(06-18-2022 02:26 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(06-18-2022 02:10 PM)Lurker Above Wrote:  

(06-18-2022 01:43 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(06-18-2022 10:56 AM)bullet Wrote:  

(06-17-2022 11:26 PM)JRsec Wrote:  UNC and Duke will move as a pair. Like they discussed in 2011, and allegedly last July. They prefer to keep the ACC as is, but if that isn't in the cards they'll keep things close to home and remain part of Southern culture. Virginia likely opts to stay with them. ESPN will have a lot of influence because they are in position to line things up before anyone knows of formal plans, like they did with Oklahoma's T3 package and with Texas. This won't be a wait until 2035 issue especially if the NCAA is left behind and pay for play becomes a reality.

20 makes it a LOT harder to do reasonable scheduling. There are too many rivalries that would no longer be annual affairs. You just can't split the conference to keep them with only a 9 game schedule. (Alabama-Auburn-Georgia-Florida-Tennessee are the most problematic) And i don't see the schools tying themselves up with a 10 game conference schedule. And I don't see them splitting into two 10 team divisions and essentially kicking LSU and the Mississippi schools out of the SEC division.

24 might work, but its a lot more difficult with Texas and Oklahoma than if they added everyone from the ACC. You would have to have some odd geography, kind of a donut hole with the old SEC schools together.

Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M

Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana State, Mississippi, Mississippi State

Auburn, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Vanderbilt

Duke, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia

You play 4 in your division, you play 1 permanent rival from each other division and you rotate 1 from each other division annually alternating home and away on the cycle completion.

With 10 conference games everyone plays everyone else every 4 years.

Truth. I'm on record saying this exact same thing for over ten years. A SEC24 10 game season would be sweet; however, I do not think Kansas or Duke make a SEC24 and it's one of the reasons why I think we might see a SEC28. Same concept but 6 division opponents, 3 permanent cross division opponents and 6 rotating cross division opponents totalling 15 conference games. Think bigger. When the SEC announced they are considering dropping scholarship limits that is why. Same with increasing the number of coaches. Players are paid now and are about to be paid more, and the NFL has already determined how long a regular season go and protect the sport.

That's an efficient 20 designed to cover all major men's and women's sports. While the NFL has a solid model, they don't offer an education, aren't bound by Title IX, and don't play an array of sports. So, I approach building a college conference holistically. How do you build a regional conference which covers championship quality for all major men's sports and women's sports, keep it highly profitable (branding) and do it efficiently (20)?

Football: amply covered, Basketball: The 4 winningest programs of all time and other historically solid programs, Baseball: Obviously highly competitive nationally, Softball: Dominant, Women's Basketball: Highly competitive, Gymnastics: Highly competitive to dominant.

And Branding? As dominant as any 20 schools regionally aligned can be.

The SEC must get VT. It is one of the most valuable pieces on the board. I think the chances of both Virginia schools getting invites is greater that just UVA. Neither can get left behind. VT is a must get. They dominate the State of Virginia.

NCS cannot get left behind for political reasons and overall long term value. Duke actually can get left behind in a SEC24 because UNC and
NCS only has to play Duke, not be conference members with them. Duke’s branding is tremendous, but not guaranteed to be permanent, and it's small size could be disqualifying in the final analysis.

WV might be a must get despite their academics because the northeast quadrant needs needs more beef. I mean, did Tennessee pay you to design the divisions? :) Their rivalry with VT and natural rivalry possibilities with Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia worth make for good TV.

How can you bring in Duke and Kansas for basketball but not include Louisville? Forbes has them rated as the second most valuable college basketball school. All three can make a SEC28 and are the only three basketball first schools that could move the niddle enough to get an invite, though there are arguments against the inclusion of all three.

It is important to consider the economic value Duke, Kansas and Louisville could bring to SEC football. While they often are competitive in particular games they usually generate a lot of Ls for themselves and Ws for the rest of yous. Those Ws are worth a lot of money to the conference. If those three averaged 4 wins in a 15 game regular season that is 33 Ws to the other schools. Not every conference member can be a giant, and these three loosing more that winning could be the difference in several other schools having a winning season or not. The great thing about these three is the strenght of schedule respite and extra wins for orher schools in football and tremendous value added to the conference in basketball.