9 conference games starting in 2026

[jcgmoi]

No, I'm not a Missouri fan, and I get what y'all are saying about Texas but somebody besides TAMU and Oklahoma still has to play them regularly, even if they have to hold their noses.

Texas has played those two teams 110 times each. Next comes Arkansas with 77 games, then Missouri with 20. So I guess the Hawgs draw the short straw.

[Armchair QB]

I'm completely in favor, mainly because players and fans will face every conference team and visit every conference stadium over the course of three years. For example, Georgia has yet to play TAMU at College Station after more than a decade.

It'll mean another loss for half the conference but the selection committee claims they will take SoS into consideration going forward. We'll see about that but for now I trust in Sankey.

I’m from Missouri, the selection committee will have to show me.

[Armchair QB]

I hate this. When your conference goes to 16 teams, you lose the opportunity to play each other and that’s just the way it is. I do not trust the selection committee to take into account the enhanced SOS this will bring SEC teams.

The way you get post season respect and opportunities is to do what SEC basketball did: dominate the non conference and fill it with quality wins.

We should be playing a 7 game conference schedule and then require every SEC team to play 3 P4 non conference games minimum.

All this 9 game conference season does is eliminate some teams from consideration for playoffs in the future because they’ll be 9-3 when they could have been 11-1 or 10-2.

[acco40]

The B1G struggled with this when they expanded. Michigan didn't want to face a season without a scheduled game against Michigan State and Ohio State. The SEC married Mizzou and Arkansas in an attempt to create a rivalry that really didn't exist.

Folks, college football has gone to Hell in the recent years. Conference championships are now meaningless (going the same way as basketball) and that's a shame. The slide began as soon as being able to win a conference championship without playing every team in your conference became a reality. With an expanded playoff system, winning a conference championship is meaningless. I'm old enough to remember that teams that didn't win their conference didn't even play in a bowl game (witness an undefeated Michigan Wolverine team that didn't play in a bowl game in 1973).

Mizzou has no real rival in the SEC - the closest would be old Big 8/Big XII rival Oklahoma.

Geographically, the three closest opponents would be Arkansas (200 miles south of Columbia), Oklahoma (Norman, Oklahoma, lies about 270 miles southwest of Columbia) and Vanderbilt (Nashville lies 360 miles from Columbia).

I vote for these three for economic reasons - least amount of travel for the teams and their fans. For selfish reasons, I'd add Kentucky due to the fact that Lexington is the closest SEC team to my home (and swap out Vanderbilt).

I'd also add Kansas (and to lesser extent Nebraska and Colorado) to the lineup of "other Power 4 teams" to play each year.

The emphasis should be on best interest of the fans not searching for patsies.

[winonsports]

Folks, college football has gone to Hell in the recent years.

Just because the vocal minority can't accept change, that doesn't mean the vast majority will somehow join them.

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Another reason not to like an odd number of SEC games is that half the teams every year will be playing fewer home games in the SEC than road games. Not exactly ideal in a sport where home games provide a clear advantage.

[JW]

Mizzou has no real rival in the SEC - the closest would be old Big 8/Big XII rival Oklahoma.

Although I do think OU will be in Mizzou's group of 3 annual games going forward, they were never "rivals" so to speak in their prior conference affiliations - just opponents.

[winonsports]

Another reason not to like an odd number of SEC games is that half the teams every year will be playing fewer home games in the SEC than road games. Not exactly ideal in a sport where home games provide a clear advantage.

That's not a good reason, because there are adjustments that can be or are already made to even it out.

6 teams will continue to have a neutral-site, conference game set up as the "ninth" game. I could see Ole Miss Vandy doing that in Memphis and Kentucky Miss St in Nashville.

Teams like So Carolina and Missouri will get four home games in years they host Clemson and Illinois/Kansas. The other four teams will probably do the same thing.

[Armchair QB]

Another reason not to like an odd number of SEC games is that half the teams every year will be playing fewer home games in the SEC than road games. Not exactly ideal in a sport where home games provide a clear advantage.

Good point.

I’d vote for 6 conference games.

[doctor doctor]

Future Mizzou non-conference games - cancel the weakest one each year?

2026
Ark-Pine Bluff
@ KU
@ Illinois
Troy

2027
Illinois State
@ SD St
Illinois
FL Atlantic

2028
SD St
SEMO
@ Illinois
Northern IL

[acco40]

Mizzou has no real rival in the SEC - the closest would be old Big 8/Big XII rival Oklahoma.

Although I do think OU will be in Mizzou's group of 3 annual games going forward, they were never "rivals" so to speak in their prior conference affiliations - just opponents.

You don’t think KU was a rival?

[JW]

Mizzou has no real rival in the SEC - the closest would be old Big 8/Big XII rival Oklahoma.

Although I do think OU will be in Mizzou's group of 3 annual games going forward, they were never "rivals" so to speak in their prior conference affiliations - just opponents.

You don’t think KU was a rival?

Sure KU is a rival.

Not OU though, beyond the occasional jump up from Mizzou that series is way too one sided.

[winonsports]

Future Mizzou non-conference games - cancel the weakest one each year?

2026
Ark-Pine Bluff
@ KU
@ Illinois
Troy

2027
Illinois State
@ SD St
Illinois
FL Atlantic

2028
SD St
SEMO
@ Illinois
Northern IL

Probably not. It's more likely Troy SD St and No Illinois are cancelled instead of Pine Bluff SEMO or Illinois St

[dhsux]

I hope UGA gets Texas.

Like they did last year? Twice? Fine with me.

It won't happen though. Auburn and Florida are locks, maybe Tennessee replacing my previous suggestion of SC.

Why not Texas and Missouri? Getting the B12 back together. I think Texas, OU, Arkansas would be fair.

Getting the B12 back together? Why? Missouri left for a good reason -- Texas being the main one. Playing OU every year would be OK, but not putrid Texas, whom every team in the Big 12 was trying to escape from. Yes for pure hatred, no for nostalgia's sake.

I'm with you.

Still as pizzed as any AM fan about Texas coming into the league. Eff them and the horse they rode in on.

I'd like Hogs, OK and Tennessee....but I know it's not likely.

[Red7]

There goes the KU and Illini series. The blood donors are going nowhere

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There goes the KU and Illini series. The blood donors are going nowhere

All SEC schools are required to play a P4 team in addition to the 9 SEC games.