Sankey Shares Potential Timeline for Decision on SEC Football Schedule

The decision for the league's future scheduling format will likely be made later this summer or midway through the fall.

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey told reporters Friday that the conference’s decision on its future football scheduling format will not be made until later this summer or midway through the fall.

The SEC is focused on creating a single-division model and eliminating the two-division format, according to Sports Illustrated's Ross Dellenger.

Greg Sankey says any movement on the scheduling format will likely come late summer or mid-fall.

— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) June 3, 2022

Dellenger: Why Does the SEC Remain Deadlocked on a Scheduling Format? TV Revenue and CFP Uncertainty

On Tuesday, Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin confirmed that the conference narrowed its schedule models to eight-and nine-game conference play formats.

The eight-game format would include teams having one permanent opponent conference while facing seven different conference opponents. The nine-game format would allow teams to have three permanent SEC opponents and six rotating. Per Dellenger, the eight-game model earned more support during the league’s spring meetings in Destin, Fla. this week.

Presently, the SEC plays eight conference games each season. The distinction between the proposed eight-game schedule to the conference’s current schedule is that teams play against six opponents from their specific conference and two teams from the opposite division.

Alabama’s Nick Saban, is in favor of the league’s future schedule taking on the nine-game format. 

“I’ve always been for playing more conference games, eliminating some of these games that fans, players, supporters are not really interested in,” Saban said, via the Action Network’s Brett McMurphy