MIRAMAR BEACH, Fla. — Alabama football's future non-conference schedule is filled to the brim with marquee matchups.
Starting with a home-and-home against Florida State in 2025-26, the Crimson Tide currently has game contracts against programs like Ohio State (2027-28) and Notre Dame (2028-29).
But in the College Football Playoff era, regardless of the number of teams involved, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said May 26 that "one of the problems we are encountering right now" is the preservation of those marquee meetings in a world where one loss could be the difference in a potential postseason bid.
"We've seen that, and I've heard that," Sankey said. "We even had discussions with our ADs that are thinking about 'Maybe I shouldn't play this game.'"
Sankey said that losses in marquee meetings like Alabama 's potential matchup with Ohio State or Notre Dame are "inconsequential," that those games will have larger implications.
But as the CFP world continues to change, with potential expansion on the horizon, Sankey calls for the "access point" for teams vying for CFP spots to change too.
"It may be different from an access point," Sankey said. "And that's where I look at some of the weighting of the rhetoric right now of 'We shouldn't play those games. I'm better off going 11-1, 12-0.'"
Here are the future non-conference games Alabama has currently scheduled:
2025
Alabama at Florida State ; Aug. 30
Alabama vs. ULM; Sept. 6
Alabama vs. Wisconsin ; Sept. 13
Alabama vs. Eastern Illinois; Nov. 22
2026
Alabama at West Virginia ; Sept. 5
Alabama vs. South Florida ; Sept. 12
Alabama vs. Florida State; Sept. 19
2027
Alabama vs. West Virginia; Sept. 4
Alabama at Ohio State; Sept. 18
2028
Alabama vs. Ohio State; Sept. 9,
Alabama vs. UT Martin; Sept. 16
Alabama at Oklahoma State; Sept. 23
2029
Alabama at Notre Dame; Sept. 1
Alabama vs. Oklahoma State; Sept. 15
2030
Alabama at Georgia Tech ; Aug. 31
Alabama vs. Notre Dame; Sept. 14
2031
Alabama vs. Georgia Tech ; Aug. 30
Alabama at Boston College ; Sept. 13
2032
2033
Alabama at Arizona; Sept. 3
Alabama vs. Minnesota; Sept. 17
2034
Alabama at Virginia Tech ; Sept. 2
Alabama vs. Boston College; Sept. 16
2035
Alabama vs. Virginia Tech; Sept. 1
Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Greg Sankey wants marquee Alabama football, SEC non-conference games to continue
