DESTIN, Fla. – Amid ongoing debates about the future of its football scheduling, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey affirmed on Tuesday that the conference possesses viable solutions to safeguard beloved rivalries like the “Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry” between Georgia and Auburn, even if the league maintains an eight-game conference schedule. This declaration comes as the SEC grapples with how to best structure its expanded 16-team league in the wake of Texas and Oklahoma’s arrival.
The SEC has been engaged in a prolonged discussion over whether to adopt an eight-game or nine-game conference slate. While a nine-game schedule has often been touted as the ideal format for preserving more traditional matchups, Sankey’s recent remarks suggest that an eight-game model would not necessarily spell the demise of these historic annual contests.
“We have a variety of alternatives,” Sankey stated, highlighting the conference’s commitment to its storied past. “An alternative we’ve presented is to protect those [rivalries] in an eight-game schedule moving forward.”
Sankey underscored that the concept of protecting key rivalries within an eight-game framework isn’t novel. He pointed to the established precedent of series like Georgia-Auburn and Alabama-Tennessee (the “Third Saturday in October”) being safeguarded under the previous divisional format. These matchups have also been played annually over the past two seasons as the league temporarily settled on an eight-game schedule while navigating the expansion.
The conversation surrounding annual games that must be preserved has been a focal point for the SEC since as far back as August 2021. The impending elimination of divisions in 2024, coupled with the integration of Texas and Oklahoma, amplified concerns among fans and programs about the potential loss of beloved annual rivalries.
However, Sankey’s recent comments offer a glimmer of hope for those who cherish these traditions. He suggested that the SEC is actively exploring scheduling models that would allow teams to designate more than one “protected” rival, even within the confines of an eight-game conference schedule. This would be a significant departure from previous proposals that often limited teams to a single protected rival under an eight-game format.
While Sankey did not commit to specific protected rivalries or elaborate on the precise mechanisms of these “alternatives,” his statements indicate a strong desire to ensure the continuity of marquee matchups. Preserving games like Georgia-Auburn, a rivalry dating back to 1892 and played every season since 1944, is clearly a high priority for the conference leadership.
The decision on a permanent scheduling model beyond the temporary 2024 and 2025 eight-game formats remains pending. However, Sankey’s assurances suggest that the SEC is committed to finding a solution that balances competitive equity, fan interest, and the enduring value of its rich history, even if it means finding creative ways to fit more rivalries into fewer conference games.
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