Eli Drinkwitz shares thoughts on SEC’s move to 9-game conference schedule –
By Mark Kern
Published:
Eli Drinkwitz and the rest of the SEC coaches found out earlier in the week that the conference is moving to 9 conference games beginning in 2026.
Currently, they play eight conference games, and that has been a talking point for teams from other conferences. While the move aligns more with the rest of college football, Drinkwitz said that there could be some consequences with this decision.
“I think from a fan standpoint it is going to be awesome, I really do,” Drinkwitz told reporters. “I think it is going to be a challenge obviously. I think there is going to be unintended consequences from increasing the schedule difficulties. There are a lot of challenges that we are going to have to figure out and get right. We don’t even know who our three permanents are.”
As Drinkwitz mentioned, there are still a lot of unknowns when it comes to the schedule. In this format, teams are set to have three other SEC teams that will be on the schedule each year.
For this season, the Tigers have arguably one of the best schedules in the country. Missouri’s first 6 games this season are at home, and the team’s three toughest games (Alabama, Texas A&M and South Carolina) are all in Columbia.
The Tigers get the 2025 season started on Thursday, when they host Central Arkansas. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
Get ready for online sports betting in Missouri! SDS will have updates on the launch and promos from Fanatics Sportsbook Missouri!
