(01-08-2017 07:19 PM)Phlipper33 Wrote: Assuming no realignment/expansion, how would you setup divisional play and what (if any) requirements would you have on non-conference play?
I would keep the 8 game schedule, but eliminate designated rival game. They make sense for Tennessee-Alabama and Auburn-Georgia, but otherwise don't make much sense. This would allow players to play against every conference team at least once in a typical 4 year career.
I'd still allow FCS games, as they can be a big payday boost to our local smaller schools. I would put a limit on only 5 FCS opponents per decade, and no more than one per season. If possible, I'd like to limit it to only FCS programs that reside in a state with an existing SEC school. This helps the smaller schools with funding they need but there's really no need to pay someone like Portland State when you can get the funding to a local school that needs it.
I'd also set a minimum number of "power conference" schools, but I'd set it at 15 per decade, with a minimum of 1 every year. I think this helps balance the schedule for the schools that have to play a rival out of conference every year, and still makes them play a new power conference team every once in a while.
Setting it up on a per decade basis allows athletic directors the ability to downgrade their schedule when going through rebuilding years, but keeps schools from constantly having poor schedules.
I'd kinda like to setup requirements on playing G5 teams to schedule more winning programs, but I'm not sure how to do that as the programs can change so quickly based on coaching hires. Perhaps requiring an average of one Mountain West or AAC program a year? Or perhaps a certain percentage just has to be 1 for 1 games instead of all buy games?
Quote:8 or 9 game conference schedule? Keep the designated cross divisional rival or evenly rotate? Allow FCS games? Require a certain number of games against "power conference" opponents? No requirements on non-conference play at all?
I know this looks kinda weird how I quoted your post Philipper, but please bear with me.
I go to the beat of my own drummer, so therefore, my opinion will likely be in the minority, but I really don't care.
I would keep the 8 conference games, because I do like how it does give a lot of the teams flexibility in OOC scheduling. However, I would constantly reassess the situation every four or five years, to see if a 9 conference game schedule might need to be a reality. Not that I like that option, but may not have a choice.
I would keep the designated cross divisional rival simply because of games like Georgia-Auburn, Alabama-Tennessee, and even Ole Miss-Vandy as well as Mississippi State-Kentucky which you didn't even mention. "If ain't broke, don't fix it." I believe in that old saying. However, I would allow the the teams to put their designated cross divisional rival wherever they wanted, just as long as both teams agreed to it.
FCS games I would evaluate on a case by case basis. Sometimes teams do schedule them for the easy win, and I'm fine with that as long as it's like once every other year or so, but every year for the same purpose??? No.
However, sometimes FCS games are unavoidable, especially when a team cancels on another team, and they have to scramble to find a replacement team which is usually a FCS team. That, I can understand, and would allow, because of circumstances, just as long as the team getting dropped made a reasonable attempt to try to get another FBS replacement first.
I think I would set a minimum number of games against Power 5 conferences and I would even allow even allow some G5 teams like BYU to count as P5 conference games. But I would also examine it on a case by case also because sometimes scheduling is a lot harder than what it looks like, so even if I did establish a minimum, I might give a team a "pass" if they did all they could do to land a P5, but couldn't.