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9 game schedule, 5 permanent rivals
Posted on 7/14/22 at 1:47 pm
Posted on 7/14/22 at 1:47 pm
Yes, I created an account just to post my scheduling idea. If you care, I've been lurking for over a decade.
I haven't seen this idea discussed for football before, but it's possible I've missed it in the hundreds of pages about scheduling.
Anyway, while I'm fine with the new expansion, I think we're going from one extreme to the other in scheduling without thinking it through. We currently have 7 schools we play annually, and slowly rotate through the other 6. The 2 currently discussed proposals would have us only play 1 or 3 schools annually, and quickly rotate through the other 14 or 12. This means many natural rivalries will only be played every other year. What's more, it seems likely many teams won't get one of their most important rivalries selected.
I think a 9 game schedule with 5 permanent rivals is the right compromise between these 2 extremes. This ensures that every school will have several of their most important rivalries continue, and some new ones will be created with the new schools. And we'll still play everyone else in the conference regularly: you'll play everyone in the conference home & away over 5 years instead of 4. You'll get to see your team play everyone at least once in 3 years.
And the same permanent rivals can be carried over to other sports. For basketball, go to 20 conference games each year. Playing your rivals twice every year and the other 10 teams once ensures you will see everyone home and away in 2 years. For baseball, 5 rivals and 5 other teams each year ensures you see everyone home & away every 4 years.
The next post is my choices for 5 permanent rivals for each team. I considered geography, history, and balance.
For balance, I first divided everyone into 2 groups. Group 1 was Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Auburn, Tennessee, LSU, Arkansas, A&M, Texas, and Oklahoma. Group 2 is everyone else. 9 of the teams in group 1 are in the top 17 all time programs in the Winsipedia rankings; Arkansas is next at 29, while group 2 starts at 33 with Ole Miss.
For my choices, I gave everyone 3 rivals from group one and 2 from group two, except for Alabama and A&M. Alabama and A&M each got 4 from group one and 1 from group two.
I haven't seen this idea discussed for football before, but it's possible I've missed it in the hundreds of pages about scheduling.
Anyway, while I'm fine with the new expansion, I think we're going from one extreme to the other in scheduling without thinking it through. We currently have 7 schools we play annually, and slowly rotate through the other 6. The 2 currently discussed proposals would have us only play 1 or 3 schools annually, and quickly rotate through the other 14 or 12. This means many natural rivalries will only be played every other year. What's more, it seems likely many teams won't get one of their most important rivalries selected.
I think a 9 game schedule with 5 permanent rivals is the right compromise between these 2 extremes. This ensures that every school will have several of their most important rivalries continue, and some new ones will be created with the new schools. And we'll still play everyone else in the conference regularly: you'll play everyone in the conference home & away over 5 years instead of 4. You'll get to see your team play everyone at least once in 3 years.
And the same permanent rivals can be carried over to other sports. For basketball, go to 20 conference games each year. Playing your rivals twice every year and the other 10 teams once ensures you will see everyone home and away in 2 years. For baseball, 5 rivals and 5 other teams each year ensures you see everyone home & away every 4 years.
The next post is my choices for 5 permanent rivals for each team. I considered geography, history, and balance.
For balance, I first divided everyone into 2 groups. Group 1 was Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Auburn, Tennessee, LSU, Arkansas, A&M, Texas, and Oklahoma. Group 2 is everyone else. 9 of the teams in group 1 are in the top 17 all time programs in the Winsipedia rankings; Arkansas is next at 29, while group 2 starts at 33 with Ole Miss.
For my choices, I gave everyone 3 rivals from group one and 2 from group two, except for Alabama and A&M. Alabama and A&M each got 4 from group one and 1 from group two.
14
Posted on 7/14/22 at 1:51 pm to I am a username
Posted on 7/14/22 at 1:53 pm to NFLSU
Any "permanent rivals" scheduling gives every team that gets Vandy permanently an unfair advantage , forever.
Posted on 7/14/22 at 1:54 pm to I am a username
My choices for 5 rivals for each school
The number in parentheses indicates the number of times the 2 teams have played according to Winsipedia (before the 2022 season). A question mark indicates there was a slight difference in the number on the pages of the 2 teams. An * indicates the teams will play on Thanksgiving weekend.
UF - UG (99), AU (84), USC (42), UT (51), UK (72)
UG - UF (99), AU (126), USC (74), UT (51), VU (81)
USC - UF (42), UG (74), AU (14), MSU (16), MU (12)
AU - UF (84), UA* (86), UG (126), USC (14), MSU (95)
UA - AU* (86), UT (103?), LSU (86), A&M (14), MSU (105?)
