OXFORD | Keith Carter doesn’t know which scheduling model is going to win out for when the SEC goes to 16 teams, but he believes both options are better than the current format.
Oklahoma and Texas will play in the SEC no later than 2025, and when that occurs, the SEC is in line to repair its current flaw of 12 years passing between football trips to the interdivisional opponents other than the one permanent opponent.
For example, Georgia visited Ole Miss in 2016 and wouldn’t do so again until 2028 under the current rotation.
But exactly what that looks like with 16 teams will be one of the top debates for the athletic directors in Destin, Florida, next week for the SEC annual spring meetings. More than 30 potential options have been cut to two - an eight-game format where teams play one permanent opponent and seven rotation opponents (1-7) or a nine-game conference schedule with three permanent opponents and six rotating opponents (3-6).
Divisions are also likely on the way out. The current scheduling format is six games against divisional opponents, one permanent opponent from the other side and one rotating opponent from the other division.
Reports, such as this one from Sports Illustrated, say there’s a pretty significant divide between the two options with SEC schools, with some coaches or athletic directors wanting to stay at eight league games and some wanting the additional ninth one.
With both formats, schools would play home and away against every other SEC team in a four-year period. Texas and Oklahoma have participated in SEC meetings recently, but SI reports that Longhorn AD Chris Del Conte and Oklahoma AD Joe Castiglione aren’t expected to be in Destin.
“It’s been pretty well documented there’s a split in the room,” Ole Miss athletics director Keith Carter said. “I look forward to the new scheduling format and the most important thing is it’s fair and balanced, and we rotate these teams more frequently. We’ve talked a lot abut that. The current model isn’t good playing East teams every six years. We need to fix that and we will in any model.”
The eight-game model allows teams to include an extra buy game and likely guarantee a better record by a game, while the nine-game conference schedule increases the matchups that put more fans in seats and eyes on televisions. It also reduces the money spent to bring opponents in for nonconference games.
An expanded college football playoff should occur starting in 2026, which would strengthen the case for nine conference games. If 12 teams are included in the playoff each season, quality wins would be important and teams with as many as three losses could still be included in the top 12.
The SEC also has a rule that requires an out-of-conference Power Five matchup each season. Whether to keep that in place if it goes to nine games will be another topic next week. Most schools have games scheduled a long way out.
The Rebels have out-of-conference opponents scheduled through 2030 and also in 2032, 2033, 2034 and 2037. Home and homes are on the calendar with Georgia Tech (22 and 23), Wake Forest (24 and 25), USC (25 and 26), Oregon State (27 and 30), BYU (28 and 29), Virginia Tech (32 and 37) and Purdue (33 and 34).
“I think for Ole Miss the eight games have been good to us and allows us to have a competitive SEC schedule and play out of conference,” Carter said. “We play at home most of the time and pick games. But the nine games is attractive because of selling tickets. It’s more meaningful for fans. I love that we’ve gotten to just two models. It makes for meaningful conversation.”
