SEC plans nine-game football schedule with annual rivalries for 2026-29 including Texas A&M

The Southeastern Conference (SEC) will implement a new nine-game conference football schedule starting in 2026, replacing the previous eight-game slate that has been in place since 1992. Under this format, each team will have three permanent annual opponents and six rotating opponents, ensuring that every team plays each other at least once every two years and visits every SEC venue over a four-year cycle. For Texas A&M, the three annual rivals are Texas, LSU, and Missouri, and notably, the Aggies will for the first time host Georgia and play at Kentucky in upcoming seasons, reflecting improved scheduling balance. The SEC's decision to designate annual opponents considered competitive fairness, geography, and traditional rivalries, with the league planning to reevaluate these matchups every four years. Alabama’s three annual opponents include Auburn, Tennessee, and surprisingly Mississippi State, replacing LSU, which had been a marquee rivalry, showing the conference's effort to honor historical rivalries beyond TV ratings. Texas will continue its rivalries annually with Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Texas A&M, preserving long-standing and significant matchups in the new scheduling model.