Drinkwitz: SEC coaches might regret going to 9-game football schedule

By Creg Stephenson | cstephenson@al.comThe SEC will play a nine-game conference football schedule for the first time this year, and there might already be some “buyer’s remorse” among league coaches.Eli Drinkwitz was asked Monday at SEC Media Days in Tampa, Fla., if he expected he and his brethren might soon be asking “why did we go to nine games?” The seventh-year Missouri coach said it’s already happening, with LSU’s Lane Kiffin perhaps the most vociferous on that topic. “We’re all saying it. We’re all saying it. I think we’re all saying it,” Drinkwitz said, via Nathalie Jones of ABC 17 in Missouri. “When we look at our schedules, it’s going to be a real challenge. You know, I think Coach Kiffin has been somebody who’s been, whether publicly or privately, been able to kind of … he’s been the one on the forefront even last year in these meetings, saying, ‘Guys, I don’t think that this is the right play for us.’ But at the end of the day, it is what it is, and we got to meet those challenges head on now.”One of the bigger reasons for the adoption of the nine-game schedule was to provide secondary — yet still traditional — rivalries such as Alabama-Tennessee and Auburn-Georgia, which would have not been possible to play every year had the league remained at eight games. Under the eight-game setup, teams could play only one opponent on a yearly basis, with the others rotating on and off the schedule. In addition to nine conference games, SEC teams are still required play to schedule at least one Power 4 opponent in its 3-game non-conference schedule. Commissioner Greg Sankey made note of the challenge that provides for SEC teams in terms of postseason and championship aspirations, but said he is confident teams in his league will rise to the occasion.“It creates, without question, the most demanding sets of football schedules in all of college football,” Sankey said. “But these decisions were made after years of thoughtful discussion, careful analysis, and spirited debate, which led us to the conclusion that the nine-game schedule was appropriate.“The nine-game schedule reflects confidence in our universities, our student-athletes and in our football programs. It preserves great rivalries, historic rivalries, many of which are played every year. It creates more compelling conference matchups and reinforces our long-standing commitment to competitive excellence.“When you look at our schedule, no one has created the kind of weekly competition that exists in the Southeastern Conference.”Creg Stephenson became college sports managing producer for AL.com in 2026. A veteran of more than 30 years as a sports writer, he is a past president of the Alabama Sports Writers Association and has won...