re: SEC 7-1 Conference Schedule Model - One permanent opponent

This is my idea/plan as well.

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SEC should go to a 6 game conference schedule, since the playoff committee doesn’t care about strength of schedule, just win/loss record.

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the committee* killed the CFP when it laughingly "invited" a 6-0 OHST into the 2021 "invitational" anyways - so you're probably right about 6 conference games -

that 6-0 team got it's arse kicked 52-24 by Alabama - too -

Dibs on our perm being MSU

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IDGAF if it creates unbalanced schedules or if some teams might need more or less permanent rivals than others.

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This is exactly the kind of Sankey-ESQUE thinking that's created major imbalances and will continue to do so.

If a couple teams have to sacrifice playing their 3rd most important rivalry every year...

for balanced scheduling AND still playing them every other year.

Than thats what needs to happen.

But there have been about 10 suggestions on this board just today and yesterday that keep the most all these rivalries and provide balance.

Why do we have to be so lazy about this when we can get what we all want.

Who was the SEC commissioner when they decided to expand to 12? I blame that guy.

Pods are an option

An example:
Pod A plays their own pod mates (3 teams), and three teams from Pod B. One team from Pod B will be a permanent opponent, the other three will rotate in at two per year (so 3/4 of the teams from that pod will be played each year). The other two league game will be half of Pod C or D. Then the other half after two years.

No matter, it’s 8 games total
( 3 + 3 + 2 ) 4 home / away

The SEC would then go to semifinals with the pods that didn’t face off in the regular season meeting in them. So it would be Pod A versus Pod C or Pod D, never Pod B.



I would divide the pods like this:
(Permanent rival)


Pod A

Texas (Aggie)
Oklahoma (Ole Miss)
Mizzou (MSU)
Arkansas (LSU)


Pod B

LSU (Arkansas)
Aggie (Texas)
Ole Miss (Oklahoma)
Moo State (Mizzou)


Pod C

Alabama (Tennessee)
Auburn (Georgia)
Vandy (Kentucky)
South Carolina (Florida)


Pod D

Georgia (Auburn)
Florida (USCe)
Tennessee (Alabama)
Kentucky (Vandy)

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SEC 7-1 Conference Schedule Model

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Stick at 8 only if we set up at least 1 preferably 2 conference challenges. Everybody in the SEC plays a Big10 team and either an ACC or Big 12 team. That leaves 2 or 3 buy games, but most importantly we don’t give media idiots with an an anti-SEC agenda a chance to campaign against us. In hoops that happens, and this year the SEC going 14-2 over the ACC settled which conference is better. Right now, the media is saying the Big 10 “dominated” the SEC this year. If the full SEC played the full Big 10, we would get a real sense of whose schedule is tougher.

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Protected cross division rivalries:

-UTK/Bama
-UGA/Barn
-UTK/FLA
-Bama/LSU

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Tennessee/Florida is a "rivalry" that was manufactured by the addition of divisions in the 1990s. Between 1956 and 1989 (34 seasons), they played each other 7 times. Heck...between the first SEC football season and 1989 (56 seasons), they played each other a total of 14 times. That's an average of once every 4 years. That isn't a "traditional rivalry".

Who has Tennessee played more in the SEC than Florida?

Tennessee games vs SEC Opponents (not including OU/Texas since they are new to the conference):

Bama - 91
Arkansas - 17
Auburn - 52
Florida - 49
Georgia - 43
Kentucky - 92
LSU - 32
Ole Miss - 57
MSU - 35
MIZZOU - 12
USCe - 32
aTm - 3
Vandy - 90

So...outside of the division you created for them...Bama, Ole Miss, and Auburn would be the three biggest rivals.

Also...for Florida, the teams they have played are:
Bama - 34
Arkansas - 12
Auburn - 72
UGA - 91
UK - 71
LSU - 71
Ole Miss - 25
MSU - 53
MIZZOU - 12
USC3 - 32
UT - 49
aTm - 5
Vandy - 57

Florida's biggest SEC Rivals outside of your division would be: Auburn, UK, and Vandy.

Hell no. Texas needs to play both OU and aggy each season. Preferably Arkansas as well.