The SEC won’t be moving to a nine-game conference schedule after all. But it will be going forward in 2024 without divisions.
Commissioner Greg Sankey told reporters Thursday that the league has approved a temporary eight-game conference schedule for the 2024 football season when it welcomes Texas and Oklahoma to the league.
Sankey said that the league will continue exploring scheduling options for 2025 and beyond.
Sankey had strongly hinted at his preference for a nine-game conference schedule leading up to the SEC’s spring meetings in Destin, Florida, this week. The proposal would have featured three permanent opponents, which would preserve long-standing rivalries, as well as six rotating opponents.
In response to a question about the argument for a nine-game schedule, Sankey said Monday, “A league at the forefront of college athletics does not stand still.”
The SEC currently plays an eight-game conference schedule — games against all six division opponents plus two cross-divisional games. The eight-game conference schedule discussed at this week’s spring meetings features one permanent opponent and seven rotating opponents.
Sankey said the eight-game schedule in 2024 will be based on “fairness and balance” and that “traditional rivalries” would be a major factor.
“We understand the important matchups,” he said.
Other than the obvious rivalries such as Alabama–Auburn, Georgia–Florida and Mississippi State–Ole Miss, sources told ESPN’s Chris Low that a priority for the league would be preserving other long-standing rivalries such as Alabama-Tennessee, Auburn–Georgia and Texas–Texas A&M during the 2024 season.
There were a number of issues causing concern among stakeholders regarding the nine-game conference schedule. Among them: competitive balance and the desire for more revenue in return for the additional conference game.
Asked about the possibility of being compensated for an extra conference game, Sankey said he believes, “Money follows. It doesn’t lead.”
Coaches focused on the impact a ninth conference game would have on bowl eligibility and the ability to make the College Football Playoff.