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3-5 Pod Conference Scheduling, When?
Posted on 4/10/20 at 7:06 am
Posted on 4/10/20 at 7:06 am
Scrapping Divisions and Moving to Pods
Jimbo Fisher stated prior the Georgia game last year that the SEC was 'strongly considering' moving to a system where a team would play 3 permanent rivals on an annual basis and rotate the remaining 5 conference games biannually. This topic has seemed to gain enough traction that ADs are starting to discuss it.
I would be a strong supporter of this system. The current system hardly even constitutes itself as a conference. LSU won't visit Mizzou till 2023, 11 years after they joined the SEC and Georgia won't visit Texas A&M till 2024. Dan Mullen mentioned during the week UF played Auburn, that within a 6 year time span they play Miami twice, USF three times, FSU six times, and Mississippi State once (Guess which team is in your conference?). Old time rivalries like UF-Auburn, Kentucky-Ole Miss, Miss St-Tennessee are nearly non-existent nowadays. SEC should make the switch to the 'new-school' scheduling metric to preserve its 'old-school' culture. It's ridiculous that political issues from teams in the Big-12 end up effecting the rivalries and traditions in the SEC. This pod system would allow a freshman player to visit every stadium in the SEC by the time they graduate, and frankly it's how it should be.
It would also greatly help with the lowering attendance issues that a lot of teams are facing. Spectators are tired of seeing the same 6 or 7 teams along with a set of G5 and FCS teams every year. Outside of rivalry games, tickets for cross-division match-ups tend to be the most expensive and highest attended. Florida sold out their stadium (including secondary ticket markets) against Auburn for the first time in 12 years. The opportunity for fans traveling would also be a big positive. There's only so much you can entertain yourself with when you travel to Starkville every other year. Another additive would the balancing of conference game scheduling. Bannersociety.com made a graph showing what each team's potential schedule would look like (images & link below). I have to admit it does even the playing field by quite a lot as each team's schedule would be nearly identical in terms of difficulty. I mean, could imagine having to prepare your team for Texas A&M's, Ole Miss's or Auburn's current schedule every year? No thanks. The SEC championship would comprise of the 2 teams with the highest conference record just like basketball does for it's title. Furthermore, the game would actually include the two best teams rather than one dominate team and another that was just good enough to beat out the rest of its mediocre division, like Alabama-Florida in 2016. I'm really hoping the SEC pulls the trigger on this one.
Links with Info Regarding to Topic:
https://www.bannersociety.com/2019/8/15/20734585/college-football-divisions-pod-system
https://fbschedules.com/jimbo-fisher-sec-discussing-new-football-scheduling-format/
https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/florida-football/dan-mullen-suggests-sec-should-make-change-to-conference-scheduling/
Jimbo Fisher stated prior the Georgia game last year that the SEC was 'strongly considering' moving to a system where a team would play 3 permanent rivals on an annual basis and rotate the remaining 5 conference games biannually. This topic has seemed to gain enough traction that ADs are starting to discuss it.
I would be a strong supporter of this system. The current system hardly even constitutes itself as a conference. LSU won't visit Mizzou till 2023, 11 years after they joined the SEC and Georgia won't visit Texas A&M till 2024. Dan Mullen mentioned during the week UF played Auburn, that within a 6 year time span they play Miami twice, USF three times, FSU six times, and Mississippi State once (Guess which team is in your conference?). Old time rivalries like UF-Auburn, Kentucky-Ole Miss, Miss St-Tennessee are nearly non-existent nowadays. SEC should make the switch to the 'new-school' scheduling metric to preserve its 'old-school' culture. It's ridiculous that political issues from teams in the Big-12 end up effecting the rivalries and traditions in the SEC. This pod system would allow a freshman player to visit every stadium in the SEC by the time they graduate, and frankly it's how it should be.
It would also greatly help with the lowering attendance issues that a lot of teams are facing. Spectators are tired of seeing the same 6 or 7 teams along with a set of G5 and FCS teams every year. Outside of rivalry games, tickets for cross-division match-ups tend to be the most expensive and highest attended. Florida sold out their stadium (including secondary ticket markets) against Auburn for the first time in 12 years. The opportunity for fans traveling would also be a big positive. There's only so much you can entertain yourself with when you travel to Starkville every other year. Another additive would the balancing of conference game scheduling. Bannersociety.com made a graph showing what each team's potential schedule would look like (images & link below). I have to admit it does even the playing field by quite a lot as each team's schedule would be nearly identical in terms of difficulty. I mean, could imagine having to prepare your team for Texas A&M's, Ole Miss's or Auburn's current schedule every year? No thanks. The SEC championship would comprise of the 2 teams with the highest conference record just like basketball does for it's title. Furthermore, the game would actually include the two best teams rather than one dominate team and another that was just good enough to beat out the rest of its mediocre division, like Alabama-Florida in 2016. I'm really hoping the SEC pulls the trigger on this one.
