Report: SEC Wants Scheduling Agreement with Big Ten

Spring meetings for the SEC are ongoing in Destin, Florida, and LSU head coach Brian Kelly revealed one course of action that the SEC is pursuing for future scheduling opportunities with other Power Four conferences.

Get our free mobile app

During his media availability at the SEC spring meetings, Kelly said that the SEC wants to reach a scheduling agreement with the Big Ten.

"We have the depth in this league, from top to bottom, and that we are the premier league in the country," Kelly told reporters on Wednesday.

"We want to play Big Ten schools."

The model proposed by many in the media would be a scheduling "alliance" between the SEC and the Big Ten, where the SEC plays nine conference games, one Big Ten school, and two other games for a total of 12 regular-season games.

The SEC is no stranger to scheduling marquee non-conference matchups. Alabama played Wisconsin during the 2024 season, with the Crimson Tide downing the Badgers 42-10 in Madison. Kelly's team, the LSU Tigers, also played a big-name brand in college football to open the season, taking on the USC Trojans in Las Vegas. The Tigers came out on the wrong side of the contest, as USC won 27-20. Again in 2024, Texas traveled to Ann Arbor, Michigan, to take on the reigning national champions, the Michigan Wolverines. Texas had no trouble with the champs, throttling Michigan 31-12 in the Wolverines' home.

Kelly also mentioned that these games can be played in the playoffs as well, but a scheduling agreement between the SEC and Big Ten is a way to flex the conference's muscles in the regular season. In the postseason, the Big Ten reigned supreme, with Ohio State taking down Tennessee in Columbus, Ohio, 42-17 in the first round of the College Football Playoffs before defeating Texas in the Cotton Bowl 28-14. For the second straight year, the Big Ten defeated an SEC team in the semifinals before claiming the national championship, as Michigan downed Alabama in the Rose Bowl in the 2023 College Football Playoff.

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.