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3d ago

SEC Unveils 2026 Football Schedules, Launching Nine-Game Format With Set Dates

The shift increases conference inventory to 72 games, locking in a two-year rotation that maintains three annual rivals.

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Dec 1, 2025; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; A sign is seen before a press conference by LSU new head coach Lane Kiffin at South Stadium Club at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images
BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA - DECEMBER 01: Lane Kiffin, (C) poses for a photo with LSU president Dr. Wade Rousse, (L) and LSU interim athletic director Verge Ausberry, (R) at a press conference as he is introduced as the new head football coach of the LSU Tigers at Tiger Stadium on December 01, 2025 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images)

Overview

  • The league released date-specific slates for all 16 teams during an SEC Network special, confirming nine conference games plus three nonconference matchups per school.
  • Week 3 delivers LSU at Ole Miss on Sept. 19 as both teams’ SEC opener, marking Lane Kiffin’s first trip back to Oxford as LSU’s head coach.
  • Georgia will visit Alabama on Oct. 10 in Tuscaloosa, a headline matchup on the newly dated schedule.
  • Alabama opens SEC play earlier than usual at Kentucky on Sept. 12, its earliest league game since 2007 according to local reporting.
  • The format preserves three annual opponents, rotates the rest so every pairing occurs at least once every two years, and retains the requirement to play at least one Power Four (or Notre Dame) nonconference opponent each season.