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College Football Playoff hopeful teams have run into an interesting conundrum in recent years.
Do you schedule difficult non-conference matchups to strengthen your resume with potential high-quality wins? Or do you schedule cake-walk non-conference layups to pad your record?
What does the selection committee value more? A difficult non-conference schedule or a flawless record.
All-time great college football coach Nick Saban weighed in with his thoughts on the matter at SEC Football Kickoff Media Days on Wednesday.
“I actually think we should play 12 games against the Power 5. That’s it. Because it’s a business and people want to see those games,” Saban said, via college football insider Brett McMurphy of On3 Sports.
Saban’s former Alabama Crimson Tide program will play three non-conference games in 2026: two against non-Power 4 programs.
The Crimson Tide will open their season with a matchup against the East Carolina Pirates on Sept. 5. In their penultimate game of the season, they’ll face off against the Chattanooga Mocs for a tune-up contest.
On Sept. 19, Alabama will welcome the ACC’s Florida State Seminoles for a non-conference matchup in Tuscaloosa.
The rest of Alabama’s schedule is made up of nine SEC opponents. 2026 is the first year the SEC is moving to a nine-game conference schedule.
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