UT - UA (104?), VU* (115?), UK (117), UF (51), UG (51)
VU - UT*(116?), UK (94), OM (96), UG (81), A&M (3)
UK - UT (117), VU (94), MU (12), UF (72), OU (3)
OM - MSU* (116), LSU (109?), Ar (66?), TU (7?), VU (94)
MSU - OM* (116), LSU (115), UA (106?), AU (95), USC (16)
LSU - OM (110?), MSU (115), UA (86), A&M (60), OU* (3)
Ar - MU* (13), OU (15), A&M (78), TU (79), OM (68?)
MU - Ar* (13), TU (24), OU (96), UK (12), USC (12)
A&M - Ar (78), TU* (118), LSU (60), UA (14), VU (3)
TU - Ar (79), OU (117), A&M* (118), MU (24), OM (8?)
OU - Ar (15), TU (117), LSU* (3), MU (96), UK (3)
If we assume Texas and A&M will be playing on Thanksgiving weekend again (and they probably are; Friday late afternoon on ABC being my guess), then LSU needs a rival for that weekend, and it has to come from Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri. I think Oklahoma makes a better matchup for TV and will be well-attended. Both schools have a lot of fans in Texas who will travel to the visiting stadium.
For those wondering what a schedule would look like, here's a possible 10 year rotation for LSU with the above rivals:
Y1:
H - A&M,OU,MSU,UF,Ar
A - OM,UA,UK,UT
Y2:
H - OM,UA,VU,AU
A - A&M,OU,MSU,UG,USC
Y3:
H - A&M,OU,MSU,UK,TU
A - OM,UA,UF,MU
Y4:
H - OM,UA,UT,UG
A - A&M,OU,MSU,Ar,VU
Y5:
H - A&M,OU,MSU,USC,MU
A - OM,UA,AU,TU
Y6:
H - OM,UA,UF,Ar
A - A&M,OU,MSU,UK,UT
Y7:
H - A&M,OU,MSU,VU,AU
A - OM,UA,UG,USC
Y8:
H - OM,UA,UK,TU
A - A&M,OU,MSU,UF,MU
Y9:
H - A&M,OU,MSU,UT,UG
A - OM,UA,Ar,VU
Y10:
H - OM,UA,USC,MU
A - A&M,OU,MSU,AU,TU
Note that LSU will probably have a strong P5 non-conference opponent on the road in the odd years, and at home in even years.
OK, flame away...
The number in parentheses indicates the number of times the 2 teams have played according to Winsipedia (before the 2022 season). A question mark indicates there was a slight difference in the number on the pages of the 2 teams. An * indicates the teams will play on Thanksgiving weekend.
UF - UG (99), AU (84), USC (42), UT (51), UK (72)
UG - UF (99), AU (126), USC (74), UT (51), VU (81)
USC - UF (42), UG (74), AU (14), MSU (16), MU (12)
AU - UF (84), UA* (86), UG (126), USC (14), MSU (95)
UA - AU* (86), UT (103?), LSU (86), A&M (14), MSU (105?)
UT - UA (104?), VU* (115?), UK (117), UF (51), UG (51)
VU - UT*(116?), UK (94), OM (96), UG (81), A&M (3)
UK - UT (117), VU (94), MU (12), UF (72), OU (3)
OM - MSU* (116), LSU (109?), Ar (66?), TU (7?), VU (94)
MSU - OM* (116), LSU (115), UA (106?), AU (95), USC (16)
LSU - OM (110?), MSU (115), UA (86), A&M (60), OU* (3)
Ar - MU* (13), OU (15), A&M (78), TU (79), OM (68?)
MU - Ar* (13), TU (24), OU (96), UK (12), USC (12)
A&M - Ar (78), TU* (118), LSU (60), UA (14), VU (3)
TU - Ar (79), OU (117), A&M* (118), MU (24), OM (8?)
OU - Ar (15), TU (117), LSU* (3), MU (96), UK (3)
If we assume Texas and A&M will be playing on Thanksgiving weekend again (and they probably are; Friday late afternoon on ABC being my guess), then LSU needs a rival for that weekend, and it has to come from Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri. I think Oklahoma makes a better matchup for TV and will be well-attended. Both schools have a lot of fans in Texas who will travel to the visiting stadium.
