Get ready for some exciting news that could change the landscape of college football! On Tuesday, the Southeastern Conference (SEC) will unveil the football opponents for each of its member schools for the upcoming four seasons. This highly anticipated announcement will take place during a special one-hour television event at 7 p.m. ET, airing on both the SEC Network and ESPN2.
In a significant shift, the SEC is moving to a new nine-team league schedule. Under this format, each school will have three designated annual rivals, which will be reassessed every four years, alongside six rotational opponents. This means that every SEC team will face off against all other schools at least once every two years, ensuring that each team plays every opponent both at home and away within a four-year cycle.
According to sources from On3, here are the annual rivalries for each school:
- **Alabama** will face off against **Auburn**, **Tennessee**, and **Mississippi State**.
- **Arkansas** will compete against **Missouri**, **Texas**, and **LSU**.
- **Auburn** will have annual matchups with **Georgia**, **Alabama**, and **Vanderbilt**.
- **Florida** will take on **Georgia**, **South Carolina**, and **Kentucky**.
- **Georgia** will battle against **Auburn**, **Florida**, and **South Carolina**.
- **Kentucky** will face **South Carolina**, **Tennessee**, and **Florida**.
- **LSU** will go up against **Arkansas**, **Ole Miss**, and **Texas A&M**.
- **Mississippi State** will meet **Ole Miss**, **Alabama**, and **Vanderbilt**.
- **Missouri** will play against **Arkansas**, **Texas A&M**, and **Oklahoma**.
- **Oklahoma** will compete with **Texas**, **Ole Miss**, and **Missouri**.
- **Ole Miss** will face **Mississippi State**, **LSU**, and **Oklahoma**.
- **South Carolina** will take on **Georgia**, **Kentucky**, and **Florida**.
- **Tennessee** will battle against **Alabama**, **Vanderbilt**, and **Kentucky**.
- **Texas** will compete with **Texas A&M**, **Arkansas**, and **Oklahoma**.
- **Texas A&M** will face **Texas**, **LSU**, and **Missouri**.
- **Vanderbilt** will go up against **Tennessee**, **Mississippi State**, and **Auburn**.
When crafting these schedules, the SEC prioritized maintaining traditional rivalries, ensuring competitive balance, and providing a fair rotation of opponents. Additionally, they aimed to guarantee that each team has a home-and-away balance, including a matchup against a Power 4 non-conference opponent for the 2026 season. For instance, Tennessee's athletic director, Danny White, mentioned that the Volunteers will host five SEC games in 2026, while they are set to play a non-conference game on the road against Georgia Tech next year.
The upcoming television special will not only reveal the matchups but also the venues for each school’s SEC games over the next four years. The specific dates for the 2026 season will be disclosed in December.
In August, the SEC announced its decision to implement a nine-game league schedule starting in 2026, a notable change from the eight-game format that has been in place since 1992. This addition of a ninth game, along with the rotational model, will facilitate matchups that have been infrequent in the regular season. Some of these exciting pairings include Alabama versus Georgia, Auburn versus Florida, Auburn versus Tennessee, LSU versus Tennessee, and Georgia versus Texas A&M. Notably, Georgia has yet to play Texas A&M in College Station since the Aggies joined the SEC in 2012.
What do you think about these new matchups? Are there any rivalries you’re particularly excited to see? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
