SEC Going To Nine Conference Games Starting In 2026

[UKWildcats1987]

Gonna make the sec even more vicious.

Sec will get 4 teams at minimum n playoff every season season going to 16 teams.

[dencat]

The nine game conference schedule was driven by money, plain and simple. ESPN will pay the conference big money for the extra game. The biggest question I have, and I have said this for years, is why the NCAA keeps kissing the rear end of the folks in South Bend? Notre Dame should have no say in anything until they join a league. Period.

[40bill]

It is what it is. You want the money from the SEC like a big time program you better act and play like you ARE a big time program and not constantly whine about level of competition and how much money you need to pony up.

[UKWildcats1987]

The nine game conference schedule was driven by money, plain and simple. ESPN will pay the conference big money for the extra game. The biggest question I have, and I have said this for years, is why the NCAA keeps kissing the rear end of the folks in South Bend? Notre Dame should have no say in anything until they join a league. Period.

100% agree on the domers. They should join the big 10. I think the acc is a dead dodo at some point n the next decade. Perhaps ND joining could save it.

[Los Gatos]

I've looked at a bunch of different predictions as to which three permanent opponents we will get. Although some predict we get UTn, I doubt it. Here's why. UTn is virtually guaranteed to get Bama and Vandy as two of their opponents. To balance there three they need a middle of the road team such as Florida or So Carolina. I don't see UK as a middle of road team, more bottom of the conference. If they get UK along with Vandy they have two bottom teams. While it could happen. I'll be surprised if it does.

[40bill]

for some reason ND gets all the respect for what it was years and years ago. I know they signed their own television contract back then, I don't know if its still active. Game of the week used to always be the ND game. why is it such a big deal today? No clue. For some reason, and I guess its the Catholicism, Notre Dame was always held up as the squeaky clean crew....when in fact they were as likely as anyone not named Penn State. Even today there is a burning desire in the powers that be to put Notre Dame in the national playoff hunt every year.

Just gets old.

[Pobilly]

3 perm opponents should be regionally associated. No way everyone gets their traditional rivalry games. UK should get UT, USC and MISS ST at the 3 perm (at least since Stoops has been here).

UK Probably gets the short end and gets to be everyones lower tier opponent. We end up with UT, UGA and Florida then we will get the likes of Bama, Texas, USC, Oklahoma, Texas AM, and LSU year 1. lol

I like the tier format (over history), each team gets a tier 1, 2 and 3 game. Just not 100% who is in each tier.

[Burly Peters]

Thanks because we are good in BB and get punished.

No doubt. Every time they can.

[ganner918]

3 perm opponents should be regionally associated. No way everyone gets their traditional rivalry games. UK should get UT, USC and MISS ST at the 3 perm (at least since Stoops has been here).

UK Probably gets the short end and gets to be everyones lower tier opponent. We end up with UT, UGA and Florida then we will get the likes of Bama, Texas, USC, Oklahoma, Texas AM, and LSU year 1. lol

I like the tier format (over history), each team gets a tier 1, 2 and 3 game. Just not 100% who is in each tier.

Good while back I remember a proposal (don't know if it was just some media, or just speculation) of a 2-tier system where you'll get 2 teams in your tier and 1 from the other. So Tennessee would be in the higher tier, and Tennessee would get Alabama and Florida from the top tier and one of Kentucky and Vandy from the lower tier. I tried a couple of groupings, this is one:

[Old School]

By contract, this will move Kentucky's 2026 game against Kent State to 2030.