Fastbreak AI and SEC Announce Multi-Year Scheduling Partnership Extension

Fastbreak AI, the premier provider of artificial intelligence-driven sports operations software, has officially announced a multi-year agreement extension with the Southeastern Conference (SEC).

This renewal solidifies a long-term collaboration that has fundamentally transformed how the conference manages scheduling across 10 of its core sports, including football, basketball, baseball, softball, soccer, volleyball, tennis, and gymnastics.

Since the initial adoption of the Fastbreak Pro Schedule platform, the SEC has successfully navigated the complexities of balancing extensive variables such as venue availability, travel logistics, broadcast requirements, and competitive equity.

Beyond simple schedule generation, the conference now utilises the software to conduct sophisticated quantitative analyses, test complex trade-offs, and evaluate scheduling quality through longitudinal data comparison, ensuring consistent year-over-year improvement.

Commending the ongoing impact of the collaboration, SEC deputy commissioner, Charlie Hussey, said: “Fastbreak’s industry-leading technology and expertise have enabled us to continually improve SEC scheduling across numerous competitive and fan metrics for multiple sports.”

“We appreciate the SEC’s longstanding relationship with Fastbreak, and we are excited to continue our work together,” Hussey stated.

Noting that the SEC’s early adoption of data-driven scheduling has set a benchmark for collegiate athletics, co-founder and chief product officer of Fastbreak AI, Dr. Chris Groer, added: “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, minimizes travel costs and increases expected viewership,” said Dr. Groer. 

The tangible benefits of this technology were instrumental during the SEC’s recent transition to a nine-game football schedule for 2026. Despite the addition of an extra game, the platform enabled the conference to produce a slate featuring the fewest back-to-back road games and the lowest incidence of unequal rest periods seen in at least a decade.

Furthermore, the technology proved vital in developing the conference’s four-year opponent rotation model and optimising basketball schedules, where it evaluated nearly 100 viable options to ensure contractual broadcast obligations were met while preserving traditional rivalry matchups.

Under the terms of the extension, both organisations will continue to refine their scheduling initiatives, with an emphasis on measuring long-term fairness, operational efficiency, and competitive balance.

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