Chges are coming to the SEC as the conference will be moving to a nine game conference schedule beginning in 2026. This announcement was met with a lot of hesitation from fans of SEC programs for many reasons. The biggest reason was because the SEC already has the most difficult schedules in the country, so it didn't feel fair to have to add even more difficulty to their schedules.
But there is another reason why this change isn't great either, and Kirby Smart described how the decrease in non-conference opponents is actually a bad thing for college football.
"We're losing opportunities to play other conferences when we schedule nine conference games..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) October 17, 2025
That's the only way to measure conference to conference" ~ @KirbySmartUGA #PMSLive https://t.co/oVUAANuE4A pic.twitter.com/EQeB4OTQUa
Kirby Smart is not a fan of the upcoming SEC schedule changes
According to Smart, it is going to be a lot more difficult to compare conferences now that the SEC and the rest of the power conferences are playing nine game conference schedules. This leaves every school with three non-conference games instead of four, and most of those games will be scheduled against non-power four opponents.
Georgia's upcoming 2026 schedule is the perfect example of this problem. The Bulldogs currently have 13 games scheduled for next season as they already had four non-conference opponents scheduled before the SEC announced this change. This means that UGA will have to cancel one game, and it's pretty obvious who they will choose.
Georgia's four non-conference opponents next year include two cupcakes, Georgia Tech and Louisville. The Bulldogs will not cancel on Georgia Tech, so the best option for them is to cancel on Louisville. If Georgia keeps Louisville on their schedule that means they will play 11 power four opponents next season, and it might not be in their best interest to do that.
So the SEC moving to nine game schedules is forcing Georgia (and every other team) to play less featured matchups with other high profile teams from other conferences. Sure UGA will get to play another big time SEC opponent, but that doesn't seem as exciting as playing a home and home series with a program like Louisville who Georgia never plays.