GREENSBORO – One of the looming questions regarding next week’s SEC Spring Meetings in Destin is whether or not the conference will finally vote on going to a nine-game league schedule.
We’re about to find out.
With recent playoff expansion, the SEC has stayed at eight conference games. However, depending on how any updated move to a 16-team format plays out, the league could use next week’s meetings to discuss a change in light of ESPN's willingness to pay for more conference games.
Georgia president Jere Morehead and Bulldog athletic director Josh Brooks were each asked about the possibilities following day two of the UGA Athletic Association spring meeting at the Ritz-Carlton.
“I don’t know,” Morehead said. “That’s a question for the commissioner.”
Brooks agreed.
“We don't discuss those things publicly, because as you talk about that, there are factors that go into that,” he said. “You're asking that question in a vacuum, and depending on how we lay it out, what it looks like, I can't definitively answer that right now."
However, Brooks made it clear that if a vote does come around, he and Morehead will do what’s best for Georgia.
“Look, the pluses are obvious, right? A nine-game schedule gives you an opportunity for another SEC opponent and more quality matchups. We know that. We know that there's more demand for that. We saw that in the COVID year. We played a SEC-only schedule, so you know that,” Brooks said. “It’s no secret that we have to look out for our conference. But for President Morehead and myself, it's our responsibility to look out for Georgia and what's best for us. So, we want to make sure that whatever decision we make puts us in the best position to get ourselves in the playoffs and as many SEC teams in the playoffs as well. Thankfully, we have a lot of faith in Commissioner Sankey and the work he's doing, and that's going to drive a lot of that."
According to a report by Yahoo.com, Sankey has publicly stated that he believes the conference should adopt a nine-game schedule, albeit with a caveat.
During a March appearance on the Paul Finebaum Show, Sankey said the conference shouldn’t add a game to teams’ schedules “If that causes us to lose opportunities.”
Brooks was asked if a nine-game schedule would preclude Georgia from scheduling big non-conference games.
From 2026 to 2034, Georgia currently has non-conference series scheduled with the likes of Louisville (2026-2027), Florida State (2027-2028), Clemson (2029-2030, 2032-2033), Ohio State (2030-2031), and North Carolina State (2033-2034), along with the annual year-ender against Georgia Tech.
“That's a year-by-year situation that we'll work through because we've got some of those games in the books. So, we will look at it year-to-year and see how the schedule will evolve from there,” Brooks said. “I can't definitively tell you which way it will go, but that's a year-to-year looking at it, how it plays out. We'll have to look at it and see where we'll go over the next ten years of the schedule.”
Whatever decisions are made, head coach Kirby Smart will have a major say in the route the Bulldogs ultimately take.
“Out of respect to my head coach, that goes for every sport I have. I work very closely with that head coach to help them build a schedule that fits their needs," Brooks said.
