At SEC Media Days, league boss discusses notion of 9-game schedule for football

Southeastern Conference commissioner Greg Sankey talked at SEC Media Days this week about the possibility of moving from an eight-game slate of league football games to to a nine-game schedule.

That doesn’t seem like a realistic possibility at the moment. Sankey, one of college football’s thought leaders, sounds satisfied with the current scheduling model.

“It is absolutely, fully 100% correct that in the SEC we play eight conference games while some others play nine conference games,” he said. “It’s also correct that last season, all 16 members of the Southeastern Conference played at least nine games against what you would label power opponents. We had several that played 10 of their 12 games against power opponents. Some conferences have that. Some don’t.

“I don’t believe there’s anyone looking to swap their conference schedule and its opponents with the opponents played by the Southeastern Conference teams and our conference schedule, be it eight or nine.”

The switch would be entirely dependent on how the College Football Playoff evaluates its rankings moving forward — both in terms of strength of schedule and record. Selection metrics will be adjusted before the start of the 2025 season, which will help the SEC gauge how it needs to adapt. The thought process now is simply this, regardless of any opposition: The SEC’s eight-game schedule is more difficult than any other conference.

Sankey used the intense competition as the basis for not resorting to a nine-game schedule. It could make it even tougher for SEC teams to crack postseason bowl games and add too much to each of their plates. However, that change could lead to more revenue and represent the conference at an even higher scale.

To compose a final decision, a balance must be found between the pros and cons.

“There’s a rigor here that is unique in the SEC,” Sankey said. We’re not lacking for quality competition among our 16 football teams, but we’re going to continue to evaluate whether increasing the number of conference football games is appropriate for us. ... Understanding how the CFP will evaluate strength of schedule, and even strength of record, is critically important in our decision making.”

A couple of the coaches representing the SEC on Wednesday on Day 3 of the event were asked to weigh in on the topic. That started with Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer, who earnestly said that the question was “above” his place on which to give deep insight.

“That’s beyond me right now,” DeBoer said. “I know there’s a lot of pros when it comes to strength of schedule. I’m all for that. You look at our schedule this year, again, that was built out years back as well, but we’re playing Florida State, Wisconsin, one away, one at home. We’re all about playing as many high-end games that you can possibly play. Certainly adding another SEC game to the schedule would accomplish that.”

The Crimson Tide were one of the three-loss SEC casualties that didn’t make the CFP in 2024, alongside Ole Miss, Mizzou and South Carolina. That normally would eliminate any team, but their strength of schedule compared to the likes of SMU was used to throw their name in conversations.

Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby kept the question fully in the hands of Sankey and the SEC. The answer could be different for all 16 coaches across the week, but ultimately none of them will shift the end result. The hope is that no matter the course the league decides to follow, it will help its growth.

“At the end of the day, it’s going to be what’s best for the league,” Lebby said. “I think all of us as coaches have our own opinions, but the conference at the end of the day is going to do exactly what we need to do to continue to strengthening our position.”

Missouri, Alabama: similar QB competitions

Similar to Mizzou, Alabama has been in the midst of a quarterback battle throughout the spring and summer. Rising redshirt junior Ty Simpson is the clear favorite to win out the starting job, but the Crimson Tide have still carried out a legitimate competition.

Penn State transfer Beau Pribula could be considered just as much of a favorite to win the job for Missouri. Though he is expected to start over rising redshirt junior Sam Horn, he hasn’t fully earned the starter designation from coach Eli Drinkwitz yet. The same goes for Simpson.

“Going through a quarterback competition, that’s pressure alone,” DeBoer said. “These guys are going through pressure every throw. Whether it was a competition or not, we would analyze it, break it down, chart it. Every throw and drive that these guys are a part of, it’s critical to them winning the job.

“I think sometimes going through a competition prepares you for the pressures that are going to come within a season. I’ve seen that over and over throughout the years when I’ve had other competitions, as well.”

Pribula and Simpson also share a similar predicament: Neither has been a full-time starter in his career.

Pribula received more reps last year because of the injury to starter Drew Allar, while Simpson backed up NFL draftee Jalen Milroe for the full season. Horn and Alabama’s other options of rising redshirt sophomore Austin Mack and freshman Keelon Russell lack further experience.

Perhaps, the competition and thorough practices leading up to the season can help the Tigers and Crimson Tide’s starters be prepared in spite of their youth. Much like Drinkwitz has talked of his quarterback room, DeBoer is confident in his group no matter what the conclusion ends up being.

“They got the tools,” DeBoer said. “Now you’re just trying to put them in those moments as much as possible where the lack of experience, maybe from a game situational standpoint, is able to come out in practice, help them feel prepared.”

For both Mizzou and Alabama, strong play at the quarterback position is going to be influential in reaching their desired goals for this season.

About Oklahoma ...

The Sooners’ 2024 campaign served as their introduction to the SEC, albeit one that wasn’t without its challenges. They finished 13th in the conference with a record of 2-6, including a 30-23 loss to Missouri that coach Brent Venables described as a “heartbreaker” Wednesday.

The level of competition didn’t come as a shock to Oklahoma, though. It dealt with plenty of setbacks that derailed its season but is looking to bounce back to be a legitimate competitor in 2025. Last year was merely time to get a feel for a new situation.

“In many ways, it was exactly as I thought,” Venables said. “It’s a league that is determined by the line of scrimmage. There’s elite players on every single team that you’re going to play, at every single position that you’re going to play. If you show up on a Saturday and you’re not ready to play, you’re going to get it handed to you.”

Safety Robert Spears-Jennings staked his claim as one of the top defenders in the SEC in just a year’s time, but even last season came as a learning opportunity. In the Sooners’ second try, the group will be far more experienced and battle-tested to take on its opponents.

“I feel like the conference last year was a good learning experience for everybody,” Spears-Jennings said. “I feel like everybody had a great time, a lot of learning curves for us. Now we’re ready to attack Year 2.”

OU will get a chance to take on the Tigers for the second time since moving to the SEC, this time at home in Norman, Okla. By the set date of Nov. 22, the Sooners will have a feel for how much they learned since the last matchup.

Copyright 2025 Columbia Missourian