Some athletic directors create large committees, similar to the NFL Draft Room, where they plan future football schedules. Some people keep lists on their laptops or cell phones. Joe Castiglione, who has been Oklahoma State's director of athletics since 1998, is a bit more old-fashioned and keeps his book of calendars in his desk.
“It's convenient. It's instant access,” Castiglione said.
These days, Castiglione tends to reach for the book less often. At least he penned his antagonists much less often.
The Sooners have an aggressive schedule starting in the Big 12 and hope to continue that in the SEC. But like everyone, they are in uncharted territory and are treading carefully. Will each team play three or four non-conference games in 2026? Are tougher games, win or loss, good for the College Football Playoff selection, or do they just add unnecessary potential losses?
And what about conference affiliation? Florida State and Clemson are suing the ACC. These are his two programs that set the schedule for SEC teams, and whatever happens to them could have a domino effect on the ACC and conference realignment in general.
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Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek and Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne each described the nonconference schedule as a “pattern” until things are resolved in the conference.
“I think everyone is in a similar situation,” Yurachek said. All we know is the conference schedule, but we don't know what the future holds for college football. ”
A few years ago, Georgia State was one of the leaders with a tougher schedule. Kirby Smart has series against Ohio State, Clemson State, Florida State, Oklahoma State and Texas State, among others. But that was before the SEC expansion and before the prospect of a nine-game SEC schedule.
Oklahoma State and Texas will join the SEC this summer, which could impact how the programs handle their schedules. (Ricardo B. Brazziel/USA Today)
Georgia is now on the break: A home series against UCLA scheduled for 2025-26 is now in doubt, with athletic director Josh Brooks recently asking radio stations whether it will happen. When asked, he answered, “Let's see how it goes.'' Brooks declined to comment further, but the original quote was ominous for those who had hoped the series would happen.
The possibility that Georgia was reluctant to play is instructive. At the time the series was scheduled, almost a decade ago, it made sense for Georgia. And even now, those fans will be disappointed if they don't get to travel to Los Angeles and play in the Rose Bowl next year. However, Brooks and Smart could view the two games against UCLA as high-risk throw returns. (UCLA, on the other hand, is committed to a nine-game Big Ten schedule for those looking for a reason to step away from the game.)
But Georgia, Alabama and other SEC teams lacked Oklahoma and Texas as conference opponents and had beefed up non-conference schedules with divisional conferences held twice every four years. . The marquee game was seen as a way to drum up interest in a home schedule that was too bland under the old SEC format.
Unsplit format changes that. That doesn't mean that no one will want a difficult game. There's no doubt that fans and TV executives love this famous game. That's why Arkansas is eager to maintain a home-and-home series with Notre Dame, with the team playing in Fayetteville next year and South Bend in 2028.
“Fans, especially those who want to watch these high-profile games in the stadium, are increasing,” Yurachek said. “And the way we're going to get these big-name games is through a home series. And we want to set ourselves up for a 12-team playoff. Whether that draws us to 14 teams or not. Regardless, you want to put your program in the best position possible for that to happen. Only time will tell what your schedule will be. There's little data…for the upcoming 12-team playoffs. Until I get in.”
But even that is difficult to judge. Castiglione, who served on the selection committee, said strength of schedule is a factor, but it's hard to say what will happen in the expanded playoffs and that could change from year to year.
“What happens when a team has a great season, plays the toughest schedule of the season, gets some big wins, and still ends up with a 9-3 record?” he said. “You know, we have three losses, but we also got some good wins against another team that finished 11-1, so we're balanced. How is that even discussed?”
It's hard to know until you play at least one season in expanded format. However, the sample size may still be too small. Still, the biggest short-term question for SEC schedulers is whether teams will have three or four openings in their nonconference schedule.
The debate over 8-9 conference games affects everything, but it's mostly been relegated to the background. Some people are tired of arguing. The reality of the new format has alarmed some coaches and athletic directors who had favored nine-man play. There was also the resignation of Ross Bjork, Texas A&M's athletic director who had been one of the strongest supporters of the move to nine schools.
Castiglione favors playing nine games. Arkansans will still vote for eight seats, Yurachek acknowledged. However, in separate interviews, they each used the words “heated debate.”
“It's not as simple as adding another conference game,” Castiglione said. “How it impacts everyone's schedule, how it impacts the postseason, how those factors are looked at in the (selection) committee room when teams are ranked. It doesn't mean you're for it or against it. It's just being very thoughtful and thorough about how you go about the whole discussion.”
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Yurachek suggested the SEC could punt again and eventually put together a two-year schedule in 2026-27 with eight games, similar to 2024-25.
“The 2026 schedule will have a similar timing, so somewhere in the beginning of 2025 we'll decide what we're going to do in 2026,” Yurachek said. “Then we can probably get married in 2026 and 2027.”
Each time that decision is made, it will have a domino effect on the non-conference schedule.
Ten teams in the SEC (including Oklahoma and Texas) have series starting in 2025, when the SEC uses an eight-game conference schedule, and ending after 2026, when it could be nine games. These series include Alabama-Florida State (2025-26), LSU-Clemson (2025-26), Texas-Ohio State (2025-26), and Ole Miss-USC (2025-26). 26 years) are included.
There are more series starting in 2026 and beyond.
• Alabama has home-and-home series against West Virginia (2026-27), Ohio State (2027-28), Oklahoma State (2028-29) and Notre Dame (2029-30). Yes, followed by a home-and-home series against Arizona and Georgia Tech. , Minnesota, Boston University, and Virginia Tech.
• Georgia has series with Louisville (2026-27), Florida State (2027-28), Clemson (2029-30), Ohio State (2030-31) and North Carolina State (2033-34). ing.
• Florida State follows North Carolina State (2026-32), California (2026-27), Colorado (2028-29), Notre Dame (2031-32) and Arizona State (2028-31). ) and series.
More examples follow. Every SEC team has at least one such series. SEC rules require every team to schedule at least one other power conference team, and some teams to schedule more. From there, filling out the schedule means wanting more home games. That's why guaranteed games against Group 5 and FCS teams won't go away.
But neither are the major matchups.
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Oklahoma, one of two new teams on the block, will be a big team. Michigan will go to Norman next year and return to Ann Arbor in 2026. Castiglione said there is no danger of the series being canceled. He has home-and-home series set up with Nebraska (2029-30) and Clemson (2035-36).
There's also the pressing question of whether Bedlam will be updated. Coach Castiglione said he would be open to playing Oklahoma State “the next available opportunity,” but added that due to scheduling, that would likely be in 2030 at the earliest.
Still, despite all the unknowns, Castiglione wants to reach into his desk, pull out the schedule, and put a pen to some good games. Maybe Oklahoma State, maybe another Michigan or Clemson.
“As a college football fan, I want to see more great games,” Castiglione said. “The more, the better. But you also have to think wisely about how that impacts your ability to play as far as possible into the postseason. I still think (the harder) I like the non-conference scheduling approach, but I understand people wanting to have more information and make better decisions before anything is finalized.”
(Top photo or Kirby Smart, Karen DeBoer, Steve Sarkisian: Maddie Martens, Gary Cosby Jr., John David Mercer/USA Today)
