how much additional ESPN is kicking into the SEC's money pile. The network is likely to have agreed to a substantial increase for an extra regular-season game.

Arkansas' 2025 scheduled is ranked the third hardest in the country by Phil Steele and the new nine-game SEC schedule could open the door for even more difficult schedules and marquee matchups down the line.

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