For those wondering what a schedule would look like, here's a possible 10 year rotation for LSU with the above rivals:
Y1:
H - A&M,OU,MSU,UF,Ar
A - OM,UA,UK,UT
Y2:
H - OM,UA,VU,AU
A - A&M,OU,MSU,UG,USC
Y3:
H - A&M,OU,MSU,UK,TU
A - OM,UA,UF,MU
Y4:
H - OM,UA,UT,UG
A - A&M,OU,MSU,Ar,VU
Y5:
H - A&M,OU,MSU,USC,MU
A - OM,UA,AU,TU
Y6:
H - OM,UA,UF,Ar
A - A&M,OU,MSU,UK,UT
Y7:
H - A&M,OU,MSU,VU,AU
A - OM,UA,UG,USC
Y8:
H - OM,UA,UK,TU
A - A&M,OU,MSU,UF,MU
Y9:
H - A&M,OU,MSU,UT,UG
A - OM,UA,Ar,VU
Y10:
H - OM,UA,USC,MU
A - A&M,OU,MSU,AU,TU
Note that LSU will probably have a strong P5 non-conference opponent on the road in the odd years, and at home in even years.
OK, flame away...
Posted on 7/14/22 at 1:54 pm to I am a username
We're stretching to find 3 perm rivals for most teams. Five? 
Posted on 7/14/22 at 1:58 pm to Slackaveli
We are paying college players. We are shuffling teams between conferences with no geographical sense. Tradition is OVER.
Forget about old rivalries. Just play an 8-game or a 9-game SEC schedule cycling through the entire SEC. The top 2 teams play in the SECCG.
Forget about old rivalries. Just play an 8-game or a 9-game SEC schedule cycling through the entire SEC. The top 2 teams play in the SECCG.
Posted on 7/14/22 at 2:01 pm to GeorgeWest
Posted on 7/14/22 at 2:01 pm to I am a username
you dont get to lump Arkansas in with the big 12 dregs.
Posted on 7/14/22 at 2:11 pm to I am a username
quote:
I've been lurking for over a decade.
nobody would browse this board for 10 years without making a name, then jump in now, for this.
Posted on 7/14/22 at 2:17 pm to Slackaveli
quote:
Any "permanent rivals" scheduling gives every team that gets Vandy permanently an unfair advantage , forever.
Ole Miss has yet to get to Atlanta in the 30 years they've had them permanently. So it hasn't seemed to help them much.
Posted on 7/14/22 at 2:28 pm to I am a username
quote:
9 game schedule, 5 permanent rivals
You really have to have some sort of pods or divisions to manage the scheduling issues and mitigate wild differences in schedule strength.
The rotating pods thing gives everyone in the same pod three. Having a fixed out of pod opponent plus rotating pods gets you through the conference with some (but not all) rivalries preserved
Posted on 7/14/22 at 2:29 pm to I am a username
Vandy needs Missouri as a permanent rival so they have a chance to get a victory each year.
Posted on 7/14/22 at 2:32 pm to I am a username
quote:
I created an account just to post my scheduling idea. I've been lurking for over a decade.
Posted on 7/14/22 at 2:35 pm to I am a username
quote:
If you care, I've been lurking for over a decade.
Posted on 7/14/22 at 2:43 pm to Wolfhound45
We've been getting a nice variety of good "don't care gifs" lately.
Posted on 7/14/22 at 2:44 pm to viceman
I have had to dig deep to match paperwasp. Baw is a beast with his gif game
Posted on 7/14/22 at 2:45 pm to I am a username
Nerd
Posted on 7/14/22 at 3:01 pm to I am a username
I prefer 9 conference games with 3 permanent "rivals"(a 4 team pod). The permanent "rivals" could be genuine historical rivals and/or geographic rivals. The other games would be rotated throughout the SEC. I am 70 years and don't know how much longer I will attend games. As a fan of a new SEC team, I want to see all the teams in Norman from the SEC. The best way for that to happen is a permanent rival group of about 4 teams (4 member pod) and a rotation through the rest of the other teams on a regular, rotation.
As far as my use of "pod" in the above, it is only describing a permanent schedule. I love the idea of all 16 teams being in one league-no divisions-and the top two playing head to head in the Championship Game.
As far as my use of "pod" in the above, it is only describing a permanent schedule. I love the idea of all 16 teams being in one league-no divisions-and the top two playing head to head in the Championship Game.
Posted on 7/14/22 at 3:16 pm to Slackaveli
The East always said the same about Miss. & MSU.
Posted on 7/14/22 at 3:36 pm to SouthernInsanity
quote:
SouthernInsanity
quote:
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