re: Pod system

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But both pods 3 and 4 have 4 teams. The way OP structured it teams in pods 1 and 2 would play 9 games, teams in pods 3 and 4 would play 10 unless they skipped one of the teams from their permanent cross pod. Bottom line, the pod system only works if you can divide the teams evenly, so add 2 more teams.

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No, nobody plays 10 games. The OP is describing what some here know as "The Roommate Switch" model. Here's a little more detail regarding how it works with 9 conference games per team:

Each team has 5 permanent opponents

The POs for a team in a 3-team pod are the other 2 teams within that pod and all 3 of the teams in the other 3-team pod.

The POs for a team in a 4-team pod are the other 3 teams within that pod and 2 of the teams in the other 4-team pod.

Each year, all teams play 4 non-permanent opponents

In any given year, the 4 N-POs for a team in a 3-team pod are all 4 teams from one of the two 4-team pods.

In any given year, the 4 N-POs for a team in a 4-team pod are all 3 teams in one of the 3-team pods plus 1 of its 2 N-POs from the other 4-team pod.

By switching the pods (changing the two 7-team divisions) every year or every other year, all teams are able to play all 8 of their N-POs twice every 4 years.

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This model works with 8 games too. With 8 games, all teams would have 3 permanent opponents. For those in a pod of 4, those 3 teams would be the others within that pod. For those in a pod of 3, they would be the other 2 from that pod plus 1 of the 3 from the other 3-team pod.

Those heretofore unfamiliar can work out the rest of the details of the 8-game option from there. Suffice to say, as with the 9-game option, the 8-game option allows all teams to play all of their non-permanent opponents exactly twice every 4 years, and within a divisional framework.