Sports Media Reacts to SEC Decision To Stay at 8 Conference Games

BSM Staff

Jun 2

There has been a lot of concern about what the Southeastern Conference would do when Texas and Oklahoma join the league next year. We got our answer on Thursday. The SEC is sticking with a football schedule of eight conference games for each team.

The move was confirmed by league commissioner Greg Sankey during an appearance on The Paul Finebaum Show. He took a shot at critics by referencing Georgia's blowout of TCU in last year's CFP National Championship Game.

"I'm pretty sure the last game of the season was 65-7," Sankey said. "If the indictment is that we don't play the highest level of football, then someone isn't watching the games."

The decision puts the SEC in the minority. Every other power conference schedules 9 league games for their members. While most members of the college football media balked at the idea, there were a variety of reactions on social media.

Great news for the Southern Conference https://t.co/G6ieuME5vr

— BUM CHILLUPS AKA SPENCER HALL (@edsbs) June 1, 2023

I really can't believe the SEC won't have a 9-game conference schedule as a 16-team league. The whole point of being in a conference is to play each other! If OU and Texas were valuable enough to add, you should want them to play as many of your valuable brands as possible!

— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) June 1, 2023

People are ripping the SEC schedule decision. Listen, they did what is in their best interest, not yours. Hard to argue with their football success. However, I will point out that every P5 league has at least 10 teams that will play 10+ P5 opponents in '23. The SEC only has 2.

— Mark Packer (@MarkPacker) June 2, 2023

No SEC divisions in 2024, an eight-game SEC schedule in 2024, a mandate to play at least one Power 5 team in nonconference play?

Can't wait for SEC teams to try to schedule Vanderbilt twice in the same season and then claim Vandy ain't really SEC.

— RJ Young (@RJ_Young) June 1, 2023

I think the SEC should move to a 6 game conference schedule and embrace the value of forced scarcity

— Ryan Nanni (@celebrityhottub) May 30, 2023

The C stands for Cowards.

SEC appears poised to stick with eight-game league schedule amid ongoing concerns about payments, playoffhttps://t.co/p9R21dR2Cu

— Tom Fornelli (@TomFornelli) June 1, 2023

I'll take it https://t.co/YHOv6ryxTr

— Jake Crain (@JakeCrain_) June 1, 2023

Fun fact of the day: The 8-game SEC model has produced a system in which Texas A&M, after 11 years, still has yet to host Georgia.

Just play nine games.https://t.co/CcmNgzDsfJ https://t.co/eDwrSjPIj7

— Chris Hummer (@chris_hummer) May 31, 2023

I'll keep saying this, when the SEC can't even agree on a schedule, when the SEC/B1G can't agree on playing football in 2020, I struggle to see how these conferences will be able to break away and create their own big rule-making organizations.

— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) May 31, 2023

Sankey noted earlier in the day that 8 games will not be the norm forever. It is what the league believes works best as it adds two new schools.

ESPN's name did not come up in any of Sankey's comments. It has widely been assumed that a move to 9 games would be driven by the network upping its payment to the SEC in order to get more inventory.

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