LSU, Alabama face brutal gauntlet in 2026

Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

By Chris Marler

Gauntlet. That about sums it up.

The SEC 2026 schedule release for the initial season of a nine game conference schedule was released Thursday night, and in short it is an absolute gauntlet. I’ve been staunchly opposed to this schedule, and the peer pressure reaction that felt like forced the hand of commissioner Greg Sankey. But what makes money ultimately wins in the current landscape of the sport.

Trust me, the move to automatic qualifiers is coming because teams getting through these schedules unscathed or finishing at best with two losses is going to be brutal. Carnage and cannibalizing is the best way to describe the slate some of these teams will take on.

The 2026 SEC football schedule is HERE 🚨 pic.twitter.com/uGwDs5yHrA

— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) December 12, 2025

That being said, it’s going to be awesome to watch. There are no dull Saturdays, no cupcake weeks, and with the added ninth game, the action gets started even earlier this year.

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Maybe I’m biased living here in Baton Rouge, but the best home slate of anyone is what LSU plays in Tiger Stadium next year. Like the Taylor Swift 1989 album, it’s just banger after banger after banger.

Sept. 5 – Clemson
Sept. 12 – La Tech
Sept. 26 – Texas A&M
Oct. 3 – McNeese State
Oct. 17 – Mississippi State
Nov. 7 – Alabama
Nov. 14 – Texas

Four of those seven games could legitimately be top ten matchups.

The 2026 Schedule pic.twitter.com/LWgF65aB5r

— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) December 12, 2025

Toughest Stretch

Week 6 through Week 10 for Alabama is the stuff of nightmares for College Football Playoff hopes. Alabama will play the following:

Oct. 10 – vs Georgia
Oct. 17 – at Tennessee
Oct. 24 – Texas A&M
Nov. 7 – at LSU

The Big Ten fans who always champion the nine game schedule did not have that facing them. Kalen DeBoer is going to be praying for a Purdue or Northwestern game mixed in, but alas no rest for the weary in this league. Similar to the LSU home slate, this four game stretch may be against four legitimate top ten teams.

Cancel all your plans this weekend

On Sept. 26, 2026, there will be no yard work. Cancel the kids soccer games, and absolutely no weddings that day. It’s the most loaded day of the season, and it’s still the first month of the season. Wow.

Sept. 26 games: