Mestophalies
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RE: Would a 16 team SEC keep an 8 game conference schedule?
(03-08-2019 09:10 PM)Nerdlinger Wrote: An 8-game schedule is certainly possible with a 16-team SEC. The use of rotating pods would permit a full conference playthrough in 3 years, and a full home-and-away playthrough in 6 (vs. an appalling 12 years with the current 14-team SEC). The overall structure I came up with for the divisions and schedule is nearly the same as JR's above, but it also specifies an alternate crossover, which is required for years in which a team shares a division with its protected crossover.
Here's a scenario for 2025ish, wherein the Oklahomas join the SEC.
School: Protected crossover (play annually), Alternate crossover (play 2 years out of 3)
East Pod
Florida: Oklahoma State, LSU
Georgia: Georgia, Texas A&M
Kentucky: Tennessee, Mississippi State
South Carolina: Missouri, Ole Miss
North Pod
Arkansas: Mississippi State, Tennessee
Missouri: South Carolina, Vanderbilt
Oklahoma: Texas A&M, Auburn
Oklahoma State: Florida, Alabama
South Pod
Alabama: LSU, Oklahoma State
Auburn: Georgia, Oklahoma
Tennessee: Kentucky, Arkansas
Vanderbilt: Ole Miss, Missouri
West Pod
LSU: Alabama, Florida
Mississippi State: Arkansas, Kentucky
Ole Miss: Vanderbilt, South Carolina
Texas A&M: Oklahoma, Georgia
And here's one wherein the SEC does not expand until the 2030s, around the time the ACC GoR is running out.
School: Protected crossover (play annually), Alternate crossover (play 2 years out of 3)
East Pod
Florida: LSU, Tennessee
Georgia: Auburn, Texas A&M
NC State: Mississippi State, Missouri
South Carolina: Arkansas, Vanderbilt
North Pod
Kentucky: Missouri, Mississippi State
Tennessee: Alabama, Florida
Vanderbilt: Ole Miss, South Carolina
Virginia Tech: Texas A&M, Auburn
South Pod
Alabama: Tennessee, LSU
Auburn: Georgia, Virginia Tech
Mississippi State: NC State, Kentucky
Ole Miss: Vanderbilt, Arkansas
West Pod
Arkansas: South Carolina, Ole Miss
LSU: Florida, Alabama
Missouri: Kentucky, NC State
Texas A&M: Virginia Tech, Georgia
As for the division names, how about Dixie and Gulf? Dixie and Southern? Dixie and Trixie? Better than Legends and Leaders, anyway.
The "9" game Conference schedule is the basic number of in-conference games based on the 16 member conference. You play the 3 other teams in your conference annually and two of the four members of the other three conferences each year making a total of "9" conference games. The two games from the other divisions played each year could be a cycle of home and home with the same two teams form each division for two years and then switch to the other two teams the next two years. This creates a revolving cycle in which a team plays every other team in it's conference home and away every 4 years. The pods reduce travel costs and create regional rivalries while allowing teams to play the entire conference to create familiarity among the rest of the conference.
Positives for the pod system;
1, Regional Divisions.
2, Creating/supporting fan interest by giving them regional teams to play as rivals.
3, Reduces over all travel costs.
4, Gives the conference more inventory to sell by providing a 9th conference game for each team.
4, Provides for 4 Divisional Champions thus enabling 4 teams to possibly make the playoffs instead of just 2.
Negatives for the pod system;
1, Creates a 9 game conference schedule thus reducing OOC games by one.
2, Gives 4 Divisional champions and forces a tie breaker system to be used more often then not.
3, Conferences may play less other conferences less often.
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