Lane Kiffin defends 8-game SEC schedule, shades Big Ten

As he flew to Atlanta for SEC Media Days, Lane Kiffin caught up on Greg Sankey’s remarks. The commissioner acknowledged the conversation around the conference’s eight-game schedule and the rigor of the league.

Kiffin struck a similar tone and defended the current schedule in place. He also pointed out the “balance” in the league compared to other conferences, perhaps shading the Big Ten in the process.

Kiffin cited the strength of the SEC from top to bottom in defense of the eight-game slate. He doesn’t see that in other conferences, including one “similar” to the league but is “top-heavy” without the depth of the SEC.

“People will say, ‘Well, this conference plays nine games, this plays eight games,'” Kiffin said from the dais in Atlanta. “I don’t think there’s anybody that would trade their nine games and want to come play our eight games that you play down here and the places that you play down here. … You can have teams that aren’t really having a good year for them, but you’ve got to go play at their place down here. It’s just different.

“Scheduling here in this conference and what you do week to week, and the NFL Draft shows that, too. Those are the players you’re playing against. It’s so balanced throughout the conference that every week, you’ve got to really show up. It’s really like the NFL, and I don’t feel like that’s the case in these other conferences or a really good conference similar to us that’s top-heavy, but doesn’t have the middle and bottom the way that we do.”

The SEC’s eight-game schedule came up once again during the conference’s spring meetings in Destin earlier this offseason. Part of the conversation centered around the impact on the College Football Playoff as other conferences, such as the Big Ten, play nine league games each year.

In his opening remarks, Sankey pointed out stats to back up the SEC’s eight-game schedule. He noted the amount of Power Conference opponents, including some schools that played 10 such games a year ago. However, he said further study of the CFP will play a role in future schedule talks.

“I don’t believe there’s anyone looking to swap their conference schedule and its opponents with the opponents played by SEC Conference teams in our conference schedule, be it eight or nine,” Sankey said. “I handed out a bunch of stats that created a stir in Destin that showed there is a rigor here that is unique. In the SEC we’re not lacking for quality competition among our 16 football teams, but we’re going to continue to evaluate whether increasing the number of conference football games is appropriate for us.

“As I’ve said repeatedly, understanding how the CFP will evaluate strength of schedule and even strength of record is critically important in our decision-making.