After exploring the possibility of adding a ninth conference game, the Southeastern Conference announced Sunday night its scheduling model would remain unchanged following a meeting of the league’s presidents.
The SEC’s football teams will continue to play all six division opponents, one permanent crossover opponent and one rotating opponent from the opposite division. There was some thought the league would ultimately add the ninth game to increase desirable inventory for the SEC Network, which launches this fall. Also, Alabama football coach Nick Saban was in favor of the ninth game.
But with several SEC teams already locked into annual non-conference games against high-profile opponents (South Carolina-Clemson, Florida-Florida State, Kentucky-Louisville, Georgia-Georgia Tech etc.), scheduling flexibility won out.
The SEC will be the only of the “Power 5” conferences to play an exclusively eight-game schedule. The Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-12 all play or plan to play nine-game league schedules. The ACC plays eight league games with new affliliated member Notre Dame rotating through the league and giving some ACC teams essentially a nine-game league slate some years.
#SEC Chancellors and presidents met today regarding future football scheduling principles.
— R. Bowen Loftin (@bowtieger) April 27, 2014
“The existing strength of the SEC was certainly a significant factor in the decision to play eight games,” commissioner Mike Slive said in a release.
In exchange, schools agreed to play one opponent from another power conference (ACC, Big Ten, Pac 12 or Big 12) every year beginning in 2016 to increase strength of schedule with an eye toward the new College Football Playoff.
Most SEC schools, however, have already been working to schedule that way. This season, only Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Texas A&M don’t play a team from another “Power 5” conference.
“The concept of strength-of-schedule is based on an entire 12-game schedule, a combination of both conference games together with non-conference games,” Slive said. ” Given the strength of our conference schedule supplemented by at least one major non-conference game, our teams will boast of a strong resume of opponents each and every year.”
Also Sunday, the SEC decided on permanent cross-divisional yearly football rivalries, matchups that will provide “each team with a traditional opponent for the final weekend of the season,” according to the league. They will be: Alabama (West) vs. Tennessee (East), Arkansas (West) vs. Missouri (East), Auburn (West) vs. Georgia (East), LSU (West) vs. Florida (East), Ole Miss (West) vs. Vanderbilt (East), Mississippi State (West) vs. Kentucky (East) and Texas A&M (West) vs. South Carolina (East).