SEC coaches say they feel ‘lost’ after voting to complicate their conference plans
The SEC has, for years, enjoyed a significant non-conference schedule advantage over its rivals in college football.
The previous iteration of the Pac-12 played nine conference games, as does the current Big Ten. The Big 12 requires its teams to play nine conference opponents. But so far, the SEC has allowed its schools to play only eight. Four non-conference games, eight against other SEC representatives.
Some schools have taken advantage of this opportunity by giving themselves a “free” win with that non-conference game. In fact, in a recent interview, Lane Kiffin bragged about his practice scheduling during his time at Ole Miss. His teams went 20-0 in non-conference games, because he specifically avoided tough opponents.
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Lane Kiffin speaks at a press conference as he is introduced as the new head football coach of the LSU Tigers at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, La., on Dec. 1, 2025. (Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images)
That strategy meant that his teams started every year 4-0. That meant his teams only needed to go 5-3 in the SEC to win nine games, or 6-2 to reach 10 and put themselves in a position to reach the College Football Playoff. Even more impressive is that Kiffin and others in the SEC often schedule FCS opponents in late November. It gives his team a chance to say goodbye to last season, while avoiding the pitfalls of recent bias among voters that might emerge from the November loss.
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After all, those days are officially over. The SEC moves to nine straight conference games, creating tough schedules for the program, and consistent comparisons to its rivals. And the coaches are happy about it.
In fact, some said this week they felt “misled” by the voting results for the nine-game conference slate.
“In talking to other coaches, they felt like going to nine games, they felt like it would get rid of the playoff model (going from 16 to the current 12), but it didn’t happen,” new Florida Gators coach Jon Sumrall told Brett McMurphy. “They feel misled.”
Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall watches his players before the NCAA college football game against Charlotte in New Orleans on Nov. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
Eli Drinkwitz, coach of the Missouri Tigers, says the same.
“The conversation was about going to an eight- or nine-game schedule,” he said of the SEC meetings in 2020. “I remember being very worried, thinking ‘When are we going to discuss this? When are we going to vote?’ And it took us six years to get to nine games.
“Shoot, I remember last year we were told if we went to nine games the Big Ten would vote for a 16-team playoff in 2026 and, I think, we’re still playing 12 teams.”
So the SEC coaches voted to move to nine conference games with the assumption that the playoffs would increase to 16 teams, giving them greater opportunities to do so, even if their schedules were difficult. And then the two power conferences could not agree on it, which led to the suspension and continuation of the current playoff situation.
There is much to say about these arguments, and it is possible that this is a post-hoc justification. Last season, for example, one weekend in November was filled with bad games that were scheduled to give teams a breather before the competition week.
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On November 22, 2025, Texas A&M played Samford, Georgia played Charlotte, Alabama played Eastern Illinois, Auburn played Mercer, South Carolina played Coastal Carolina, and LSU played Western Kentucky. None of those will move the broadcast needle. With ESPN as a broadcast partner, there may be some pressure to move away from this trend.
Now with nine conference games, and the end of the cake weekend, November will be full of matchups, worth seeing. As it should be.
Head coach Eli Drinkwitz of the Missouri Tigers coaches on the sidelines during the game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark., on Nov. 24, 2023. The Tigers defeated the Razorbacks 48-14. (Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
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Although the downside to the nine conference games is that the non-conference schedules will be much smaller moving forward. There’s little reward for Texas, say, playing Ohio State or Michigan, when they now have an extra SEC game to worry about. Especially when coaches are now being judged for making the playoffs. So on the other hand, some SEC teams won’t get that fourth free win. On the other hand, they’re going to be even more aggressive about getting three free wins, because suddenly a three-loss conference season is very difficult.
And the good news for Drinkwitz and other coaches is that it is possible that we are heading to the 24-team qualifying competition. At least if ESPN gets out of the way.
