06-21-2021, 07:40 AM
The easy answer would be the Nike answer: Just Do It.
In reality I would think the #1 reason those two conferences are the last holdouts among the P5's is their rivalry games. Then again, Iowa and Iowa State play annually and both the Big Ten and Big 12 play nine conference games. USC and Stanford both play annual games with Notre Dame and still play nine conference games.
I would think the unwritten rule on most P5 schools is they have to play seven home games a year and in small SEC towns like Athens and Tuscaloosa that would be more important because they are more dependent on football game days than say Nashville or Atlanta. So the trick is to figure out a way to arrange it so all four of the rivalry schools can host their rivalry game the same year they get five road conference games. If Florida has to play at Florida State the same years they have to play five SEC road games, they are screwed.
Assuming the SEC keeps divisions (if they get rid of them, all bets are off), then the only fair way to determine who gets five home games would be like the Big Ten and Pac 12 does, alternate by division. Obviously the Big 12 doesn't (and can't). Does the SEC really want a division to come down to Alabama having four home games and Auburn five? They might get away with those arguments in the Big 12. I doubt they would in the SEC.
In this case, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Kentucky are all in the East Division. So all of them would have to host their rivalry games in the same year and the East Division would have to have five road games those years (and vice versa).
Then in the ACC, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Clemson, and Louisville would all have to be in the same division and the ACC would have to give one division the extra home game each year as well. Currently Florida State, Clemson, and Louisville are in the Atlantic and Georgia Tech is in the Coastal. So Georgia Tech would have to move to the Coastal and one team in the Coastal would have to move to the Atlantic. Then the four in state rivalries would have to be adjusted so that the SEC teams all host the year the SEC East teams have just four home games and the ACC teams all host the year the ACC Atlantic teams have just four home games.
If these things happen, then the SEC and ACC can go to nine conference games and the SEC and ACC schools can still host seven home games a year (or be limited to five road games a year). There is the small issue of Florida/Georgia and the fact that one of their "home" games will be in Jacksonville. But this season both Florida and Georgia will only play six games on campus. The problem for both schools would then be what if Florida had to play five SEC road games, Florida State at Tallahassee, and the Georgia game at Jacksonville counted as a Florida "home game"? Then Florida would have just five games in Gainesville (three SEC games and two non conference). That's why it's still important to layer FSU (and for Georgia, GaT) away from the years they get five conference road games.
In reality I would think the #1 reason those two conferences are the last holdouts among the P5's is their rivalry games. Then again, Iowa and Iowa State play annually and both the Big Ten and Big 12 play nine conference games. USC and Stanford both play annual games with Notre Dame and still play nine conference games.
I would think the unwritten rule on most P5 schools is they have to play seven home games a year and in small SEC towns like Athens and Tuscaloosa that would be more important because they are more dependent on football game days than say Nashville or Atlanta. So the trick is to figure out a way to arrange it so all four of the rivalry schools can host their rivalry game the same year they get five road conference games. If Florida has to play at Florida State the same years they have to play five SEC road games, they are screwed.
Assuming the SEC keeps divisions (if they get rid of them, all bets are off), then the only fair way to determine who gets five home games would be like the Big Ten and Pac 12 does, alternate by division. Obviously the Big 12 doesn't (and can't). Does the SEC really want a division to come down to Alabama having four home games and Auburn five? They might get away with those arguments in the Big 12. I doubt they would in the SEC.
In this case, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Kentucky are all in the East Division. So all of them would have to host their rivalry games in the same year and the East Division would have to have five road games those years (and vice versa).
Then in the ACC, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Clemson, and Louisville would all have to be in the same division and the ACC would have to give one division the extra home game each year as well. Currently Florida State, Clemson, and Louisville are in the Atlantic and Georgia Tech is in the Coastal. So Georgia Tech would have to move to the Coastal and one team in the Coastal would have to move to the Atlantic. Then the four in state rivalries would have to be adjusted so that the SEC teams all host the year the SEC East teams have just four home games and the ACC teams all host the year the ACC Atlantic teams have just four home games.
If these things happen, then the SEC and ACC can go to nine conference games and the SEC and ACC schools can still host seven home games a year (or be limited to five road games a year). There is the small issue of Florida/Georgia and the fact that one of their "home" games will be in Jacksonville. But this season both Florida and Georgia will only play six games on campus. The problem for both schools would then be what if Florida had to play five SEC road games, Florida State at Tallahassee, and the Georgia game at Jacksonville counted as a Florida "home game"? Then Florida would have just five games in Gainesville (three SEC games and two non conference). That's why it's still important to layer FSU (and for Georgia, GaT) away from the years they get five conference road games.
