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USA Today
28-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Alabama-Tennessee, Auburn-Georgia could be kept in smaller SEC schedule
Alabama-Tennessee, Auburn-Georgia could be kept in smaller SEC schedule Show Caption Hide Caption Kirby Smart on college football's future Kirby Smart urges leaders to prioritize the game's future over personal or conference agendas in playoff talks. MIRAMAR BEACH, Fla. — Light the cigars, folks, and score a noteworthy step toward the preservation of SEC rivalry games. A longstanding discussion point around SEC circles has been that, unless the conference moves to a nine-game conference schedule, prominent secondary rivalry games like Alabama-Tennessee and Auburn-Georgia could fall off the annual schedule. But, there's a conference schedule model on the table that would preserve multiple annual rivalry games for at least some SEC schools, even within an eight-game conference schedule format. Alabama-Tennessee, Auburn-Georgia and Texas-Texas A&M are among the rivalry games that could be preserved within a continued eight-game format. The rivalry games for those teams would come in addition to other rivalries like the Iron Bowl, Florida-Georgia and Oklahoma-Texas. 'We're attentive to real, key rivalries, and we have (eight-game) models that can accommodate those,' SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said Tuesday. The conference eliminated divisions after expanding to 16 teams with the additions of Oklahoma and Texas. That prompted a renewed look at schedule format and rivalry preservation. Debate on the SEC's schedule continues among stakeholders this week at the conference's spring meetings. Two years ago, the conference considered two primary schedule models: An eight-game model that would preserve only one rival per team; or, a nine-game model that would earmark three annual rivals per team. The nine-game model would have assured Alabama would keep playing the Iron Bowl and the 'Third Saturday in October' game against Tennessee, after which the victorious team lights cigars. For Georgia, the nine-game model would mean continuing to play Florida every year, but also keeping alive the 'Deep South's Oldest Rivalry' against Auburn. OPINION: SEC football schedule expansion is slam dunk, but isn't that simple The SEC voted in 2023 to retain an eight-game conference schedule for two years. But, the conference devised the eight-game lineup so that it kept key secondary rivalries like Auburn-Georgia and Alabama-Tennessee on the schedule. Now, the SEC's schedule is up for review again. The SEC has not voted on a schedule format for 2026 and beyond. So, will it be eight or nine games? No verdict yet. But, even if it stays at eight, that doesn't mean Alabama-Tennessee, Auburn-Georgia or Texas-Texas A&M must go on the chopping block. Sankey made that clear Tuesday. Sankey wouldn't commit to every SEC team being assigned two rivals within an eight-game schedule model, but keeping multiple rivalry games alive is an option for certain teams. 'We have ideas,' Sankey said. Sankey would not commit to a timeline on when the SEC will vote on its schedule format for 2026. One item affecting that decision: The College Football Playoff format for 2026 has not been approved. Multiple athletics directors and coaches expressed reluctance to determine a conference schedule model before the future CFP format is decided. And, in fact, Sankey said the future playoff format might not be finalized until several months from now. The uncertain nature of the CFP 'is a bit of an inconvenient reality, but that's reality,' Sankey said. Sankey, at least, sounded open to the SEC deciding the conference's 2026 schedule format before the playoff format is hammered out. 'You can make decisions about what you can control,' like the conference's schedule, Sankey said, 'and then you can have influence over' the playoff format. One element within the SEC's control: Whether to retain primary rivalry games, plus at least some secondary rivalry games. And Sankey made clear that multiple avenues remain to retain some prominent secondary rivalries. 'The conversation about annual games that need to be played has been a focus' for several years, Sankey said. That's encouraging news for those wanting to smell the cigar smoke every year after the 'Third Saturday in October,' or those who want to see Auburn and Georgia continue a rivalry that dates to 1892. The rivalries continued throughout the conference's division era, even though those rivals were in opposite divisions. Even as the conference swelled to 12 teams, then to 14, and now at 16, Auburn-Georgia and Alabama-Tennessee have remained a fixture of the SEC's schedule in every season since World War II. 'We've presented (a model) to protect those in an eight-game schedule, going forward," Sankey said. Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network's national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@ and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
SEC debate with 2026 football schedule expansion: Keep rivalries, or go for cupcake games?
