SEC Releases 2026–29 Nine-Game Rotations

The SEC will move to a nine-game conference schedule beginning in 2026 and has released full opponent rotations for 2026–2029 that lock in each school’s three annual rivals and six rotating conference foes. The plan uses a single-standings, non‑divisional format designed so teams meet every other SEC school at least once every two years and play home-and-away across the four-year cycle while preserving many traditional rivalries. Tennessee’s guaranteed opponents are Vanderbilt, Alabama and Kentucky; Georgia’s annual trio is Auburn, Florida and South Carolina — Georgia’s rotation includes Oklahoma in 2026 and a trip to Norman in 2028, and Florida–Georgia is scheduled for the neutral site in Tampa in 2027. South Carolina confirmed Florida, Georgia and Kentucky as its permanent opponents. The release largely matched a prior leak and prompted immediate analysis about scheduling quirks and potentially uneven strength-of-schedule for certain teams as the league balances tradition with the new nine-game format.