After just one season, the move from a four-team playoff to a 12-team playoff has resulted in ongoing discussions of expanding the playoff even more. Conference commissioners are open to expanding, but haven't been able to agree on how to do so.
Most notably, the Big Ten is not on board with the "5+11" model, which would give each Power 4 and one Non-Power 4 conference champion automatic bids, with the 11 other spots going to at-large teams. Big Ten commissioner Tony Pettiti isn't in favor of that model, and believes the SEC should move to a nine-game league schedule like his conference does. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey has been reluctant to do so.
However, in a massive development, Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger is reporting that SEC executives moved closer to implementing nine-game conference schedule. Given the latest updates from the College Football Playoff selection committee, the timing of these discussions isn't surprising.
In meetings this week, SEC executives moved closer to adopting a nine-game conference football schedule, sources tell @YahooSports. A decision remains with presidents, who are expected to meet soon on the issue.
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) August 21, 2025
Earlier this week, the College Football Playoff selection committee announced that changes have been made to its strength of schedule metric. Starting this season, the committee is putting more of an emphasis on schedule strength and record strength.
"The current schedule strength metric has been adjusted to apply greater weight to games against strong opponents. An additional metric, record strength, has been added to the selection committee's analysis to go beyond a team's schedule strength to assess how a team performed against that schedule."CFP selection committee
SEC dominates strength of schedule metrics every year
Year after year, the SEC dominates strength of schedule metrics - despite playing an eight-game league schedule. Heading into the 2025 season, 15 of most difficult schedules in the country belong to schools from the SEC. Furthermore, of the 16 teams that play five or more preseason top-25 teams this season, 13 are from the SEC.
So, in theory, the SEC doesn't need to bolster its strength of schedule across the league by adding an addition conference matchup. The league would still stand out in the selection committee's "new" way of thinking.
Is a nine-game conference schedule necessary to boosting SEC résumés?
At the same time, a nine-game conference schedule could potentially strengthen the résumés of SEC teams even more. But is it necessary? Adding another conference game means most likely adding another ranked opponent to LSU's future schedules. This season, LSU is slated to play seven teams that are ranked in the preseason AP Top 25 Poll. Fans can make the argument that adding another conference game to that kind of schedule isn't necessary.
But overall, the move to a nine-game SEC schedule could bridge the gap between the Big Ten and SEC in CFP expansion talks. With each league playing nine-game conference schedules, finding a playoff model that both commissioners find viable seems like a very real possibility. As Dellinger notes, at this time the final decision remains with the university presidents, who are expected to meet on the issue "soon."
What non-conference matchups does LSU have coming up in future years?
Looking ahead, LSU has non-conference matchups against Clemson and McNeese on the schedule for 2026. In 2027, the Tigers have meetings with Houston and UTSA on the docket. Only SMU is on the non-conference schedule for 2028 at this time.
2029 is a more interesting situation as LSU has SMU, Arizona State, Rice, and McNeese included in its non-conference schedule. Other SEC schools, like Georgia, have three or four Power 4 non-conference games lined up in future years as well. If the nine-game league schedule is implemented, it will be interesting to see how the SEC handles those situations. Buy-outs and the breaking of contracts could be in the future for several SEC teams.