http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com...t-to-west/

Jay Jacobs pushing for Auburn move to the SEC East. Missouri would make the most sense to move to the SEC West (which would also get them playing Texas A&M regularly again).

(06-01-2017 09:18 AM)GoldenWarrior11 Wrote:  http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com...t-to-west/

Jay Jacobs pushing for Auburn move to the SEC East. Missouri would make the most sense to move to the SEC West (which would also get them playing Texas A&M regularly again).

It's a sensible move, but fraught with internecine politics, and when has common sense ever trumped politics, LOL?

“Six or eight years ago, I looked at all the demographics. Most of all our students come from Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, South Carolina, Kentucky, a few from Mississippi, very few from Louisiana.

“Since we went to the national championship twice we’ve got more geographical students from all over the place but still the majority of our students come from the southeast.”

A little surprised they don't draw more students from Mississippi.

Alabama
Auburn
Florida
Georgia
Kentucky
South Carolina
Tennessee
Vanderbilt

Arkansas
Kansas
LSU
Ole Miss
Mississippi State
Missouri
Oklahoma
Texas A&M

All fixed.

Adding Oklahoma and Oklahoma State would make it an easy West/East split:

West
Arkansas
LSU
Mississippi
Mississippi State
Missouri
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State
Texas A&M

East
Alabama
Auburn
Florida
Georgia
Kentucky
South Carolina
Tennessee
Vanderbilt

(06-01-2017 09:38 AM)GoldenWarrior11 Wrote:  Adding Oklahoma and Oklahoma State would make it an easy West/East split:

West
Arkansas
LSU
Mississippi
Mississippi State
Missouri
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State
Texas A&M

East
Alabama
Auburn
Florida
Georgia
Kentucky
South Carolina
Tennessee
Vanderbilt

really, it would be ANY 2 Big 12 teams outside of West Virginia.

There are some important issues that could prevent this.

Bama needs to play both Tenn and Auburn every season.

The SEC only plays an 8 game conference schedule.

That means both Bama and Auburn would have to move together to the SEC east. Best Teams that could move west geographicly would be Mizzou and Kentucky. But that could create some imbalanced divisions.

Alabama doesn't want to be in the east, and unlike Auburn, they get a lot of students from Mississippi & a good amount from Louisiana too if I'm not mistaken. Pat Dye, who's one of Auburn's legends has been very outspoken and has been pushing for it.

If I was in Nick Saban's division, I would want out too.

(06-01-2017 09:43 AM)goofus Wrote:  There are some important issues that could prevent this.

Bama needs to play both Tenn and Auburn every season.

The SEC only plays an 8 game conference schedule.

That means both Bama and Auburn would have to move together to the SEC east. Best Teams that could move west geographicly would be Mizzou and Kentucky. But that could create some imbalanced divisions.

This!

As much as others may not want to admit it this is important financially for the conference.

Auburn will get support from a lot of people (SC, A&M, UF, LSU as well as Missouri/Arkansas) if this move is accompanied by dropping the unpopular permanent opponents. With Auburn/UGA and secured, it is basically just Alabama/UT and Alabama/Auburn holding it back. I think if you can make the Iron Bowl an exception (like Purdue/Indiana do in the Big Ten) then this has a chance of happening.

(06-01-2017 10:15 AM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  

(06-01-2017 09:43 AM)goofus Wrote:  There are some important issues that could prevent this.

Bama needs to play both Tenn and Auburn every season.

The SEC only plays an 8 game conference schedule.

That means both Bama and Auburn would have to move together to the SEC east. Best Teams that could move west geographicly would be Mizzou and Kentucky. But that could create some imbalanced divisions.

This!

As much as others may not want to admit it this is important financially for the conference.

The UT/Bama game isn't very big anymore and plenty of rivalry games have been lost before. Auburn for example had to give up most of it's rivalries when the divisions were formed. I don't think the SEC would suffer at all financially if Alabama had to play Georgia or Florida instead

(06-01-2017 10:20 AM)Gamecock Wrote:  

(06-01-2017 10:15 AM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  

(06-01-2017 09:43 AM)goofus Wrote:  There are some important issues that could prevent this.

Bama needs to play both Tenn and Auburn every season.

