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'Nobody wanted…': Auburn's Hugh Freeze clears his stance on the SEC's 9-game plan
Hugh Freeze said he wanted to know the totality of the proposal and asked if that was the best approach for the SEC.
Auburn Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze opened up about his stance on the possibility of the SEC shifting back to a nine-game conference schedule.
The topic also came up during the SEC Spring meetings. On Tuesday, reporters asked Coach Freeze about his concerns regarding such a move.
“I think we would say, ‘Alright, what is best for the conference, but can you give us the totality of the information? Like, are we getting some guaranteed folks in the playoffs? You know, how many?” Freeze questioned.
Hugh Freeze compared the College Football scene with the NFL, arguing that individual losses don't affect Super Bowl chances as much as they do in college football.
“You can lose seven games in the NFL and win the Super Bowl, and you can be 8-4 in this league, and might be the hottest team -- nobody wanted to play South Carolina at the end of the year last year,” Freeze said.
Freeze said he wanted to know the totality of the proposal and asked if that was the best approach for the SEC.
“And so, when you talk eight or nine from a coach’s perspective, first, what is best for the conference? But also, can you give us the -- what is the full totality of the of the picture. What does it look like?”
Currently, all the SEC teams play eight games against conference rivals, while five more games are played against teams from other conferences.
The idea of nine SEC games
The idea of having nine games in the SEC isn't new and has been followed in the past. But the debate around it has been reignited due to the SEC's expansion to 14 teams in 2024.
Last year, teams like Alabama missed out on a playoff spot despite having a good record. Many believe that an additional game in the conference might help avoid that situation in the future. But the consensus still seems to be missing in that regard.
