Greg Sankey incinerates idea SEC teams benefit from 8-game conference schedule
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Greg Sankey was live from Atlanta on Monday, officially kicking off SEC Media Days and the full talking season in the conference. Included in his opening address, Sankey took aim at the conference schedule for the SEC, one that has been a hot-button issue recently.
The SEC still plays 8 games, even while some power leagues in the country have been playing 9 league games for a while. There is also an argument that the SEC needs to now be playing 9 conference games as a 16-team league.
Even Bret Bielema, the current head coach at Illinois and a previous SEC head coach, addressed the league slate. According to Bielema, SEC teams need to make the switch to 9 games if the College Football Playoff is to expand.
“I was told that [the SEC coaches] voted unanimously to stay at eight and not play the Big Ten. But then some people pop off and say what they want to say,” Bielema said about the topic.
On Monday, Sankey addressed the schedule head-on in his opening comments. He described it as no secret that the league has been playing 8 games, but he also hammered home the overall strength of the in and out-of-conference schedules for his programs.
“It is absolutely, fully 100% correct that the SEC plays 8 conference games while some conferences play 9 games. It has never been a secret,” said Sankey. “It is also correct that all 16 members of the SEC conference played at least 9 games against what you would label ‘power opponents.’ We had several that played 10 of their games against power opponents. Some conferences have that. Some don’t. The same will be true this year.”
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Even if some people want to complain about the situation, Sankey said he doesn’t see other conferences stepping up to try and swap schedules with the SEC:
“I don’t believe there’s anyone looking to swap their conference schedule and the opponents with the opponents played by SEC teams and our conference schedule, be it 8 or 9,” claimed Sankey.
Overall, Sankey believes there is no lack of quality competition within an 8-game SEC schedule, but the commissioner says they will continue to investigate expanding to 9 games. A key component will be a firm understanding of how the College Football Playoff committee addresses strength of schedule.
For now, the future of the SEC schedule in 2026 is up in the air, but Sankey is hoping to get clarity on the matter soon so that schedules can begin getting set for next season.
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
