PAC-12 won't be playing the MWC and vice-versa they'll both be looking for games. Upper level 1 for 1 with either conference then is a possibility if the university wants it.

With the SEC going to 9 games and schools rapid-firing cancellations left and right, it does present a good opportunity for a buy game. In addition, given many of them already have a rivalry game vs a P4 school, they're going to be more inclined to drop the other P4 game they would schedule outside of their rival. The problem is, we're pretty darn good right now and for some, the juice isn't worth the squeeze. The other issue is given we're so close to 2026, some schools already have 4 games on schedule and are trying to trim it to 3 games. Will be a fun song-and dance for 2026. Where I think the real opportunity presents itself is in 2027 and beyond when the 2nd half of a home-and-home series would be. We'll see what happens though.

That said, at least from what I can see, these are the SEC schools with availability going into 2026 and 2027 (trying to rough see these isn't clean and quite frankly trying to guess isn't easy):

2026
LSU: Sept. 12
Ole Miss: Most of September

2027
Vanderbilt
LSU
Alabama
Ole Miss
Arkansas
Alabama (already play O$U, why not go for the state title)
Auburn

As mentioned above by other posters, PAC 12 (8, whatever.....they should revert to 8 for traditional sakes) is going to have a ton of opportunities. We definitely need to cash in and strike where the iron is hot and if they want to do only buy games, let's do it. But I sense from them where they will act like a low-end P4 school and be inclined to go home-and-homes just to fill schedule.

Marshall should be on the schedule every fall, and twice a year in basketball.

I'd be really surprised if Marshall was added. If so it would have to be a road game since they're already coming to Athens for 2027. Either Ohio or Marshall are going to have to bite the bullet and play a 5 home game schedule one of these years, which I imagine neither wants to do.

The new PAC 12 is going to have to schedule 5 non-conference games since they'll only have 7 in conference and right now there is a lot of flexibility on their end. In theory you'd think Ohio could have easily negotiated some 1-1s or even 2-1s for someone like Boise if they waited. I'm not sure what the rush was to add a second FCS game. The relationship with Texas State is already there. Make it an annual Battle of the Bobcats. They're currently playing 3 home non-conference games in 2026 and 1 away.

I've been saying that at some point it is a virtual certainly that we have 2 FCS games or only play 5 home games. Maybe we can kick the can down the road until college football is completely different but, in all honestly, we might as well do this next year.

Scheduling two FCS teams is ridiculous! Only one counts for bowl eligibility. Who was responsible for that fiasco? It certainly was not the current AD! My guess is that the former AD who is now in Baton Rouge was responsible for scheduling Wofford and Stonehill in the same season.

The Wofford game was literally just scheduled dipshit.

Cincinnati was supposed to be coming to Athens but they canceled on us and per the agreement had to pay us half a million dollars to do so. Probably negotiated by your favorite AD.

$500K was one journalist's assumption for a cancelation fee because that was known to be the fee when they canceled at WKU at the same time. Since we had already played at UC they would have owed us a cancelation fee plus a buy game fee. It should have been close to 1.5M. But we essentially played two buy games in one season and didn't know it at the time. Hence this issue.

The Wofford game was literally just scheduled dipshit.

Cbarber357- so nice of you to say hello! The Wofford game may have just been announced a few weeks ago, but the current AD didn't schedule two FCS/former I-AA schools for the 2026 season. It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out only one of those games count towards bowl eligibility.

Cincinnati cancels future football games versus Ohio, Western Kentucky
By Kevin Kelley - October 24, 2023

The Bearcat game was scrapped over two seasons ago and it wasn't just a recent cancellation. The current AD did not arrive until September of 2025. The current AD did not schedule two FCS/IAA football games in the same season for 2026. Some of you want to give the former AD a hall pass for this scheduling fiasco. Keep supporting the same person who according to USA Today didn't even have a contract signed for Coach Smith before she departed to Baton Rouge in September.

After playing three P4 teams in consecutive weeks this year, no problem with the 2026 schedule. It'll be a rebuilding year with (likely) a new coach; trip to Nebraska and USA will be enough.

Bobcat1996 needs to go watch the LSU press conference introducing Lane Kiffin. Their AD RAVED about Julie Cromer's role/expertise in the process.

I’d never brag about hiring Lane Kiffin. When Al Davis questions your morals, you probably don’t have many.