Scheduling in the future SEC.

[Redwood Forrest]

As i presented this the two West divisions all play each other, therefore the traditional tie breaker can still be used thus avoiding another SEC West playoff game. The same for the East. In a two section the tie breaker still would have to be used at times. Also, I put the two strongest teams in each quad.

 

[GP for Bama]

No divisions...
3 Permanent opponents
6 rotating opponents

This preserves all main rivalries.
Every team plays every other team at least twice every 4 years.
The two top teams meet in Atlanta.

 

[CoolBreeze]

I've settled on no divisions. Take the highest rated 2 teams at the end of the year for the SEC championship game.

Use the, um, 4 team division set up for scheduling purposes but not defining division champions. Each team has 3 protected games every season, and the rest rotate on a schedule such that each team sees the other team in a 4 year period. The schedule must grow to 9 conference games per year but I prefer 10.

I like it.

 

[Diogenes]

SEC needs 12 conference games and rotate 6
So everyone has some skin in the game
Everyone wets their beak
Capish?

 

[GrayTide]

First of all, it needs to be two 8 team divisions. OU, Texas, Mizzou to the West division. Alabama and Auburn to the East division.

Then, no permanent cross overs. The only two "rivalries" you lose are Alabama vs. LSU and Florida vs. LSU. Alabama and LSU aren't primary or secondary rivals and never have been. Florida and LSU have whined about playing one another for years now. LSU especially. It's a historic game, but let's not pretend it's Alabama/Tennessee or Auburn/Georgia.

Thirdly, at least a 9 game conference schedule. Play the 7 in your division. Then rotate 2 a year from the opposite division. Within 4 years, you've played every team in the conference.

I personally don't care whether the old cross division rivalries are maintained or not. If the above scenario were to happen and Alabama and Auburn are moved to the East then we play Auburn and Tennessee every year. Auburn plays Alabama and Georgia every year. Am I missing something?

 

[Redwood Forrest]

No divisions...
3 Permanent opponents
6 rotating opponents

This preserves all main rivalries.
Every team plays every other team at least twice every 4 years.
The two top teams meet in Atlanta.

I can see the other 15 teams lining up to play Alabama and Oklahoma every year. Lots of luck with that. I am sure Tennessee would love to stop playing us.

 

[crimsonaudio]

I am sure Tennessee would love to stop playing us.

There's a fair percentage of fourteenesee's fans who would love to stop playing Bama - at least until Saban is gone.

That's a display what those fans really are - weak.

 

[TideEngineer08]

I personally don't care whether the old cross division rivalries are maintained or not. If the above scenario were to happen and Alabama and Auburn are moved to the East then we play Auburn and Tennessee every year. Auburn plays Alabama and Georgia every year. Am I missing something?

You got it right

 

[Crimson1967]

Florida-LSU has been played every year since 1953 except for a three year break 1968-1970. Florida has FSU every year but LSU’s big historical rival in the West is Ole Miss, who usually aren’t very good. The Rebs have won nine times since we went to divisions and are the only West team to never make it to the SECCG.

So I can understand LSU not being happy if we drop permanent cross rivals. They would also lose us and the barn. While not historical top tier rivals like us and Fourteenessee, both are usually good games against good teams. Then there is the Saban thing.


So I do emphasize with their plight. But in every reset like we are about to go through, someone is going to get screwed. Just glad it isn’t us.

But they do pick up Texas and Oklahoma. Games against both would be marquee attractions against big names that are usually in the top twenty that should offset the Camellia state games.

 

[Crimson1967]

There's a fair percentage of fourteenesee's fans who would love to stop playing Bama - at least until Saban is gone.

That's a display what those fans really are - weak.

I lurk on Vol Nation (a decent enough place) from time to time, usually in October or after they get beat down by Vandy. I see threads a lot on there from people wanting to drop us. The rational souls on there (seem to be the vast majority) call them out for the idiots they are.

They trade Missouri for the barn (an old rival old people will remember) under the two divisions plan so it is a good deal for them.

 

[colbysullivan]

I lurk on Vol Nation (a decent enough place)

You should leave…

 

[TIDE-HSV]

On top of the obvious problems, in addition there's the other problem of exactly when the other two are coming - 2022 or 2025...

 

[TideEngineer08]

Florida-LSU has been played every year since 1953 except for a three year break 1968-1970. Florida has FSU every year but LSU’s big historical rival in the West is Ole Miss, who usually aren’t very good. The Rebs have won nine times since we went to divisions and are the only West team to never make it to the SECCG.

So I can understand LSU not being happy if we drop permanent cross rivals. They would also lose us and the barn. While not historical top tier rivals like us and Fourteenessee, both are usually good games against good teams. Then there is the Saban thing.


So I do emphasize with their plight. But in every reset like we are about to go through, someone is going to get screwed. Just glad it isn’t us.

But they do pick up Texas and Oklahoma. Games against both would be marquee attractions against big names that are usually in the top twenty that should offset the Camellia state games.

I think LSU would be ok with trading Alabama/Auburn for Texas/Oklahoma. They will dominate Texas and it will still be a huge game, heavily attended, and in a marquee tv time slot. Oklahoma will be ultra competitive like the Alabama game has been, though I suspect they will be able to beat the Sooners more often than they've beaten us.

