The SEC won't be moving to a 9-game conference schedule after all. But it will be going forward in 2024 without divisions. Commissioner Greg Sankey told reporters on Thursday that the league has approved a temporary 8-game conference schedule for the 2024 football season when it welcomes Texas and Oklahoma to the league.
Sankey said that the league will continue exploring scheduling options for 2025 and beyond. Sankey had strongly hinted at his preference for a 9-game conference schedule leading up to the SEC's spring meetings in Destin, Florida.
The proposal would have featured three permanent opponents, which would preserve longstanding rivalries, as well as six rotating opponents.
In response to a question about the argument for a 9-game schedule, Sankey said on Monday, «A league at the forefront of college athletics does not stand still.» The SEC currently plays an 8-game conference schedule — games against all six division opponents plus two cross-divisional games.