What does a 9-game SEC schedule mean for OU?
The SEC is officially moving to a nine-game conference schedule in football in 2026 and beyond, conference commissioner Greg Sankey announced on Thursday.
OU is entering its second season in the conference. Since the addition of Oklahoma and Texas in 2024, the decision between eight or nine conference games has been widely discussed. On Thursday, it became official.
“Adding a ninth SEC game underscores our universities’ commitment to delivering the most competitive football schedule in the nation,” said SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. “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.”
What does this mean for OU?
The Sooners have publicly made it known they are in favor of going to nine.
“My public stance has been nine,” OU athletics director Joe Castiglione said SEC spring meetings in May. “I do understand there have been some changing dynamics that have taken place since I made that public stance. I still like nine, don’t get me wrong.”
With the new format, OU will play three annual opponents focused on maintaining many traditional rivalries. That means the Texas game isn’t going anywhere. Each team’s remaining six games will rotate among the remaining conference schools. And each team will face every other SEC program at least once every two years. And every opponent home and away in four years.
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In addition to the conference games, SEC schools will be required “to schedule at least one additional high-quality non-conference from the Atlantic Coast, Big Ten or Big 12 conferences or Notre Dame each season.”
“We’re always gonna play the University of Texas on a neutral site in the Cotton Bowl,” Castiglione said. “So it works best for us in terms of conference games. Strength of schedule has to be important in the evaluation of teams going forward. And selecting those worthy of the College Football Playoff. So we’ve gotta study what the assessment or the evaluation process is going to be appropriate for the expansion of the playoff.”
As for which three teams OU will play each year in the SEC, it’s unknown. It was once believed that Missouri and LSU were the leading candidates. There have also been rumors that Florida and Arkansas have also been discussed.
The SEC is expected to make that announcement later this year.
