SEC ADs, coaches 're-thinking' position on 9-game conference schedule

SEC athletics directors and coaches discussed the potential of a nine-game conference schedule during meetings this week, commissioner Greg Sankey confirmed. Although no decision was made, some in the room are “re-thinking” their position on the move.

The SEC considered a nine-game conference schedule last season, but held off as Texas and Oklahoma entered the league. College Football Playoff expansion also played a role in the decision to wait, Sankey said during last year’s spring meetings, and the expectation was conversations would start again this year.

As officials from the SEC met with their Big Ten counterparts this week, a nine-game slate appears to be back on the table. Sankey pointed out there’s “a lot of interest” in such a move as the college football landscape continues to evolve.

The 2024 season marked the first of the 12-team College Football Playoff after a decade with a four-team format. Ahead of the new-look bracket, Sankey spoke with Paul Finebaum about how the revamped model would impact future scheduling conversations with both SEC members, as well as ESPN and ABC – the league’s media partners.

“We said, back in the summer, that that decision becomes, essentially, first quarter of 2025 because we go through a 16-team, eight-game, single-division, if you will, format … with an expanded Playoff and wanting to know how the selection committee evaluates our teams in the current format,” Sankey said in December. “We’re still on that course.

“We include our media partner in that conversation. We want to evaluate bowl eligibility because that’s important to a number of our programs, and that will be an early 2025 point of focus for us.”

SEC, Big Ten convene for College Football Playoff talks

Over the last two days in New Orleans, officials from the SEC and Big Ten discussed multiple topics about the state of college football. That includes the future of the College Football Playoff, although Greg Sankey kept specifics close to the vest while speaking with reporters afterward.

The CFP’s current media deal with ESPN expires in 2026, and Sankey declined to discuss particulars with what he would like to see its future look like. However, he and Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti confirmed they would like “straight seeding” that mirrors the College Football Playoff committee ranking while still guaranteeing spots for five champs, according to ESPN’s Heather Dinich.

Under the current 12-team format, the four highest-ranked conference champions receive byes through the first round of the College Football Playoff. As a result, No. 9-ranked Boise State was the No. 3 seed and No. 12-ranked Arizona State was the No. 4 seed.