re: 16-team SEC scheduling model(s)

Lets take a look at the OP schedule for divisional play for cross divisional play against the west for UA based on the OP example.

Year 1 LSU home Mizzou away
Year 2 OU home MSU away
Year 3 Ark home Tex away
Year 4 OM home aTm away
Year 5 LSU away Mizzou home
Year 6 OU away MSU home
Year 7 Ark away Tex home
Year 8 OM away aTm home

So based on the OP model UA would play each team from the West home once every 8 years and away once every 8 years. Year 9 rinse a repeat. So year 1 play LSU home and year 9 play LSU home.

POD system for scheduling as others have posted would like this.

Pod A: Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina
Pod B: Alabama, Auburn, Tennessee, Vanderbilt
Pod C: LSU, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Texas A&M
Pod D: Arkansas, Missouri, Texas, Oklahoma

POD B: Always play the other 3 in our pod.

Year 1 Non POD games for UA

POD A: Florida home & South Carolina away
POD C: LSU away & MSU home
POD D: Texas home & Mizzou away

Year 2 Non POD games for UA

POD A: Florida away & South Carolina home
POD C: LSU home & MSU away
POD D: Texas away & Mizzou home

Year 3 Non POD games for UA

POD A: UGA home & Kentucky away
POD C: aTm away & Ole Miss home
POD D: OU home & Ark away

Year 4 Non POD games for UA

POD A: UGA away & Kentucky home
POD C: aTm home & Ole Miss away
POD D: OU away & Ark home

Every 4 years you would play all non pod teams home & away and year 5 rinse and repeat. So year 1, 2, 5, and 6 I would play LSU 4 times in 8 years(2 home and away).

Dodging again I see and for the record I asked for clarification but since you are the English expert here please explain what you meant.

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That's why the 14-team/8-game scheduling isn't already using pods and/or 3 fixed rivals, rotating the other 10 teams in 5 schedule slots.

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and/or is a grammatical conjunction used to indicate that one or more or all of the cases it connects may occur.

It definition above is correct you are implying based on the quote that the 14-team/8-game scheduling, currently being used, could occur if so desired. So I asked for clarification.

quote:

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I pointed out that is incorrect and you have yet to address it.

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It's not incorrect. I said each home/away flips in 5 years. I didn't say all 8 of them flip within a single 5-year span.

I've clarified the explanation in the OP:

quote:

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All 8 cross-div teams rotate in 4 years, playing 2 per year once, and then the home/aways flip (as often as all 12 cross-pod teams rotate).

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I've also clarified the OP's "and/or" sentence:

quote:

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Maybe that's why the 14-team/8-game model isn't already 3 fixed rivals, rotating the other 10 teams in 5 schedule slots (like pods).

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Now, list the yearly matchups sacrificed for rotating cross-pod games (you won't).



Note: The NCAA requires conferences with 12 or more teams to have 2 divisions.

We've both freely expressed our opinions, no?

My expectations for the new SEC 16-team structure & scheduling solution may end up being right or wrong.

I'm done debating with you. We'll see what happens.



Note: The NCAA requires conferences with 12 or more teams to have 2 divisions.

Facts: With four 4-team pods (or 3 fixed rivals), the SEC would play only 48 yearly games and thereby less high-value annual rivalries. But with 8-team divisions, the SEC would play 112 yearly games and thereby more high-value annual rivalries. Either option would resolve the 14-team/8-game model's 12-year rotation flaw; but pods' financial impact is negative, while divisions' financial impact is positive.

Note: The NCAA requires conferences with 12 or more teams to have 2 divisions.

Besides 8-team divisions enabling more financially beneficial scheduling (twice as many high-value yearly games as via pods), they also offer more intrinsic value, such as division winners earning opportunities to compete in the SEC Championship game.

I also love the ability to add 4 more teams. My personal choice would be Army, Navy, Kansas and Notre Dame.

The Army and Navy might seem odd, but the service academies would be the only way the SEC would accept schools in those TV markets, which would be huge, and the pageantry of playing at Annapolis or west point would be huge as well as the academic boost. Kansas and Notre Dame would be adding to the basketball prestige and academic side as well.

Kansas Notre Dame obviously to the North group and Army Navy to the South.

Yep. N/S divisions really aren't as good as the E/W divisions.

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