re: Should the SEC eliminate divisions?

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It makes more sense to just add one more conference game like most other P5 conferences. We can go back to 1 cross divisional "rival" and 2 rotating opponents.

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9 games hurts your chances to make the playoff, and limits scheduling flexibility. For the schools that play 2 P5 opponents non-conference, that's just going to leave them one "buy" game. Maybe that's a good thing, but the conference never likes leaving money on the table.

I do, however, think eliminating divisions would be better than a pod system, because pods still leave the possibility of imbalanced divisions, where an undefeated division champ is playing a division champ that has 2 or more losses, while a team in the other division with a better record sits at home.

Here's how I would set up the 3 permanent opponents for each school (tweaked slightly from the matchups for basketball):

Bama: Auburn, State, UT
Arkansas: Mizzou, A&M, LSU
Auburn: Bama UF, UGA
Florida: Auburn, UGA, USC
UGA: USC, UF, Auburn
Kentucky: Mizzou, UT, Vandy
LSU: A&M, Ole Miss, Arkansas
Ole Miss: State, LSU, Vandy
Miss. State: Ole Miss, Bama, USC
Missouri: Arkansas, A&M, UK
South Carolina: UGA, UF, MSU
Tenn: Vandy, UK, Bama
A&M: LSU, Arkansas, Mizzou
Vandy: UK, UT, Ole Miss