Kalen DeBoer 'up in the air' on SEC deciding on conference game total

Kalen DeBoer doesn’t currently have an opinion on how many conference games the SEC will play in 2026 and beyond, but the Alabama coach is open-minded on the issue.

Currently, league teams play eight in-conference games but there’s been a push to make that nine. The Big Ten has nine conference games for all teams as it stands.

With the SEC expanding to 16 teams for the 2024 season, with this summer’s additions of Texas and Oklahoma, perhaps that is the future.

“Yeah, I’m sure there’s a, you know, hear both ends of it,” DeBoer said this week at the SEC Spring Meetings in Destin, Florida. “I think you’d have to make adjustments to your non-conference schedule, depending on which direction you go. I know the SEC slate that every team will have is going to be strong and it’s going to be one where you’d have to adjust how many Power Five teams — Power Four teams — you’re gonna play, you know, in the conference schedule. 

“So, you know, I think 10 games, not nine games, you know, power five games are the ones that is a good number. You know, so if it was eight, probably add one or two, you know, and kind of see from there. So, I’m up in the air on it. Obviously, want to hear both from my athletic director, and also pros and cons from the conference of where it all stands. And know we’ll talk about that today.”

Kalen DeBoer mum on eight or nine SEC games on schedule

Do more conference games make sense in the era of an expanded playoff? Maybe. Maybe not.

The season is going to get longer regardless, since you could play up to four playoff games to win a title.

DeBoer seeing Alabama play eight or nine games in conference might be a moot point when it comes to the grand scheme of things.

“I think it’s always been something that I’ve been conscious of,” DeBoer said of load management in an expanded season. “For example, we’re moving to be a morning practice team. I think over the course of months, you’re conscious about the amount of sleep guys are getting. That’s not even getting to the part that I think you’re referring to with the amount of contact and hits and games that guys are playing. And so I’m always conscious of that because you want to be playing your best ball at the end of the year. You want to be fresh, both mentally and physically. And there’s just a fine line because you have to be prepared for those games throughout the season, which takes a lot of work, takes a lot of time. 

“And so from the summer workouts through fall camp, tying that into school and everything they have on their plate, that’s a lot. So we want to make sure that we’re always conscious of communicating, working with our team to adjust and do what’s needed to make sure we’re playing our best ball come the end of the season, but making sure we also have done a good job throughout the year to put ourselves in the spot to be in the playoffs, in the postseason.”