Greg McElroy, ESPN analyst and former Alabama quarterback, continues to champion a nine-game SEC schedule, arguing it would create more significant matchups and allow fans to see a broader range of conference rivals and venues.
Extra Conference Game Creates More Quality Wins to Impress the Selection Committee, Per Greg McElroy
Supporters believe it would elevate the regular season by ensuring marquee showdowns, such as Alabama finally returning to Athens to face Georgia for the first time since 2015.
Critics counter that the SEC is already grueling and warn that an extra league game could reduce bowl eligibility and College Football Playoff chances, while discouraging premier out-of-conference road games.
Greg McElroy believes the SEC moving to a nine-game conference schedule is not just a step forward — it’s a necessary evolution. The ESPN college football analyst and former Alabama quarterback emphasized the growing support for this shift, saying,
“It looks like there’s a lot of momentum building towards the SEC fully adopting a nine-game conference schedule. I couldn’t be more excited about this.”
While acknowledging the SEC’s historical dominance, McElroy pointed out that, “I understand that eight games is all they needed to punch their ticket to the College Football Playoff.”
But he contends that a ninth conference game would enhance the schedule’s overall quality and help revive traditional matchups.
“It will allow us to revitalize on an annual basis some rivalries that have been lost as a result of the current eight-game SEC scheduling model,” he said. Now, some of the push back is understandable.”
McElroy noted that logistical concerns, such as unequal home-game distribution, are valid but manageable.
“Some teams will have to play four home games, other teams will have five… but at the same time we have to figure out a way to make sure that every single week you have two, three, four, five marquee games,” he explained.
He also stressed the value of preserving rivalries like LSU-Auburn, saying,
“None of us want to see rivalries like LSU and Auburn go by the wayside. I certainly don’t want that game to go away.”
Though he credited the SEC for protecting several key matchups—including Georgia-Florida, the Iron Bowl, and Texas-Oklahoma—he believes more annual clashes could be preserved with added scheduling flexibility.
McElroy doesn’t think a ninth game would hurt postseason chances, particularly with playoff expansion on the horizon.
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“If the criteria changes and strength of schedule becomes the most important part of deciding whether or not a team is worthy of playoff inclusion, then the nine-game schedule makes all the sense in the world,” he said.
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