The SEC only plays an 8 game conference schedule.

That means both Bama and Auburn would have to move together to the SEC east. Best Teams that could move west geographicly would be Mizzou and Kentucky. But that could create some imbalanced divisions.

This!

As much as others may not want to admit it this is important financially for the conference.

The UT/Bama game isn't very big anymore and plenty of rivalry games have been lost before. Auburn for example had to give up most of it's rivalries when the divisions were formed. I don't think the SEC would suffer at all financially if Alabama had to play Georgia or Florida instead

Do you mean competitive? It remains absolutely huge.

Why don't the SEC, ACC, and B12 make a push for full CCG deregulation? I'm sure certain G5 conference would support the idea as well. It's silly to not play certain conference opponents more than once in 5 or 6 years. The B1G would be better off with deregulation, to allow the top-2 teams from its conference play in the conference championship.

Perhaps the B1G compromise could be full CCG deregulation if you play 9 conference games.

Would be funny if Auburn ran to the East division and Alabama chose to keep Tennessee as their annual rival as opposed to Auburn.

What about Missouri and Vanderbilt to the WEST and Auburn and Alabama to the EAST?

The keeps Auburn-Alabama, Auburn-Georgia, Alabama-Tennessee, Florida-Georgia, Florida-Tennessee as annual games within the division.

Is Vanderbilt-Tennessee an annual necessity?

Take away the annual cross-division locks and you have a scenario where everyone plays each other at least once in 3 or 4 years. (go to 9-game schedule and its once in 2 or 3 years). Perhaps stack the cross-division schedules so that LSU gets one of Florida, Alabama, or Georgia each season and Mississippi St. and Alabama play more often.

(06-01-2017 10:29 AM)MAcFroggy Wrote:  Would be funny if Auburn ran to the East division and Alabama chose to keep Tennessee as their annual rival as opposed to Auburn.

In no way, shape, or form is that possible.

(06-01-2017 10:30 AM)YNot Wrote:  What about Missouri and Vanderbilt to the WEST and Auburn and Alabama to the EAST?

The keeps Auburn-Alabama, Auburn-Georgia, Alabama-Tennessee, Florida-Georgia, Florida-Tennessee as annual games within the division.

Is Vanderbilt-Tennessee an annual necessity?

Take away the annual cross-division locks and you have a scenario where everyone plays each other at least once in 3 or 4 years. (go to 9-game schedule and its once in 2 or 3 years). Perhaps stack the cross-division schedules so that LSU gets one of Florida, Alabama, or Georgia each season and Mississippi St. and Alabama play more often.

It would be good to have some parity on each side of the East and West divide.

That would make the East significantly stronger historically than the new West. UA/AU/UGA/UF/UT all one one side of the isle...

Why even bother with divisions? At 14, they can do either 3 permanent rivals and the other 10 rotate 5 every other year OR 5 permanent rivals and the other 8 rotate 4 every other year OR 7 permanent rivals and other 6 rotate 3 every other year. I bet most would prefer the first option as it opens up for 4 OOC games. At 16 or 18, I would prefer a 10-game conference schedule.

(06-01-2017 10:31 AM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  

(06-01-2017 10:30 AM)YNot Wrote:  What about Missouri and Vanderbilt to the WEST and Auburn and Alabama to the EAST?

The keeps Auburn-Alabama, Auburn-Georgia, Alabama-Tennessee, Florida-Georgia, Florida-Tennessee as annual games within the division.

Is Vanderbilt-Tennessee an annual necessity?

Take away the annual cross-division locks and you have a scenario where everyone plays each other at least once in 3 or 4 years. (go to 9-game schedule and its once in 2 or 3 years). Perhaps stack the cross-division schedules so that LSU gets one of Florida, Alabama, or Georgia each season and Mississippi St. and Alabama play more often.

It would be good to have some parity on each side of the East and West divide.

That would make the East significantly stronger historically than the new West. UA/AU/UGA/UF/UT all one one side of the isle...

That's why full CCG deregulation is the better alternative.

I also note that Missouri won the EAST a couple of times over Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee and LSU, A&M, Arkansas, Missouri, Ole Miss isn't a bad division by any means. You could also move the CCG to Houston, New Orleans or Nashville occasionally.