Seth Emerson

SEC schedule revealed: Lane Kiffin returns to Ole Miss early in 2026 season The SEC on Thursday night revealed its schedule for 2026, the first with a nine-game conference schedule. Here are our takeaways.

Five takeaways on the SEC schedule reveal, including Lane Kiffin and the end of the late-season cupcake weekend:

(And the full week by week schedule):

www.nytimes.com/athletic/688...

The SEC didn't make everyone wait: Lane Kiffin and LSU go to Ole Miss in Week 3 next year, Sept. 19.

Georgia QB Gunner Stockton finished seventh in the Heisman voting.

Georgia Tech QB Haynes King finished 10th.

The Heisman trust released the fifth through 10th place finishers tonight in advance of Saturday’s announcement.

It’s often said that too many political writers cover politics as if it’s sports. Actually they cover politics as if they are bad at covering sports

As SEC moves to a 9-game schedule, why there’s no need to bring back divisions The conference is better off with one division, which has led to better matchups even if it means minor headaches.

The SEC announces its 2026 schedule tonight. It'll be filled with a bunch of good matchups - which wouldn't happen if the conference still had divisions.

Why the SEC (and the Big Ten) won't bring back divisions anytime soon.

www.nytimes.com/athletic/688...

Statement from Michigan:

SOURCES: Tennessee is expected to hire former Penn State and Ohio State DC Jim Knowles as defensive coordinator, @theathletic.com has learned.

Knowles was the DC for last year's national title at OSU. Broyles Award semifinalist every year from 2021-24. (ESPN 1st)

Georgia announces that future home-and-homes with Louisville and N.C. State have been mutually canceled.

Both the ACC and SEC going to nine games.

The five finalists for the Broyles Award, which goes to the nation's top assistant coach:

Mike Bobo, Georgia off. coordinator

Bryant Haines, Indiana def. coordinator

Corey Hetherman, Miami def. coordinator

Matt Patricia, Ohio State def. coordinator

Shiel Wood, Texas Tech def. coordinator

Will finds a good angle I haven’t seen or thought of on the Notre Dame discourse:

Climbing on the Paul Finebaum show in a few seconds here.

Counterpoint: No, it's not happening, for reasons stated above, and everyone needs to stop wasting their breath.

“Notre Dame should join a conference.“

This is the part of the discourse that is pointless. Being a fb independent is part of its identity. It did fine last year in the current format. Things would have to drastically change for the school to even consider it.

Not happening, now or anytime soon.

Maybe this is an emotional decision, but Notre Dame is turning down what would have been an invite to either the Pop-Tarts Bowl, Holiday Bowl or Gator Bowl. Not exactly prize destinations.

Also, bowls with ACC tie-ins, and not sure ND is pleased with the ACC right now.

Yurachek says on teleconference the difference between BYU dropping and Alabama not dropping was that Alabama had already beaten Georgia, at Georgia, while BYU was beaten twice soundly by Texas Tech.

Georgia is on the Cotton Bow side of the bracket. So it would NOT play in Atlanta if it wins the Sugar Bowl.

Hunter Yurachek confirms that BYU moving down meant Miami and Notre Dame were finally next to each other and compared to each other.

But Alabama didn't move down after its loss yesterday - which would have put a buffer between Miami and Notre Dame again.

Exactly. The weekly rankings are a thing that must go away.

The selection committee did a terrible job all year, dug themselves into so many holes and stayed inconsistent to the very end.

You can argue the final result was right or wrong, but the process to get there was a mess.

Notre Dame out. Wow.

That was a team that was good enough to win the national title.

Alabama stays at No. 9. Not shocked. A bit surprised. Very bemused.

Ole Miss is the 6 seed, so if it wins its first-round game - presumably against Tulane - then it'll be an Ole Miss-Georgia rematch in New Orleans.

Ole Miss-Tulane is also a rematch.

Georgia is the No. 3 seed. It didn't rise after winning the SEC championship, and Ohio State only dropped one spot from 1 to 2.

Either way, you knew the two would be in the same side of the bracket, with a potential (probable?) semifinal matchup.

This showed why Georgia fans rooting against making the SEC championship were wrong. UGA ensured itself a bye - rather than leaving it to chance - and there weren’t any major injuries, in fact new center Malachi Toliver got valuable experience.

And everyone sure did seem happy to win the SEC again.

Alabama does not look like a Playoff team. It hasn’t for a while Alabama looks like a team that peaked two months ago, and that's why its Playoff status remains a question heading into Sunday.

Don’t blame the existence of the SEC championship for Alabama’s playoff bid being in peril.

Blame Alabama itself, whose performance the last month, not just Saturday, hasn’t been playoff worthy:

www.nytimes.com/athletic/686...

Georgia won its second straight SEC title and third in last four years. Meanwhile in the other power conferences:

Been wondering if the committee snuck Bama up to ninth last week seeking to avoid that. But could be moot now.

So whether they're 2 or 3, Georgia and Ohio State will be on the same side of the bracket.

Indiana will be on the side with Texas Tech, presumably Oregon.

6 through 10 are the unknowns. Ole Miss, Texas A&M Oklahoma in there somewhere. And two among Notre Dame, Miami and Alabama.

Don't blame the SEC championship if Alabama misses the Playoff. Blame the Crimson Tide

It wasn’t just how Alabama looked in the SEC championship. Alabama hasn’t looked like a playoff team for a while now, and that’s the best argument for it being left out:

www.nytimes.com/athletic/686...

I mean Miami wins its first round game. The quarterfinal would be in New Orleans.