SEC Coaches Already Regretting 9-Game Conference Schedule

According to Missouri's Eli Drinkwitz on day one of SEC Media Days in Tampa, Florida, coaches around the SEC have already begun to regret expanding to nine conference games in the 2026 season.

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SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey addressed the concerns around nine conference games during his 'state of the conference' on Monday morning to kick off SEC Media Days, stating, "We and I recognize that a nine-game Southeastern Conference football schedule, coupled with our expectation that we maintain a high-quality non-conference opponent, creates one of the most -- in fact, I'm going to scratch what I wrote. It creates, without question, the most demanding sets of football schedules in all of college football.

But these decisions were made after years of thoughtful discussion, careful analysis, and spirited debate, which led us to the conclusion that the nine-game schedule was appropriate.

The nine-game schedule reflects confidence in our universities, our student-athletes, and in our football programs. It preserves great rivalries, historic rivalries, many of which are played every year. It creates more compelling conference matchups and reinforces our long-standing commitment to competitive excellence.

"When you look at our schedule, no one has created the kind of weekly competition that exists in the Southeastern Conference," Sankey continued. "It's competition that our fans will experience every week because we believe we're the best conference in football."

Missouri's Eli Drinkwitz noted on Monday that SEC coaches already regret moving to a nine-game conference schedule, saying that new LSU head coach Lane Kiffin has been a consistent voice saying that moving from eight games would be a mistake.

The SEC expanded to nine conference games this offseason, implementing it for the 2026 college football season. Drinkwitz has provided insight into the meeting rooms in the SEC, sharing during spring meetings that the SEC approved the change to nine conference games with the understanding that the College Football Playoff would expand to 16 teams. After the SEC added a ninth conference game, the CFP remained at 12 teams for the 2026 season, and now the SEC and the Big Ten are in a battle over 16 or 24 teams.

Taco Casa brings you our coverage of SEC Media Days in Tampa, Florida.

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Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.