SEC adopts nine-game conference slate starting in 2026 as CFP metrics shift emphasis on schedule strength
SEC sports directors adopted a nine game football calendar from the 2026-27 season, the League announced on Thursday. Development comes while the CFP should implement new measures in 2025 which put more emphasis on the strength of the calendar, a change that could benefit the SEC teams.
The expansion marks a major change for the dry, which has traditionally played eight conference games per season. The League has debated the idea for over four years, but has renewed television income and the potential benefits of positioning the playoffs reinvigorated discussions.
“The addition of a ninth dry game underlines the commitment of our universities to provide the country’s most competitive football calendar,” said SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey in a statement published by the school. “This format protects rivalries, increases the competitive balance and combined with our requirement to play an additional opponent, guarantees that the SEC teams are well prepared to compete and succeed in the university football playoffs.”
In the format of nine games, each SEC team will play three permanent conference opponents and will turn to six others each season.
New dry planning format
- Start in 2026
- Each team will play nine games, with three perminant opponents
- The other six opponents of each team will turn among the 10 remaining schools in the league
- Each team will face all other dry programs at least once every two years. And each opponent at home every four years.
- Each team must play at least one opponent Power Four (or Notre Dame) each year.
Training
Now that the SEC has approved a conference calendar of nine games, the ACC should follow suit, potentially bringing all the Power Four conferences to uniform slates of nine games, according to Yahoo Sports.
Such alignment could simplify the assessments of the play football playoffs, which facilitates the selection committee to compare the teams through conferences. Wednesday, The CFP introduced a new metric “record strength” for 2025which gives additional credit for victories on quality opponents while reducing penalties for losses against solid teams. CFP Executive Director Rich Clark said the changes are intended to help the Committee “Build an post-season support that recognizes the best performances and teams on the field during the regular season”.
A calendar of Nine games in the SEC offers teams more opportunities to deal with high -level opponents, which could help the League to maximize its representation in playoffs under the new metrics. The ACC may feel pressure to match the format to remain competitive, creating training effects through university football which connects directly to the way the CFP could be structured in the future.
How the power four hours
| Conference | Number of teams | Number of conference games |
|---|---|---|
| Catchy | 18 | 8 (9 from 2026) |
| Big Dix | 18 | 9 |
| Big 12 | 16 | 9 |
| SECOND | 16 | 8 |
Planning decisions like these are linked to proposals to extend the CFP. Under a “4-4-2-2-1” modelThe Big Ten and the SEC would each receive four guaranteed places, the ACC and the Big 12 would obtain two each, the group of six would have a guaranteed representative and three space points would remain. While the coaches initially rejected the plan, the calendar of nine games of the dry lines up with the wider objective of the League to strengthen the team’s schedules and to position its programs in the context of current metrics and to come from the playoffs.
