With an additional conference game, SEC schools might look to cancel future matchups against Big 12 opponents.

The SEC made official on Aug. 21 what has long been rumored. The league will move to a nine-game conference schedule beginning 2026.

The SEC is moving to a nine-game conference schedule in 2026, ending a yearslong debate and potentially easing a path toward another College Football Playoff expansion.

The change was approved by conference presidents and chancellors Thursday. It previously had been recommended by league athletic directors.

Big Ten football has come in second behind the Southeastern Conference in power rankings published by CBS Sports.

SEC athletic directors are moving closer to adopting a nine-game conference football schedule, sources told CBS Sports' Brandon Marcello. The development comes as the College Football Playoff will implement new metrics in 2025 that place greater emphasis on strength of schedule,

The SEC is reportedly on the verge of a major change to its football schedule. The Southeastern Conference is widely regarded as the top college football conference in the country. While the Big Ten has won the past two national championships - Ohio State in 2024 and Michigan in 2023 - the SEC had

Tennessee football has future games against Georgia Tech, West Virginia and Washington, which meets a new SEC requirement for nonconference scheduling