Tradition wins out in 2026 as the SEC expands to nine games

The SEC announced that it had finally heard enough of the Big Ten's complaints and will implement a nine-game conference schedule in 2026. Although the road may be tough for Arkansas football after adding yet another SEC team to its grueling slate, in the end, the one thing that makes the conference so exciting is retained: the rivalries.

With Texas and Oklahoma joining the league last season, the SEC created a temporary schedule, flipping the locations this season and essentially kicking the can down the road for two years. However, in 2026, the conference would either have to transition to an eight-game model or completely reimagine the schedule with nine games.

The SEC moves to nine-game format

In this new scheduling format, each team will face six rotating conference opponents and three annual opponents that focus on "maintaining many traditional rivalries," without sacrificing diversity of opponents. Arkansas will maintain its biggest games of the year while facing every SEC team in a matter of two seasons and playing at every venue in four.

"Adding a ninth SEC game underscores our universities' commitment to delivering the most competitive football schedule in the nation," SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said in a news release.

That's opposed to the eight-game schedule that would allow for only one yearly rival game. And likely for the Razorbacks, that one game would be against Missouri—a team that a good portion of Arkansas fans don't even believe is a true rivalry.

However, the move isn't likely to make folks on the Hill happy. Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek has been against the move to nine conference games for years and reaffirmed that sentiment in May. Sam Pittman also called moving to nine games would be 'ridiculous' in February. Nine SEC games made their jobs much harder, so it’s no surprise they’re frustrated. But for fans—and SEC fans in particular—it’s a rare moment of tradition being preserved in an era of constant change.