The SEC Spring Meetings commenced after a whole week of pure chaos as all 14 conference program head football coaches and administrators discussed a variety of topics, including the state of the transfer portal, issues about Name, Image, and Likeness initiatives (NIL), and of course, the debate between the 8 or 9-game conference schedule change starting in 2024.
As many of you already know, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey brought the scheduled debate to a vote, which led to nine out of 14 programs voting to implement an 8-game schedule while eliminating divisions at the start 2024 season, the first year that Texas and Oklahoma are set to join the conference.
As the current 8-game schedule features six dedicated conference opponents with two cross-divisional matchups, removing the East and West divisions means that each program will keep one permanent opponent and now play within a 7-game rotating conference schedule each season as it’s presently outlined. Like it or not, Sankey clarified that nothing is set in stone, as the changes will be revisited in 2025.
Now, to the teams who had the guts to vote for a 9-game schedule, which reportedly included Georgia, Florida, LSU, Missouri, and Texas A&M.
SEC schools who voted in favor of playing 9 conference games:
– Georgia
– Florida
– LSU
– Mizzou
– Texas A&M— Saturday Down South (@SatDownSouth) June 2, 2023
The benefits for nine conference games as opposed to eight are simple; preserving three permanent opponents for teams whose famous rivalries may be threatened by the new implementation and six rotating opponents instead of seven, plus potential extra compensation for an additional conference game. In addition, ahead of the College Football Playoff’s expansion to 12 teams in 2024, stacking a resume filled with tough SEC matchups to impress the selection committee at the season’s end becomes even more crucial, again adding to the advantage of one more SEC game.
For Texas A&M, Athletic Director Ross Bjork and head coach Jimbo Fisher openly supported the change to 9-games as Georgia head coach Kirby Smart and Florida head coach Billy Napier echoed the same argument that “strength of schedule” concerning the CFB expansion, but as soon as Oklahoma and Texas join the SEC, two more programs will have a vote on the matter. By 2025, the pendulum could easily swing in the other direction.
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