The Southeastern Conference made history on Thursday, voting to expand its college football schedule to nine league games beginning the 2026 season. The decision, strongly backed by SEC commissioner Greg Sankey, marks the first time since the league spilt into divisions in 1992 that the conference will move away from its eight-game format.
The change puts the SEC in step with the Big Ten and Big 12, both of which already play nine conference games. The ACC will remain the lone Power Four league sticking to an eight-game conference schedule in 2026, although the ACC's leadership previously stated it would revisit the idea of expansion if the SEC made the move.