美国大学橄榄球东南联盟（SEC）将从2026赛季起实施9场联赛制度，这一调整将打破多个历史悠久的年度对阵。[1]
佛罗里达和田纳西的对决将因此中断，这是这项传统对阵37年来首次缺席赛程。[1]影响最大的是阿拉巴马与LSU的经典对抗，两队自1963年以来首次无缘碰面。[1]
新的9场联赛制将持续至2029年。[1]SEC现有16支球队，在新制度下，每支球队将与3个"年度"对手（保证每年交手的球队）相遇。[1]SEC还规定球队必须与一支权力联盟对手进行第10场比赛。[1]
与此同时，一些历史对阵得以复兴。阿肯色与德州的对决恢复为年度赛事，这两队曾在1969年尼克松总统的观看下进行过著名的"世纪之战"。[1]德州与德州农工的对抗也将回归为年度安排，两校在1915至2011年间每年都要交手。[1]
SEC委员格雷格·桑基表示，联盟致力于维持最具竞争力的周度对阵安排。[1]这一新制度旨在提升强度赛程评分，为即将到来的12支球队季后赛中的7个外卡席位做准备。[1]
Starting in the 2026 season, the Southeastern Conference will implement a nine-game conference schedule format that will reshape the competitive landscape of college football through 2029. [1] The new structure means each of the SEC's 16 teams will face three designated "annual" opponents, with all schools required to play a tenth game against a Power Five conference rival. [1]
The scheduling shift will force several storied matchups into hiatus. Florida and Tennessee will meet for the first time in 37 years—or not meet, depending on the year—with their 2026 contest absent from the calendar. [1] More significantly, Alabama and LSU will interrupt their rivalry for the first time since 1963. [1]
However, the change resurrects dormant traditions. Arkansas and Texas, whose matchup includes the 1969 "Game of the Century" watched by President Richard Nixon, will return to annual competition. [1] The Texas-Texas A&M rivalry, which ran annually from 1915 to 2011, will also become a yearly fixture. [1]
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey characterized the rationale behind the schedule: "When you look at our schedule, no one has created the kind of weekly competition that exists in the Southeastern Conference." [1] The restructured format is designed to elevate the strength of schedule metric, positioning the league for a 12-team playoff framework with seven at-large berths. [1]