SEC Moving Toward 9-Game Conference Schedule, Per Report

A big change could be coming to Missouri's schedule for the coming season.

Jul 16, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; SEC commissioner Greg Sankey speaks to the media during the SEC Media Day at Omni Atlanta Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images | Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images

A big shift to the way schedules work in the Southeastern Conference will go into effect for the 2026-27 season, per Matt Zenitz. The SEC will now be playing a nine-game conference slate, with other caveats mixed in.

This deciscion came from a meeting with all the presidents of each SEC school, per Ross Dellenger.

Along with that, teams in the SEC will play the same three annual opponents every season, with the remaining six conference games rotating among the other teams in the conference. Also, every team in the SEC will play every other program once every two seasons.

The SEC is moving to a nine-game conference schedule beginning in 2026 pic.twitter.com/GMxFqTMXcB

— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) August 21, 2025

This should effect the Tigers in a variety of ways. Missouri has certainly been a team that's benefitted from the eight-game conference schedule in the conference, having the abililty to schedule a spare non-conference game as they please.

During SEC Media Days on July 17, head coach Eli Drinkwitz was very blunt and outspoken on the possibility of the conference adding another game to the in-conference portion of the schedule.

"Honestly, I think I've been for the nine-game," Drinkwitz said. "I think if it was about players and about fans, I think it's a nine-game schedule for the SEC. If it's about coach preservation, hey, man, I get it. But if we're going to go to 11 humans deciding on a committee, which are the 11 best teams, and we stay at eight, we ain't getting in."

At the moment, the Tigers are slated to take on Arkansas Pine-Bluff, Kansas and Troy in the non-conference portion of their schedule for the 2026-27 season. According to this new implementation of rules, those would be the only non-conference games the Tigers would play. Their conference schedule won't be set anytime soon, but another team will be added to that list.

The Tigers were supposed to face Illinois next season, but, per reports, that series will not be played.

Along with the additional conference game, SEC teams will be required to add one high-quality non-conference opponent to their schedule, per On3. This would include teams from the ACC, Big 10, Big 12 or Notre Dame.

NEW: SEC teams are required to play one out-of-conference high quality game per season🔥

"SEC teams are required to schedule at least one additional high quality non-conference from the Atlantic Coast, Big Ten or Big 12 conferences or Notre Dame each season." https://t.co/CmWyoEmpR9 pic.twitter.com/Yoh8WKHmMr

— On3 (@On3sports) August 21, 2025

The Kansas Jayhawks next season would check that box for the Tigers. Looking ahead to future schedules, some changes could be on the way to add more "high-quality" opponents.

According to the university, the Tigers are set to face Colorado in 2030 and 2031. The exclusion of Illinois in 2026 and 2023 could create power conference openings for them, despite being slated to face the Kansas Jayhawks.