re: if 16 are teams are inevitable

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Alabama
Florida
Georgia
LSU

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That is a brand new conference.

In that case, you are eliminating the Alabama vs UT game, which is the only reason we even still have permanent rivals in the SEC.

I think you will actually have teams tanking games at the end of the season for an easier schedule the following year in this scenario. Esp if a team is young and has a lot of returning starters.

Been saying for a while now the pods need to be balanced as much as possible while trying to keep rivalries intact. Basically try to come up with four #1 seeds and separate them and four #4 seeds and separate them as well. I would think the top 4 seeds based on history and potential would be Alabama, UF, LSU and UGA. The bottom 4 would probably be Ole Miss, Miss St, Vandy and Kentucky (though this is debatable as some would argue Missouri belongs here)....Then of course four 2 seeds and four 3 seeds.


Alabama, Auburn, Missouri, Miss St

LSU, A&M, Arkansas, Ole Miss

UGA, Tennessee, Va Tech, Vandy

Florida, S Carolina, N Caolina, Kentucky

I think putting Florida and UGA in the same pod would make that pod too top heavy. Better to have them scheduled as yearly cross overs (same with Ole Miss and Miss St).

Admittedly there may be issues that I haven't taken into account with other rivalries....

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3 permanent cross div games means it would take 6 years to home/home everyone in conference, while no permanent games takes four years.

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Or you use the 3 permanent cross divisional games (which you would actually only be playing two outside of your temporary division) and not do home and home in back to back years. You would play the home and home every 3 years (except for your permanent rivals & pod teams which would be in back to back years).

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I think you will actually have teams tanking games at the end of the season for an easier schedule the following year in this scenario. Esp if a team is young and has a lot of returning starters.

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If they do that, they will lose recruits. This isn't the NFL where they can get a better draft position.

No they won't. FSU has had a crap schedule forever and they recruit lights out.

No one cares if Florida would give up their permanent rivals. We have to get everything approved through Bama.

And a division with Bama, auburn, Tennessee, would suck unless you put florida or uga in it.

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Alabama, Auburn, Missouri, Miss St

LSU, A&M, Arkansas, Ole Miss

UGA, Tennessee, Va Tech, Vandy

Florida, S Carolina, N Caolina, Kentucky

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This may be one of the best ones yet. Only problem is if UGA is willing to give up playing UF and South Carolina ever year.

Since we have no rivals, of course I shouldn't comment.
However, wouldn't it make it interesting if there were none, and say after a 2 or 4 year break, UGA and UF came together to play each other again?

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Or you use the 3 permanent cross divisional games (which you would actually only be playing two outside of your temporary division) and not do home and home in back to back years. You would play the home and home every 3 years (except for your permanent rivals & pod teams which would be in back to back years).

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I like that better than taking so long to play everyone.

I wonder how the voting for all this will go, as there will be 16 votes now, and these newer teams don't have any reason to get stuck with permanent cross pod rivals they don't like. Bama/Auburn/UGA/Tenn will see their voting block diminsh in power.