Overview

• Conference presidents and chancellors approved the change after a recommendation from athletic directors.
• The SEC will remain divisionless with three protected annual opponents and six rotating games, ensuring every team meets all others at least once every two years and home-and-home every four.
• Teams must schedule at least one additional nonconference opponent each season from the ACC, Big Ten or Big 12, or Notre Dame.
• The move brings the SEC in line with the Big Ten and Big 12 on nine league games, leaving the ACC as the Power Four outlier at eight as of 2026.
• League leaders cited playoff selection changes and media dynamics; reports project added ESPN rights fees of roughly $5 million per school annually as programs rework future nonconference dates and potential buyouts.