The Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-12 have all switched to nine-game conference schedules in recent years, leaving the SEC and ACC as the final two Power 5 conferences to remain at eight games.

That could change in the coming years, but for now, it’s something that causes a bit of a debate, especially when it’s time to decide which teams will go to the College Football Playoff.

On Friday, ESPN analyst Adam Rittenberg joined “The Paul Finebaum Show” and said he firmly believes the SEC should switch to nine conference games sooner rather than later.

“I’m not a fan of the SEC schedule setup — mainly because you don’t see each other very often if you’re a cross-division opponent,” he said. “You can go seven, eight years sometimes without matchups. I just don’t think that serves the fans. Florida, I highlighted their schedule, the fact that they play all 12 of their regular-season games in three states. They have nine in Florida, two in Tennessee against SEC opponents and then one in Mississippi against Mississippi State in the Dan Mullen reunion bowl in Starkville.

“Again, I know some SEC fans like the schedule because it creates, in their mind, an easier path to the College Football Playoff. If I’m a fan of a team in a league I love, I want to see teams in that league on a more regular basis in the other division. …

“Florida and Auburn barely play each other anymore. They were great rivals for years and years. I’m a fan of more conference games, and I’m a fan of a larger rotation so that when you’re in a league you actually feels like that because you’re playing all the teams in your league, not just the teams in your division.”

Switching to nine conference games has become a yearly discussion in the SEC, and it’ll likely happen at some point in the future. For now, though, all teams can do is try to schedule a fellow Power 5 team in non-conference play to bolster their strength of schedule.