SEC progressing to a 9-game conference schedule by the 2026 season

The SEC logo in the hallway at the Hilton Sandestin in Destin, Fla. on Tuesday May 31, 2022 at the
The SEC logo in the hallway at the Hilton Sandestin in Destin, Fla. on Tuesday May 31, 2022 at the | Marc Weiszer/Athens Banner-Herald / USA

Talk of a 9-game conference schedule has been a hot topic for a hot minute for the Southeastern Conference. Texas AD Chris Del Conte has spoken about a time frame on when that could happen.

The Southeastern Conference is reported to be working on a 9-game conference schedule in the future. Texas athletics director Chris Del Conte spoke on Tuesday, saying it wasn't a matter of if, it's a matter of when.

"“We have eight games scheduled right now. We’re working on going to a nine-game schedule, but we have a ways to go with that. I would say this year we have an eight-game schedule. The following year, we have another eight-game schedule. Then we’ll look at going into a nine-game conference schedule.”"
Texas AD, Chris Del Conte

Texas and Oklahoma will join the SEC for the 2024 season, having announced their plans to move from the Big 12 Conference a few years ago. Moving to a 9-game conference schedule seemed to be a favourable choice, boosting teams' chances of making the playoffs with a potentially stronger schedule for each SEC team.

However, it looks like we may not see that until the 2025 season, with two more seasons of four out-of-conference match-ups.

Schedule

Schedule