The Southeastern Conference recently made a big splash in the college football world as it announced that it would be adopting a nine-game conference schedule for the 2026 season, which would include three annual opponents, with the six remaining opponents rotating.

“Playing nine Southeastern Conference games, and 10 Power Four games out of 12 contests per year, obviously gives our loyal Auburn fans more SEC football to watch, but at the same time ensures that long-standing regional rivalries are maintained,” Cohen said in the statement.

Big Ten football has come in second behind the Southeastern Conference in power rankings published by CBS Sports. These rankings land as the Big Ten is on a rol

The SEC is moving to a nine-game conference schedule in 2026, ending a yearslong debate and potentially easing a path toward another College Football Playoff expansion.

There is now more uniformity across conferences in college football, and that could mean the SEC and Big Ten are one step closer to agreeing on the format of the College Football Playoff for the 2026 season.

The SEC is moving to a nine-game conference schedule, which means a third permanent opponent for the Auburn Tigers.

The SEC is set to shake things up with the introduction of a ninth game to its conference schedule starting in 2026, a move that comes just one month after commissioner Greg Sankey mentioned the conference would explore all options.