SEC to reveal nine-game schedules next week with annual opponents to be reviewed every four years

The SEC will reveal its nine-game schedule for all conference teams in football for the 2026 season on Tuesday, sources have confirmed to CBS Sports. The move from an eight- to nine-game schedule was announced in August.

All 16 SEC teams will have three permanent rivals on the schedule, but with a twist: those three opponents will be reviewed every four years, leaving the possibility of further scheduling changes beyond 2030, sources said. The three opponents will be referred to as “annual opponents” and not as “permanent opponents” because of the potential for changes beyond the four-year review.

The SEC is expected to reveal the schedule for its 16 members in primetime Tuesday on the SEC Network, sources said.

Most athletic directors across the SEC have not yet been told which teams will be assigned as “annual” opponents. Oklahoma and Texas have been assured that the Red River Rivalry will continue every year, as well as traditional rivalries such as Alabama-Auburn and Ole Miss-Mississippi State. Arkansas and Missouri have also been assigned as “annual” opponents, sources confirmed.

The decision to move to a nine-game schedule was made as the College Football Playoff announced the implementation of new metrics in 2025 which place greater emphasis on strength of schedule, a change that could benefit SEC teams.

The expansion marks a major shift for the conference, which has traditionally played eight conference games per season. The league has debated the idea for more than four years, but renewed television revenue and potential advantages in playoff positioning reinvigorated discussions.

“Adding a ninth SEC game underscores our universities’ commitment to delivering the most competitive football schedule in the nation,” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said in a statement released in August. “This format protects rivalries, increases competitive balance, and paired with our requirement to play an additional Power opponent, ensures SEC teams are well prepared to compete and succeed in the College Football Playoff.”

Under the nine-game format, each SEC team will play three annual conference opponents and rotate through six others each season, providing the opportunity for each school to face every SEC team at least once every two years.

SEC schedule format details

• Starts in 2026 
• Each team will play nine games with three “annual” opponents 
• Each team’s other six opponents will rotate among the league’s 10 remaining schools 
• Each team will face every other SEC program at least once every two years. And every opponent, home and away, every four years.   
• Each team is required to play at least one Power Four opponent (or Notre Dame) every year.