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When the SEC poached the University of Missouri and Texas A&M from the Big 12 in 2012, it set off a chain reaction in the college sports world that nobody could have imagined.
Ultimately, 12 years later, that chain reaction resulted in powerhouse programs Oklahoma and Texas also leaving the Big 12 for the SEC, which then became a 16-team super conference with several of the nation’s top programs.
This season, the SEC joined the rest of the Power 4 in requiring its teams to play nine conference games, which, naturally, made for more difficult schedules, and coaches aren’t happy about it.
Rather than beating up on somebody like Murray State, the Tennessee Volunteers will instead play host to top-ranked Texas this weekend.
When asked about the changes on Wednesday, Vols head coach Josh Heupel said that it will result in an extra loss to half the league.
Josh Heupel on the parity in the SEC: I think an extra conference game adds another loss to half the league.
— GoVols247 (@GoVols247) September 23, 2026
Of course, that is naturally what happens when one conference team plays another conference team. One has to lose. But LSU coach Lane Kiffin took things a step further when asked about the new scheduling requirement.
Lane Kiffin Slams SEC’s Decision To Move To Nine-Game Conference Schedule
Kiffin’s Tigers are coming off a hard-fought loss against Ole Miss, and will now have to rebound and play host to No. 23 Texas A&M this weekend.
The first-year LSU coach isn’t super happy about it, either.
“This is nothing I haven’t said to the commissioner or didn’t say when it was brought up years ago about making this decision – that this was going to really be a poor decision and really not thought out,” Kiffin told LouisianaSports.net. “There was a graphic sent today to some of the SEC coaches, and it was top-25 teams and ranked opponents left. It really puts it into perspective, in the Power Four, how ridiculous this is.
“It starts with Texas playing seven top-25 teams left,” Kiffin said. “Then you have other conferences – and I’m not ripping on any school. I’m just saying these are the facts. You have a Big 12 school that doesn’t play one ranked team the rest of the year, and you have an ACC team that plays zero ranked teams the rest of the year.”
The SEC Did This To Itself
Kiffin and Heupel are correct in one sense: SEC teams do have some of the most difficult schedules in the nation. But those schedules are almost entirely a result of aggressive conference realignment.
All four teams added to the conference since 2012 are currently ranked in the AP Poll. If those teams were still in the Big 12, we’d have far more balance across the country.
The same can be said of Oregon, USC, and Washington remaining in the Big 12. By chasing the money with super conferences, you’re going to have some downsides. One of those is a more difficult schedule.
However, SEC programs are also rewarded for those schedules. There’s a reason the ACC and Big 12 both had just one playoff team in 2025. Meanwhile, the SEC had five bids and the Big 10 had three.
So it’s hard to sympathize too much with Heupel and Kiffin on this one. The SEC made its bed. Now it has to lie in it.