Cats add Kent State for 2026
For months, the SEC has debated expanding to a nine-game conference football schedule, following the lead of the Big Ten and Big 12. Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhart has been publicly cautious about the idea, warning that an extra SEC game could make bowl eligibility harder and revenue balancing trickier for mid-tier programs.
Now, Kentucky’s 2026 schedule may have given away the conference’s near-future plans earlier than they may have wanted.
According to a contract obtained by FBSchedules.com, Kentucky has added Kent State as a fourth non-conference opponent for the 2026 season. The Wildcats will host the Golden Flashes on Sept. 12, 2026, paying them a $1.6 million guarantee.
If the SEC were leaning toward nine conference games in 2026, Kentucky wouldn’t have room for this matchup without dropping an existing opponent — something they almost certainly wouldn’t do this far into the scheduling process. Especially considering the financial implications of a cancelled game. Sometimes, schools will negotiate buyouts but it still means a loss of money. And in today's NIL environment every dollar counts.
Currently, the league is still in an eight-game format, even after Texas and Oklahoma officially joined the league in 2024. A nine-game model has support from some schools, but others — particularly those without Alabama- or Georgia-level recruiting firepower — see it as adding unnecessary difficulty. It could mean making or missing a bowl game for schools like Vandy and Kentucky.
Barnhart’s argument has been consistent: an eight-game slate preserves flexibility for traditional rivalries and neutral-site games, while also keeping the door open for an easier path to postseason play. That is definitely true, even though week 1 opponent Toledo is ranked higher in the preseason AP poll this year.
With this scheduling move, it’s fair to say that if a nine-game SEC schedule is coming, it’s likely not happening until 2027 at the earliest.