Picture the scene in 'Shawshank Redemption' when Morgan Freeman's character goes in front of the parole board, expecting to be rejected once again. He comments on the mockery of the proceeding and says bluntly, 'You go on and stamp your forms, sonny, and stop wasting my time, because, to tell you the truth, I don't give a (expletive).' Yeah, that just about sums up my feelings on this upcoming SEC football scheduling debate. Stay at eight conference games, or go to nine, I don't much care anymore. Just put the schedule format to a vote in what will be a high-profile discussion item this week at the SEC spring meetings and make a decision. As it stands, the SEC has approved no schedule format beyond the upcoming 2025 season. The SEC carried on this scheduling charade for years since the announcement of Texas and Oklahoma joining the league. Some conference members previously pretended like they wanted an additional conference game, only to turtle up come voting time and preserve the eight-game conference schedule that's supplemented with a feast of non-conference cupcake games. HEATED MATCHUPS: Ranking the 10 best SEC football rivalries BEHIND CENTER: Breaking down every SEC quarterback situation Before this came up for vote the last time in 2023, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey implied that money wouldn't be a driver in the scheduling decision. Only an idiot would believe that, though. Money talks, and some conference members were reluctant two years ago to add another conference game unless ESPN, the league's media partner, put more cash on the table. ESPN didn't sweeten the pot. Sankey proclaimed before the schedule vote in 2023 that the conference at the vanguard of college athletics 'does not stand still.' Days later, the SEC's membership unanimously voted to stand still with an eight-game conference schedule for the 2024 and 2025 seasons. Eighteen months later, the Big Ten, which plays nine conference games, led all conferences with four playoff qualifiers. The jokes write themselves. The SEC cared so much about secondary rivalries like Auburn-Georgia and Alabama-Tennessee in its divisional era that it built a schedule format around maintaining those games. This next vote on the schedule will test how much resolve still exists for protecting centuries-long rivalry games. A nine-game conference schedule would allow for secondary rivalries like those two and others like Texas-Texas A&M to continue annually. Forging ahead with an eight-game format would put those secondary rivalries under threat of interruption unless the league abandons its stated goal of having all schools play each other twice during a four-year period. Rivalry scenes like the 'Prayer at Jordan-Hare' and cigar-puffing Tennessee fans tearing down the goal posts and baptizing them in the river after a long-awaited win on 'The Third Saturday in October' help make the SEC brand what it is. But, maybe SEC members will decide this week that it's more important to leave room on the schedule for Tennessee to play Furman and Kennesaw State – both will come to Neyland Stadium in 2026! – instead of Alabama, and for Auburn to tussle with Jacksonville State instead of Georgia. And after the Mississippi beats Wofford 92-0 in 2026, coach Lane Kiffin can chant 'S-E-C! S-E-C!' and declare the strength of the SEC (half of which the Rebels didn't play) so strong that the Rebels deserve a playoff bid with their 9-3 record. Credit Alabama, Florida and South Carolina for cueing up two Power Four non-conference opponents in 2025 to accompany the eight conference games. If Florida smashes Miami and Florida State en route to a 9-3 record against a rigorous schedule, well, we might see a 9-3 playoff team for the first time. By comparison, the 13 other SEC teams will play only nine Power Four opponents. That's one fewer Power Four opponent than teams like Arizona and Central Florida will play. If Missouri can manage to fend off Central Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana-Lafayette, Massachusetts, Vanderbilt and one more SEC team, the Tigers would wrap up bowl eligibility. That's the beauty of the eight-game conference schedule: Bowl bids await for average teams that can beat bad teams in their out-of-league slate. The beauty of the SEC adding a ninth conference game would be the creation of more matchups fans want to watch and media partners want to televise. One fewer cupcake game also would bolster the SEC's case when it comes time to stump for at-large bids for bubble teams. Even better, ESPN might now be ready to fork over extra revenue in exchange for that ninth SEC game. The SEC could even time its rollout of a ninth conference game with playoff expansion that's probably coming in 2026. A bigger playoff would reduce the risk of an additional conference game thwarting a team's opportunity for playoff access. Alternatively, the SEC could stay at eight, turn up its nose at rivalries, rebuff the prospect of a bigger payday from ESPN, protect the cupcake games, and maintain the daintier conference schedule that offers minimal resistance to the league's weaker members securing a Liberty Bowl bid. At this point, there's not much left to debate. So, go on ahead, sonny, and call it to a vote. Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network's national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@ Follow him on X @btoppmeyer. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: SEC football schedule expansion debate looms at spring meetings
