Momentum building for 9-game SEC conference schedule after renewed talks

The SEC will once again consider moving to a nine-game slate of conference football games, according to a report from Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger. A decision is not expected until early 2025.

A move to a nine-game conference schedule is something that’s been discussed among SEC decision makers before, but the league has so far held firm on playing eight conference games. This is amidst the league adding Texas and Oklahoma and going to 16 teams.

Evidently, adding a game to the conference slate is still alive issue, as the proposal is now back on the conference’s administrative agenda.

“Those programs at first against adding a ninth conference game are more interested now in doing so, according to multiple administrators at conference schools — a way to enhance schedules with bigger matchups and generate more cash through ticket sales as well as the television contract with ESPN,” Dellenger wrote.

Sankey also told Yahoo that the league administrators want to see the first 12-team College Football Playoff shake out before they come to any final decision.

“We will use that as a learning experience and see how the [CFP] committee evaluates competition, rather than doing analytics to predict,” Sankey said. “That sets timing for the first quarter next year.”

Texas AD Chris Del Conte hinted earlier this year a 9-game slate would be explored further

Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte provided some insight into the SEC’s scheduling plans in football for the near future when he spoke in February.

According to reporting from InsideTexas, Del Conte hinted that the issue isn’t so much whether the SEC will move to nine games but when.

“We have eight games scheduled right now,” Del Conte said. “We’re working on going to a nine-game schedule, but we have a ways to go with that. I would say this year we have an eight-game schedule. The following year, we have another eight-game schedule. Then we’ll look at going into a nine-game conference schedule.”

That would be consistent with how the SEC has handled scheduling during previous rounds of realignment.

Back in 2012, when the league added Missouri and Texas A&M, the SEC used two years of temporary scheduling to work on and tinker with the more permanent scheduling rotation. There are a lot of parties involved and making everyone happy is almost impossible.

But eventually, the league got to a pretty good place and the permanent schedule rotation went into place in 2014. It continued through the 2023 season intact.

With the addition of Oklahoma and Texas in 2024, though, that will obviously change. For now, the league is remaining with an eight-game schedule in 2024, and full opponents and dates have already been announced for that campaign.