The SEC will wait to see how this season’s College Football Playoff pans out before further discussing the potential addition of a ninth conference game, commissioner Greg Sankey told Yahoo Sports for a story published Wednesday.
The SEC has played eight conference games since 1992, but adding a ninth game has been formally debated within league circles each of the last two years. However, Sankey said the institution of the 12-team playoff this season adds another factor to consider, and schedule-expansion discussions won’t take place again until early 2025.
“We will use (the 12-team playoff) as a learning experience and see how the [CFP] committee evaluates competition, rather than doing analytics to predict,” Sankey said. “That sets timing for the first quarter next year.”
Adding a ninth conference game would not only generate revenue for SEC members — both in broadcasting “units” and at the ticket window — but would also allow schools in a now-16-team conference to play more often. As an example, Alabama will face Georgia in the regular season this year for the first time since 2015.
On the opposite side of the argument is making an already brutal conference schedule even more difficult by adding another high-level opponent. In addition, playing nine conference games — including five on the road in some years — will make it more difficult for some SEC schools to balance their budgets by scheduling seven home games and reach the required six wins for bowl-eligibility.
Among power conference schools, the Big Ten, the Big 12 and the now-defunct Pac-12 have played nine conference games for several years. Like the SEC, the ACC plays only eight.