Among the topics being discussed at SEC spring meetings the potential switch to a nine-game conference schedule has featured in many conversations with coaches and administrators.

The idea isn’t new, but gained new life this offseason after Alabama, Ole Miss and South Carolina were left out of the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff. It raised the question of how scheduling could impact SEC teams’ chances of getting in, something adding a ninth conference game would affect.

While Auburn wasn’t in the playoff conversation last season, adding a ninth conference game could affect Auburn’s path to returning to playoff consideration. Head coach Hugh Freeze was asked Tuesday at spring meetings about a potential nine-game conference schedule, and what his concerns were for the eight versus the nine-game model.

“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.

Freeze said a way to give fans hope would be through an NFL model, where individual losses don’t hurt teams as much as they do in the current landscape of 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. “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?”

Freeze said hope is found in the playoffs, pointing to the number of SEC teams in the postseason in sports like basketball, baseball and softball. The postseason in those sports create a similar approach to the season than in the NFL, where one or two losses don’t affect a team’s postseason hopes the way they do in college football.

“The days of you just running rough shot and winning all the games I think are over,” Freeze said.

Peter Rauterkus covers Auburn sports forAL.com. You can follow him on X at@peter_rauterkusor email him at[email protected]m