DALLAS — As the SEC prepares for its annual spring meetings in Destin, Fla., momentum is building for a significant shift in its football scheduling.
Maybe this time they’ll finally pull the plug on playing eight league games and go to the nine-game schedule Nick Saban has been lobbying to get for years.
This potential change, years in the making, is now propelled by evolving College Football Playoff dynamics and a lucrative offer from ESPN that could reshape the league’s financial landscape.
The debate over expanding the SEC’s football schedule intensified following the 2021 announcement that Texas and Oklahoma would join the league.
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey has long advocated for a nine-game conference schedule, arguing it would heighten competition and fan interest.
“I’ve been vocal about my belief that we should strive for a nine-game conference schedule,” Sankey said recently. “I see many benefits to this approach, especially with the heightened interest in conference matchups.
“However, this should not come at the expense of opportunities for our teams.”
Despite Sankey’s support and former Alabama coach Nick Saban’s decade-long endorsement, concerns among athletic directors and coaches have kept the plan on hold.
Chief among those concerns is the risk that an extra conference game could result in more losses for teams, potentially impacting bowl eligibility and CFP access.
The SEC’s scheduling decision is closely tied to the future format of the playoff.
With the Power 4 conferences—SEC, Big Ten, ACC, and Big 12—negotiating a new playoff structure, the possibility of a 16-team field with multiple automatic qualifiers for the SEC is gaining traction.
This would help mitigate the impact of additional conference losses by ensuring more SEC teams have a guaranteed path to the postseason.
“Let’s talk about the College Football Playoff,” Sankey said. “The 12-team launch was incredibly successful. More people had opportunities. What’s important to me is how teams are being evaluated.”
That means, simply, a loss to Texas isn’t an indicator you’re not a playoff-caliber team. Losing to Rice, though, might cast some doubt.
A major catalyst for the renewed push toward a nine-game schedule is ESPN’s willingness to increase its rights fees.
Currently, ESPN pays the SEC $811 million annually for exclusive broadcast rights, but sources indicate this could rise by $50-80 million per year if the conference adds a ninth game.
This additional revenue would help offset the financial impact of teams losing a home game every other season and could push each school’s share above the $20.5 million revenue-sharing mark set by the House settlement.
The 2024 season, the first with Texas and Oklahoma in the fold and ESPN controlling all SEC football inventory, delivered massive ratings.
Eight of the 10 most-watched regular-season college football games featured at least one SEC team, underscoring the business case for more high-profile matchups.
If approved, the new format would see each SEC team play three annual rivals and rotate through the remaining 12 teams over a four-year cycle.
This ensures that every team faces every other at least twice in four years, preserving historic rivalries while promoting competitive balance.
However, the process of assigning permanent rivals has sparked debate. Nick Saban, for instance, voiced frustration at Alabama potentially facing Tennessee, Auburn, and LSU every year, calling it an “unfair disadvantage” given their historic strength.
The SEC’s spring meetings, scheduled for May 27-29, could be decisive.
While previous gatherings have ended without resolution, there is a growing sense that a consensus is within reach.
“It’s time,” one SEC athletic director said. “I feel like there’s a pretty good consensus now.”
Sankey, though, is starting to sound a little like Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. It might drag on a little bit by keeping the interest level up.
“Two years ago, when we faced this decision, we chose to remain at eight games in Destin,” he said with a smile. “So, let’s consider the possibilities we might generate by stretching this out a bit to occupy those months of May and June.”
With ESPN’s offer on the table and the CFP format set for further discussion in mid-June, the SEC’s path forward will hinge on balancing competitive equity, postseason access, and financial incentives.
There will still be some whining and complaining, though. Exactly who that will be probably depends on who wants publicity.