Fans have been debating whether the SEC should introduce a ninth conference game to its football schedule, but league commissioner Greg Sankey said a decision probably won't be made this week.
“There won't be a lot of discussions about the football schedule this week,” SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said at the start of the conference's spring meetings in Destin.
A year ago, expanding the SEC Conference football schedule to nine games was one of the hot topics of discussion at spring meetings, but the league stuck with the number of conference games at eight for 2024 and 2025, leaving the question of 2026 and beyond unresolved.
But the SEC has other things going on at this year's conference.
“Given everything that's going on around us, the timeline is somewhat set and we continue to have conversations about it,” Sankey said.
This is likely a reference to the recent shocking House v. NCAA settlement, which will see the NCAA, conferences and schools pay approximately $2.8 billion in unpaid player wages and will eventually implement a first-of-its-kind pay-for-play system for athletes.
The many questions that arise about how it will be organized and implemented are expected to dominate discussions at the SEC and elsewhere for some time.
But Sankey at least provided some news regarding this season's SEC football schedule.
The SEC is expected to announce game times for the first three weeks of next year, as well as several other kickoff times, on Thursday.
All game times for the early television slot, which will take place between 12pm and 1pm Eastern Time, are expected to be announced by mid-June.
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