I have just never gotten the sense that LSU is a rival in the traditional sense. To me it was like another big SEC game like playing Georgia or Florida is. It was when Nick Saban was hired that the game seemed to take on a life of its own. If that factor is removed, and sadly it will be some day, the game just goes back to another big SEC game, of which we will always have plenty.

 

[CoolBreeze]

Florida-LSU has been played every year since 1953 except for a three year break 1968-1970. Florida has FSU every year but LSU’s big historical rival in the West is Ole Miss, who usually aren’t very good. The Rebs have won nine times since we went to divisions and are the only West team to never make it to the SECCG.

So I can understand LSU not being happy if we drop permanent cross rivals. They would also lose us and the barn. While not historical top tier rivals like us and Fourteenessee, both are usually good games against good teams. Then there is the Saban thing.


So I do emphasize with their plight. But in every reset like we are about to go through, someone is going to get screwed. Just glad it isn’t us.

But they do pick up Texas and Oklahoma. Games against both would be marquee attractions against big names that are usually in the top twenty that should offset the Camellia state games.

Got to tell you, I really look forward to the LSU game every year...maybe even more so than the barn. Not having that game year in and year out would be a major disappointment personally. To me, Bama and LSU are the SEC powers and college football deserves to see that match up every year.

 

[TideEngineer08]

Got to tell you, I really look forward to the LSU game every year...maybe even more so than the barn. Not having that game year in and year out would be a major disappointment personally. To me, Bama and LSU are the SEC powers and college football deserves to see that match up every year.

I just can't see how we keep that game in any kind of divisional alignment. But we don't need the divisions anymore, so that would be the way.

 

[BamaBooey]

I like no divisions too. Three permanent opponents: Auburn, Tennessee, LSU?

If we do pods, then

W1
Arkansas
Missouri
Oklahoma
Texas

W2
LSU
Ole Miss
Mississippi State
Texas A&M

E1
Alabama
Auburn
Tennessee
Vanderbilt

E2
Florida
Georgia
Kentucky
South Carolina

Keep traditional rivalries as much as possible so nine SEC games a year, ie Alabama/LSU, Auburn/Georgia, Florida/Tennessee.

Or, play three teams from your own pod, and two teams from other geographical division pod, one team permanently, and one team each from other two geographical pods.

Ie Bama plays Auburn, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Florida, Georgia, LSU, State, Texas in one year. Rotate Florida, Georgia, State, and Texas out in following year.

 

[C2Ag93]

I like no divisions too. Three permanent opponents: Auburn, Tennessee, LSU?

If we do pods, then

W1
Arkansas
Missouri
Oklahoma
Texas

W2
LSU
Ole Miss
Mississippi State
Texas A&M

E1
Alabama
Auburn
Tennessee
Vanderbilt

E2
Florida
Georgia
Kentucky
South Carolina

Keep traditional rivalries as much as possible so nine SEC games a year, ie Alabama/LSU, Auburn/Georgia, Florida/Tennessee.

Or, play three teams from your own pod, and two teams from other geographical division pod, one team permanently, and one team each from other two geographical pods.

Ie Bama plays Auburn, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Florida, Georgia, LSU, State, Texas in one year. Rotate Florida, Georgia, State, and Texas out in following year.

Love this idea. Selfishly as an Aggie, this makes our pod feel more like we're in the SEC, something we have enjoyed since joining. It moves OU and Missouri to a different pod (playing them all the time would make me feel like we were back in the Big 12, nothing against them personally though). And even though A&M and Arkansas have played a lot of games (believe around 60), none of us really feel there's a true rivalry there.

But I also like the idea someone else had where you would have at least one permanent from another pod. So A&M's would obviously be UTex. I'd like Alabama from E1. Not really sure I have a preference for E2, but Florida would be fun.

 

[BamaMoon]

My preference....

Drop divisions.
Every team has 3 permanent opponents.
Every team has 6 rotating opponents.
This protects all main rivalries.
Every team will play every other SEC team at least twice every 4 years.

Top 2 teams meet in Atlanta for the championship.

Without thinking too hard about this, I kinda like this proposal.

It also solves the problem of having blowout SECCG when one of the division champs is so much weaker than the other (like 2014 Bama vs. Mizzu).

On rare occasions, it might involve two top teams playing again in the SECCG, but that'll probably be pretty rare.

 

[81usaf92]

Without thinking too hard about this, I kinda like this proposal.

It also solves the problem of having blowout SECCG when one of the division champs is so much weaker than the other (like 2014 Bama vs. Mizzu).

On rare occasions, it might involve two top teams playing again in the SECCG, but that'll probably be pretty rare.

The 2014 SECCG was 21-13 heading into the 4th. The 2016 was probably the biggest blowout we ever had in the SECCG…. Vs Florida

 

[teamplayer]

There's a fair percentage of fourteenesee's fans who would love to stop playing Bama - at least until Saban is gone.

That's a display what those fans really are - weak.

I think there are a lot of teams that would love to avoid Alabama every year until Saban is gone.