- Each SEC team will be required to play a ‘high-quality’ non-conference opponent from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, or Notre Dame.
- Some schools, like Mississippi and Auburn, will need to quickly adjust their future non-conference schedules to meet the new requirement.
- Other teams, such as Florida, Georgia and Alabama, meet the requirement in the next decade.
SEC schedules are now required to get even tougher.
The league announced it will finally make the move to a nine-game conference slate starting with the 2026 season along with requiring its teams to schedule one additional ‘high quality’ non-conference opponent from the ACC, Big Ten or Big 12 or Notre Dame each season.
In short, every SEC school now will be mandated to play 10 games a season against a Power 4 team. It should up the strength of schedule of its programs, and it’s no coincidence it came after the College Football Playoff selection committee announced a day prior it would put greater emphasis on strength of schedule.
‘The SEC has established itself as the leader in delivering the most compelling football schedule in college athletics,” commissioner Greg Sankey said in a statement. ‘Fans will see traditional rivalries preserved, new matchups more frequently, and a level of competition unmatched across the nation.’
With the non-conference schedule requirment set to be in place for 2026, it’s time to look to see if SEC teams will already meet the standard, or if they’ll soon have to figure out who to play.
Which SEC teams have a Power 4 non-conference team scheduled?
The good news is everyone, as all 16 SEC teams are scheduled to play at least four games against a Power 4 non-conference foe within the next 10 years, according to FBSchedules.
However, some of them are going need to quickly figure out who to put on their schedule. Most notably is Mississippi, which doesn’t have a Power 4 non-conference game in 2026 through 2031. This comes as the Rebels also don’t have a Power 4 non-conference game in 2025.
Another team that will need to figure out its immediate schedule is Auburn, which doesn’t have one scheduled in 2027 and 2028. The Tigers also don’t have any non-conference Power 4 teams set to play after the 2030 season.
Other teams that have a few years to figure out their schedules in include:
- Mississippi State: Power 4 non-conference team scheduled through 2029
- Texas A&M: Power 4 non-conference team scheduled through 2029
- Kentucky: Power 4 non-conference team scheduled through 2030
- Oklahoma: Power 4 non-conference team scheduled through 2030 and in 2035-36
- Tennessee: Power 4 non-conference team scheduled through 2030
- Texas: Power 4 non-conference team scheduled through 2029 and in 2032-33
- Vanderbilt: Power 4 non-conference team scheduled through 2031
- LSU: Power 4 non-conference team scheduled through 2032
- Arkansas: Power 4 non-conference team scheduled through 2033
Meanwhile, there are some SEC teams that benefit from having annual rivalries with teams in Power 4 conferences, like Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, who already meet the requirement through the 2037 season. The Gators and Bulldogs have gone to the extreme with three Power 4 non-conference games scheduled; Florida has it in 2028 and 2031 while Georgia will do it in 2027, 2030 and 2033.
Other teams that won’t have problems are Alabama and Missouri. The Crimson Tide and Tigers meet the requirement all the way through 2035.
SEC future Power 4 non-conference games
Alabama
- 2026: at West Virginia, Florida State
- 2027: West Virginia, at Ohio State
- 2028: Ohio State, at Oklahoma State
- 2029: at Notre Dame, Oklahoma State
- 2030: at Georgia Tech, Notre Dame
- 2031: Georgia Tech, at Boston College
- 2032: Arizona, at Minnesota
- 2033: at Arizona, Minnesota
- 2034: at Virginia Tech, Boston College
- 2035: Virginia Tech
Arkansas
- 2026: at Utah
- 2027: Oklahoma State
- 2028: at Notre Dame
- 2029: Utah
- 2030: at Texas Tech
- 2031: Texas Tech
- 2032: at Oklahoma State
- 2033: Oklahoma State
Auburn
- 2026: Baylor
- 2029: at Miami
- 2030: Miami
Florida
- 2026: at Florida State
- 2027: Florida State
- 2028: Colorado, at Arizona State, at Florida State
- 2029: at Colorado, Florida State
- 2030: at Central Florida, at Florida State
- 2031: Arizona State, at Notre Dame, Florida State
- 2032: Notre Dame, at Florida State
- 2033: Central Florida, Florida State
- 2034: at Florida State
- 2035: Florida State
- 2036: at Florida State
- 2037: Florida State
Georgia
- 2026: at Louisville, Georgia Tech
- 2027: at Florida State, Louisville, at Georgia Tech
- 2028: Florida State, Georgia Tech
- 2029: at Clemson, at Georgia Tech
- 2030: Clemson, Ohio State, Georgia Tech
- 2031: at Ohio State, at Georgia Tech
- 2032: Clemson, Georgia Tech
- 2033: at Clemson, NC State, at Georgia Tech
- 2034: at NC State, Georgia Tech
- 2035: at Georgia Tech
- 2036: Georgia Tech
- 2037: at Georgia Tech
Kentucky
- 2026: Louisville
- 2027: at Louisville
- 2028: Louisville
- 2029: at Louisville
- 2030: Louisville
LSU
- 2026: Clemson
- 2027: Houston (neutral)
- 2028: Southern Methodist
- 2029: at Southern Methoidst, Arizona State
- 2030: at Arizona State
- 2031: at Utah
- 2032: Utah
Mississippi
- 2032: at Virginia Tech
- 2033: Purdue
- 2034: at Purdue
- 2035: Virginia Tech
Mississippi State
- 2026: at Minnesota
- 2027: Minnesota
- 2028: Texas Tech
- 2029: at Texas Tech
Missouri
- 2026: at Kansas
- 2027: Illinois
- 2028: at Illinois
- 2029: Illinois
- 2030: Colorado
- 2031: at Colorado
- 2032: at Kansas
- 2033: Illinois
- 2034: at Illinois
- 2035: at Brigham Young, Illinois
Oklahoma
- 2026: at Michigan
- 2027: at Southern Methodist
- 2028: at Houston
- 2029: Nebraska
- 2030: at Nebraska
- 2035: at Clemson
- 2036: Clemson
South Carolina
- 2026: Miami, at Clemson
- 2027: at Miami, Clemson
- 2028: North Carolina, at Clemson
- 2029: at North Carolina, Clemson
- 2030: NC State, at Clemson
- 2031: at NC State, Clemson
- 2032: at Clemson
- 2033: Clemson
- 2034: Virginia Tech, at Clemson
- 2035: at Virginia Tech, Clemson
- 2036: at Clemson
- 2037: Clemson
- 2038: at Clemson
Tennessee
- 2026: at Georgia Tech
- 2027: Georgia Tech
- 2028: West Virginia (neutral)
- 2029: Washington
- 2030: at Washington
Texas
- 2026: Ohio State
- 2027: Michigan
- 2028: at Notre Dame
- 2029: Notre Dame
- 2032: at Arizona State
- 2033: Arizona State
Texas A&M
- 2026: Arizona State
- 2027: at Arizona State
- 2028: Louisville
- 2029: at Louisville
Vanderbilt
- 2026: NC State
- 2027: at Stanford
- 2028: at NC State
- 2029: Purdue
- 2030: at Stanford
- 2031: Stanford