re: SEC Expansion Wishes

From another thread...

I think expansion is inevitable. Someone is going to do it, and everyone else will have to follow suit. With that in mind I think the SEC should act now (preemptive strike) and pursue the teams it wants most. I don't really like how 16 teams works out, but I think jumping to 20 teams might be pretty cool though. Imagine this:

Eastern Division: UF, UGA, Tenn, UK, Vandy
Western Division: LSU, Bama, Auburn, Ole Miss, MSU
Atlantic Division: SC, FSU, Miami, Clemson, GT
Southwestern: Arky, UT, TAMU, OU, OSU

Obviously, the schools selected is subject to debate. Then you play an "8+1" conference games schedule. This is essential an 8 game conference schedule with a "cheat" that turns it into a 4 team playoff for the SEC champ. You have 8 conference games that determine the division champs (4 divisional games, 2 games against the "preferred" division, and 1 game with a team from each of the other two divisions). So you pair the Eastern and Western divisions as "preferred" and you play each of those teams (such as LSU vs. Florida) twice every 5 years. Teams in the other divisions will be played once every 5 years (LSU vs. UT, for example). From this you determine your 4 division champs. Then, the last week of the year (the week before the SECCG), you play your "+1" games at neutral sites. For this you pair the Western division with the Southwestern divisions and pair the Eastern division with the Atlantic division. The teams that finished first in the two division will play each other. As will the teams that finished second, and so forth. This will effectively give us a 4 team playoff.

The reason I like this is that the divisional pairings create the old SEC while at the same time expanding into a larger conference. In the process, it creates a 4 team playoff that should make for some great football to watch. Thoughts?