Links with Info Regarding to Topic:
https://www.bannersociety.com/2019/8/15/20734585/college-football-divisions-pod-system
https://fbschedules.com/jimbo-fisher-sec-discussing-new-football-scheduling-format/
https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/florida-football/dan-mullen-suggests-sec-should-make-change-to-conference-scheduling/
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Posted on 4/10/20 at 7:15 am to ChadThundercock
This will never happen because it would hurt the SoS for the west teams. There’s no benefit to any West team to go this route.
Posted on 4/10/20 at 7:33 am to PlateJohnsonIII
That's half the idea is that it would mitigate everyone's strength of schedule to balance out. If anything it would help every west team outside of maybe Alabama. Why would you want to play in a gantlet every year when your an underdog in 4-5 of the games on your slate? It's not like you're playing in a group of 5 conference or the Pac-12 where you'd lose one game and be out of playoff consideration. So long as you're winning your games in the SEC , your strength of schedule should be a non-issue. You don't think Arkansas wouldn't take the opportunity to not have to play Alabama, Auburn, and LSU every year?
This post was edited on 4/10/20 at 7:35 am
Posted on 4/10/20 at 7:42 am to ChadThundercock
Make. It. Stop.
Covid will be the end of me
Covid will be the end of me
Posted on 4/10/20 at 7:46 am to ChadThundercock
Huge fan of this. Loved my trip to Athens last year. Seems dumb I have to wait ten years for another.
This post was edited on 4/10/20 at 7:48 am
Posted on 4/10/20 at 7:48 am to ChadThundercock
Can’t work.
Must protect the bammer Vandy rivalry.
Kidding.
I actually love that idea. I want to play Florida and Tennessee more.
Must protect the bammer Vandy rivalry.
Kidding.
I actually love that idea. I want to play Florida and Tennessee more.
This post was edited on 4/10/20 at 7:51 am
Posted on 4/10/20 at 7:53 am to ChadThundercock
I think this would be an excellent idea. The last time we played Georgia at home was in 2007, that's ridiculous for two of the top conference teams to play that rarely. We have the number one conference with the weakest schedule. Damages our credibility and image, not to mention our fans' experience. Players go through their entire career without playing in some stadiums.
Posted on 4/10/20 at 8:04 am to schmoo
quote:
Damages our credibility and image, not to mention our fans' experience. Players go through their entire career without playing in some stadiums.
Yep. Playing only 8 conference games doesn't do us too many favors either. With this metric you'd get to keep the 8 conference games while playing everyone in conference often.
Posted on 4/10/20 at 8:04 am to ChadThundercock
I’d like to see it happen. I’d much rather play Kentucky or USCe than UTEP or whatever bs G5 school. It’s better competition and more fans would be willing to go.
Posted on 4/10/20 at 8:10 am to jackieMoon55
Love the idea
Posted on 4/10/20 at 8:27 am to ChadThundercock
Ain’t nothing a 9 game schedule wouldn’t fix.
Posted on 4/10/20 at 8:29 am to ChadThundercock
I hate the pod idea so much
Posted on 4/10/20 at 8:34 am to ChadThundercock
I love it
Posted on 4/10/20 at 8:39 am to The Balinese Club
quote:
Ain’t nothing a 9 game schedule wouldn’t fix.
Even with a 9 game schedule, it would still take 7-8 years to trade a home and home. Plus, you're SOS would get exponentially more difficult than it already was. Maybe you could justify it making the schedule more difficult if the NCAA expands the playoffs to 8. You'd also have to drop another G5 or FCS team from your schedule, and a lot of those programs depend on the money they are paid out from those games for funding most of their season.
Posted on 4/10/20 at 8:39 am to jackieMoon55
The pod schedule does not change the number or quality of non conference opponents. The schools could change that now. It is in their control.
Posted on 4/10/20 at 9:01 am to ChadThundercock
Hell yes!!
Posted on 4/10/20 at 9:13 am to TT9
Something like this across all major conferences would be the first needed step in normalizing schedules for an expanded College Football Playoff, IMO.
Posted on 4/10/20 at 9:53 am to Pelican fan99
quote:
I hate the pod idea so much
Could you elaborate why?
Posted on 4/10/20 at 10:01 am to ChadThundercock
quote:
ChadThundercock
Auburn Fan
Auburn, AL
Member since Mar 2020
7 posts
Oh boy.
Posted on 4/10/20 at 10:22 am to ChadThundercock
Bama the only school with three big six schools as permanent opponents. LSU the only big six school with one bix six school as a permanent opponent. Seems fair.
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