re: If we go to a 9-game conference schedule, who do you want your three permanents to be?

LSU (I hate Billy Cannon)
Tennessee (I miss that yearly game)
Vandy (because why not?)

My 3 and 6 Schedule Games played between each school/ Proximity

Alabama - Auburn *86, Mississippi State 106, Tennessee 104
Arkansas - Missouri 13, Texas 79, Oklahoma 15
Auburn - Alabama 86, Florida 84, Georgia 126
Florida - Auburn 84, Georgia 100, South Carolina 42
Georgia - Florida 100, Auburn 126, South Carolina 74
Kentucky - South Carolina 33, Tennessee 117, Vandy 94
LSU - Mississippi State 115, Ole Miss 115, Texas A&M 60
Mississippi State - Alabama 106, LSU 115, Ole Miss 118
Missouri - Arkansas 13, Oklahoma 96, Texas A&M 16
Oklahoma - Missouri 96, Texas 117, Arkansas 15
Ole Miss - LSU 115, Mississippi State 115, Vandy 90
South Carolina - Georgia 74, Kentucky 33, Florida 42
Texas - Oklahoma 117, Arkansas 79, Texas A&M 118
Texas A&M - LSU 60, Missouri 16, Texas 118
Tennessee - Alabama 104, Vandy 116, Kentucky 117
Vandy - Kentucky 94, Ole Miss 90, Tennessee 116,

quote:

---

as reported, the league is broken into 8 “haves” and 8 “have nots”, this can’t happen. The 8 “haves” will have 2 permanent games against other “haves” and one against a “have not.” Dellinger is reporting the “haves” are: Bama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Oklahoma, A&M and Texas

---

If this were really accurate it actually determines most of the logical opponents by inference. Because:

1. There are some must have rivalries (within both upper ( e.g Auburn & Georgia) and lower tier groups (e.g MSU & Ole Miss)
2. The bottom eight would have two bottom tier opponents and only one upper tier
3. Similarly the upper tier must have two upper tier and only one permanent lower tier.

The lower tier is pretty straightforward. You rapidly deduce:
Arkansas: Missouri, Tennessee, Texas
Kentucky: USC, MSU, Florida
Ole Miss: MSU, Vanderbilt, LSU
MSU: Ole Miss, Kentucky, Auburn
MU: Arkansas, USC, Oklahoma
USC: Kentucky, MU, Georgia
Tennessee: Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Alabama
Vanderbilt: Tennessee, Ole Miss, A&M

This is forced by the structure described above. Each of the weaker teams must have one stronger and two weaker. When you realize the associations between: Bama/Tennessee, LSU/OM, Texas/Arkansas, Oklahoma/Missouri, Georgia/USC, and Kentucky/Florida are there then MSU/Auburn, and Vanderbilt/A&M make the last two. We could flip USC/UGA and Kentucky/Florida but I don't care to get bogged down there.

From the lesser matches those are dictated first by history but secondly by deduction again. Arkansas/Missouri, Kentucky/USC, OM/MSU, Tenn/Vandy, Vandy/OM, and Kentucky/MSU leave Arkansas/Tennessee and Missouri/USC as the last two.

Now from the upper tier teams there are five teams that have some room for debate for their permanent major opponents: Alabama, Florida, LSU, Oklahoma, and A&M. I started out assuming LSU and A&M would be matched up but because that would leaves Oklahoma with a second major after Texas I am no longer sure.

Here are the two implied options:

One (more traditional)
Alabama: Auburn, LSU, Tennessee
Auburn: Alabama, Georgia, MSU
Florida: Georgia, LSU, Kentucky
Georgia: Auburn, Florida, USC
LSU: Alabama, Florida, Ole Miss
Oklahoma: Texas, A&M, Missouri
Texas: Oklahoma, A&M, Arkansas
A&M: Texas, Oklahoma, Vanderbilt

Now the problem this might pose would debatably be for LSU on Thanksgiving given that Arkansas and A&M are not on the schedule. That's not something that bothers me as a LSU fan since the Thanksgiving games have never been especially loved compared to the rest of the schedule. Recall again that LSU can't play Arkansas without sacrificing the Ole Miss rivalry and A&M has the longer Texas Thanksgiving tradition.

Two: unclear break with tradition
Alabama: Auburn, [-------], Tennessee
Auburn: Alabama, Georgia, MSU
Florida: Georgia, [-------], Kentucky
Georgia: Auburn, Florida, USC
LSU: A&M, [--------], Ole Miss
Oklahoma: Texas, [-------], Missouri
Texas: Oklahoma, A&M, Arkansas
A&M: Texas, LSU, Vanderbilt

If you don't slot in LSU against Alabama and Florida the described system may imply one of those two plays Oklahoma instead. At least given the supposed logical structure described.

quote:

---

Not obvious. Substitute MSU with LSU, and that would be more like it.

---

It is obvious for Alabama fans. There is no reason to put LSU over MS St.

Kentucky - Tennessee, Vanderbilt, either South Carolina or Missouri.

For us: UGA (obviously), Then a combo of Florida, Tennessee or Kentucky

LSU/Bama - Bama 55-26-5
Moo State/Bama - Bama 86-17-3
Yeah, Moo State wins as often as LSU against Bama

Vandy
Kentucky
Missouri

The natural answer is OU, A&M, and Arkansas. But I really want an annual game with LSU just for the home and home.