SEC’s nine-game schedule has arrived, but coaches still want more playoff access

The eight vs. nine schedule model debate in the SEC officially ended when the league agreed to move to a divisionless nine-game model in 2026. That new era is just a few weeks away but has remained a major talking point. Despite there being numerous other storylines around the league, there has been a different energy level when the schedule model was brought up at SEC Media Days in Tampa.

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey quickly addressed the new model in his state of the conference address on Monday morning. The leader of the league knows that this remains a heavy and complicated issue.

“We and I recognize that a nine-game Southeastern Conference football schedule, coupled with our expectation that we maintain a high-quality non-conference opponent, creates..the most demanding sets of football schedules in all of college football,” Sankey said.

“But these decisions were made after years of thoughtful discussion, careful analysis, and spirited debate, which led us to the conclusion that the nine-game schedule was appropriate.”

But there is a big catch in that statement from Sankey. Numerous coaches have come out to claim the presentation that led to a nine-game model included an expanded playoff. That did not arrive in 2026. The expectation is that it will eventually arrive. That can only happen if Sankey and Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti can come to a playoff expansion agreement. The other power player in college football went from a play-in game postseason model to wanting a 24-team playoff. Coaches in the league were back in front of the mic to give their opinion. Even first-year Kentucky head coach Will Stein had some thoughts despite spending the last two seasons in the Big Ten and having never coached a game yet in the SEC.

“I think everybody in the league would rather play eight, but we’re playing nine, and with nine comes hopefully an expanded playoff. We’re getting more SEC teams in because there’s going to be one week where there’s eight losses, and that just is what it is,” Stein said. “I look at it as an opportunity.”

“It’s tough. You know what you sign up for. I mean, I looked at the ESPN strength of schedule rankings — all 16 SEC teams are in the top 20. So to me, what really is the difference between 12 and four? Between 15 and 11? I don’t know. I think it’s still TBD, and teams are going to show up this year, and teams aren’t. You know, the injuries are going to happen on some team that derails a great season.”

The guys wearing headsets on Saturdays in the fall understand that more losses are coming. That has been accepted and established. In return, they want more access to the College Football Playoff. Many of them have made that clear at SEC spring meetings in Destin and at SEC Media Days in Tampa. Missouri head Eli Drinkwitz is now the second-longest tenured head coach in the league. The former NC State offensive coordinator and App State head coach has been outspoken about this issue at this tentpole event in July consistently. He remains stedfast in his beliefs.

How about no committees?

“I want to say this: I’m for expanded opportunities for schools in the playoffs,” Drinkwitz said in Tampa on Monday. “I just think when you have 138 Division I playing schools, we have to have more opportunities and access to the playoffs.”

“I am not for giving the committee more opportunities to put teams in the playoffs. As nice as I can be about it, committees are a bad idea in deciding on who should get in sports arenas. Sports are meant to be played and decided on the field.”

Drinkwitz has supported the play-in model with automatic bids given out. That is similar to the original proposal from Pettiti last year that many in the industry scoffed at. Drinkwitz believes that having this type of large access will create “a measuring stick for each fan base” that is realistic and will allow conferences to keep conference championship games. Perhaps the biggest problem is that no one is on the same page. Until that gets fixed, the SEC will likely have some in-house drama.

Committees or no committees? 12, 16 or 24? Automatic bids or no automatic bids? Play-in games or no play-in games? This has to get figured bout and probably needs to get figured out soon but there is no stopping the transition we’re seeing in college football.

This has become an all-in playoff sport where success and failure revolves around the tournament. Sound familiar?

“It’s the closest thing to the NFL,” Stein said.