CHARLOTTE, N.C. (July 17, 2026) – Fastbreak AI, the leading AI-powered sports operations company, and the Southeastern Conference today announced a multi-year agreement extension, deepening a relationship that has reshaped how the conference builds schedules across its sports. The software is currently used to create 10 SEC sports schedules including football, men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, softball, soccer, volleyball, men’s and women’s tennis and gymnastics.
Since adopting the Fastbreak Pro Schedule platform, the conference has used the technology to build and optimize schedules by balancing hundreds of variables ranging from venue availability and travel requirements to competitive equity, as well as broadcast considerations. The SEC has expanded its use of the platform beyond just schedule creation to quantify schedule quality, test tradeoffs at a scale impossible by hand and leverage historical scheduling data to evaluate outcomes, compare schedules year over year, and identify opportunities for continued improvement.
“Fastbreak’s industry-leading technology and expertise have enabled us to continually improve SEC scheduling across numerous competitive and fan metrics for multiple sports,” SEC Deputy Commissioner Charlie Hussey said. “We appreciate the SEC's longstanding relationship with Fastbreak, and we are excited to continue our work together.”
The impact of the partnership and technology can be seen across the SEC’s scheduling process. As the conference transitions to a nine-game football schedule in 2026, the new slate features the fewest back-to-back road games and games played on unequal rest in at least a decade, improvements achieved despite the addition of an extra game to every team’s schedule. The platform also supported the development of the conference’s four-year opponent rotation for the expanded nine-game football season.
Using Fastbreak’s technology to build its 2025-26 men’s and women’s basketball schedules, the SEC examined nearly 100 options satisfying hundreds of competing constraints. The resulting schedules eased the season’s most difficult stretches while still delivering games to ESPN on every contractually obligated date and preserving rivalry games to close the regular season.
“The SEC was Fastbreak AI's first collegiate client and it's where I was first exposed to league scheduling more than 15 years ago,” Fastbreak AI Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer Dr. Chris Groer said. “The conference continues to embrace technology to the benefit of its student-athletes, member institutions and media partners. The SEC has been particularly innovative in adopting a data-driven approach to scheduling that promotes competitive equity, minimizing travel costs and increases expected viewership. We look forward to building on our partnership with the SEC and providing the conference with additional technology to maximize the value of its schedules.”
Under the extension, the SEC and Fastbreak AI will continue collaborating on scheduling initiatives across the conference’s sports, using the technology to measure fairness, travel considerations, competitive balance and operational efficiency over time rather than judging a single schedule in isolation, while incorporating historical data, broadcast considerations and other proprietary factors into the process to improve schedules from both competitive and business standpoints.
About Fastbreak AI
Fastbreak AI delivers AI-powered scheduling and sports operations software for professional leagues, clubs, collegiate conferences, and international federations. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Fastbreak AI supports organizations worldwide, including the NBA, MLS, NHL and Serie A and collegiate conferences like the SEC, with technology that improves scheduling, coordination, and performance at every level of sport. Learn more at www.fastbreak.ai.
About the Southeastern Conference
A pioneer in the integration of higher education and athletic competition, the Southeastern Conference is a leader for intercollegiate athletics in the 21st century. Since its formation in 1933, the SEC has achieved stature and stability by designating governing/voting power to the presidents of the member institutions. These university leaders determine the policies of the conference and through the years this involvement has been the principal source of strength in the evolution of the SEC. Throughout its history, the SEC has provided leadership on the vital issues facing intercollegiate competition. Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Tennessee and Vanderbilt have been in the SEC since its formation in 1933. The league has expanded three times, adding Arkansas and South Carolina in 1991, Missouri and Texas A&M in 2012, and Oklahoma and Texas 2024.
