Report: SEC 'unlikely' to move to nine-game conference schedule in 2024

As conference leaders gather this week for the SEC Spring Meetings, the future conference schedule format is one of the main issues on the docket. With Oklahoma and Texas set to arrive in 2024, it’s been speculated that the league could go from eight conference games each season to nine.

However, according to a report from Sports Illustrated‘s Ross Dellenger on Monday, that is “unlikely.” Among the concerns is that the SEC’s contract with ESPN does not require the network to offer additional revenue to the conference for adding a ninth game. Without that on the table, there is little motivation to do so.

“I don’t see the desire to go to a ninth game and not have any increase from a revenue standpoint,” an anonymous SEC administrator told Dellenger. “That’s what I think comes out this week, unless something dramatic happens.”

That doesn’t mean a nine-game SEC schedule won’t come to fruition in the future. The league is considering sticking with the eight-game model for just one year before revisiting the matter in 2025, if ESPN provides extra revenue then. Some leaders within the SEC believe a ninth game could be worth an additional $5 million per year.

Given ESPN’s current situation, it doesn’t seem that’s something the network can provide that right now. ESPN is currently in the midst of another round of layoffs expected to span through the summer and is also involved with bidding for the expanded College Football Playoff, WWE/UFC and NBA.

Still, we’ll have to wait and see what the SEC decides by the end of this week. Dellenger reports that more than half the league is in favor of staying with the eight-game schedule for 2024, but there are some teams who support adding a ninth game. Those schools include Georgia, Florida, LSU, Missouri and Texas A&M.

Well-being of players, expanded College Football Playoff also among concerns with nine-game SEC schedule

Money isn’t the only potential issue at hand for the SEC in regard to adding a ninth game. There’s also the reality that it would mean one additional loss for eight teams each season.

The College Football Playoff is set to expand to 12 teams in 2024, opening the door for teams with multiple losses to make the field, which has never happened under the four-team format. One of the main questions conference leaders are asking is whether a three-loss SEC team could potentially make that field.

Kentucky president Eli Capilouto also brought up the well-being of athletes as something to consider, as well as how a nine-game conference schedule could impact bowl eligibility for teams outside the CFP.

“It is very fair to say that it is not just about the money,” Capilouto said. “As we focus more on student-athlete well-being, one has to understand the implications of this in light of new (CFP) formats and length of the season. What does it all mean in a bigger context is what we should consider. What does it mean for bowl participation and length of season? All those things come first.”