SEC West (aka Southwest Conference 2.0)
Texas A&M
Texas
Oklahoma
LSU
Missouri
Arkansas
Ole Miss
Mississippi State

SEC East
Auburn
Alabama
Florida
Georgia
Tennessee
Vanderbilt
Kentucky
South Carolina

So what rivalries are getting skipped out on? Is LSU happy in the West division? The Alabama schools and Mississippi schools were a bit of a rivalry.

Does the SEC go to 9 so every team plays each other (or a protected rival) or do they keep it at 8? Does anyone else think this money grab is overboard?

It’s not the southwest 2.0… only three of those teams were in the old southwest. It’s some amalgam of SEC west and three other notable programs.

Get rid of divisions.

(10-11-2021 06:16 AM)RUScarlets Wrote:  It’s not the southwest 2.0… only three of those teams were in the old southwest. It’s some amalgam of SEC west and three other notable programs.

Get rid of divisions.

With 8 games, each team could protect 1 rival, and play the other 14 teams home-and-away once over a 4 year cycle. That still breaks a ton of traditional rivalries, though, as that would likely preclude Alabama-Tennessee, Texas-Texas A&M, etc. from being played annually.

(10-11-2021 06:44 AM)chargeradio Wrote:  

(10-11-2021 06:16 AM)RUScarlets Wrote:  It’s not the southwest 2.0… only three of those teams were in the old southwest. It’s some amalgam of SEC west and three other notable programs.

Get rid of divisions.

With 8 games, each team could protect 1 rival, and play the other 14 teams home-and-away once over a 4 year cycle. That still breaks a ton of traditional rivalries, though, as that would likely preclude Alabama-Tennessee, Texas-Texas A&M, etc. from being played annually.

So be men and play nine like the Big Ten and Pac 12. Give up your New Mexico States and Sanfords. Nick Saban complains Alabama fans don't show up? That's why they're not showing up.

(10-11-2021 06:16 AM)RUScarlets Wrote:  It’s not the southwest 2.0… only three of those teams were in the old southwest. It’s some amalgam of SEC west and three other notable programs.

Get rid of divisions.

Oklahoma was a founding member and LSU and Ole Miss were involved in early discussions.

I like the divisions, it actually restores more traditional games than it breaks up. For instance, Florida-LSU was not an annual game until it had to be because of divisions. The main games to suffer are Alabama vs the Mississippi schools.

They’ll probably go to nine games, which is tough on a few teams with ACC rivals. Don’t worry, they’ll still have room for the Citadel and Mercer.

(10-11-2021 06:16 AM)RUScarlets Wrote:  It’s not the southwest 2.0… only three of those teams were in the old southwest. It’s some amalgam of SEC west and three other notable programs.

Get rid of divisions.

I was making an unfunny joke. We need a 64 team conference called “POWER”.

(10-11-2021 06:50 AM)schmolik Wrote:  

(10-11-2021 06:44 AM)chargeradio Wrote:  

(10-11-2021 06:16 AM)RUScarlets Wrote:  It’s not the southwest 2.0… only three of those teams were in the old southwest. It’s some amalgam of SEC west and three other notable programs.

Get rid of divisions.

With 8 games, each team could protect 1 rival, and play the other 14 teams home-and-away once over a 4 year cycle. That still breaks a ton of traditional rivalries, though, as that would likely preclude Alabama-Tennessee, Texas-Texas A&M, etc. from being played annually.

So be men and play nine like the Big Ten and Pac 12. Give up your New Mexico States and Sanfords. Nick Saban complains Alabama fans don't show up? That's why they're not showing up.

You know the SECs bank accounts are gonna be crying at the lost $$$$ so that’s not happening

1. Scrap divisions and have a 9-game conference schedule.

2. Play 3 teams annually.

3. Alternate the other 12 teams, 6-on, 6-off.

4. The CCG is between the two teams with the best W-L record in conference games.

1. Scrap the divisions and play 8 conference games

2. 3 teams you play every year

3. 6 teams you play once every 2 years, or 50% of the time

4. 6 teams you play once every 3 years, or 33% of the time.

This is going to be impossible for schedules to satisfy everyone in terms of keeping games even in strength of schedule, frequency of rival games played, etc. This is the bed the SEC made by expanding to 16. The following is the best I could come up with.

They're going to have to do pods. LSU, Ole Miss, and Mississippi State are not going to sign off on being permanently separated from their longtime conference mates to the east, the pre-1992 SEC teams.

Potential pods:

OU
Texas
A&M
Mizzou

LSU
Arkansas
Ole Miss
Mississippi State

Florida
Georgia
South Carolina
Kentucky

Auburn
Alabama
Tennessee
Vanderbilt

9 game conference schedule.

3 games in your pod plus four against the pod you're paired with for two years.

Eighth game vs. a permanent cross-pod rival.
Ninth game vs. A team in the fourth pod.

Cross-pod rivals:

A&M-LSU
Mizzou-Arkansas
Vandy-Ole Miss
Auburn-Georgia
Kentucky-Tennessee
Alabama-OU
Texas-Florida
Mississippi State-SC

When your cross-pod rival falls in the same division as yours for two years, you'll play a team from another pod who's also sharing a division with their cross-pod rival.

I hope that makes sense. It's going to be messy. Schools aren't going to be happy. No sympathy.

(10-11-2021 07:17 AM)AuzGrams Wrote:  

(10-11-2021 06:50 AM)schmolik Wrote:  

(10-11-2021 06:44 AM)chargeradio Wrote:  

(10-11-2021 06:16 AM)RUScarlets Wrote:  It’s not the southwest 2.0… only three of those teams were in the old southwest. It’s some amalgam of SEC west and three other notable programs.

Get rid of divisions.

With 8 games, each team could protect 1 rival, and play the other 14 teams home-and-away once over a 4 year cycle. That still breaks a ton of traditional rivalries, though, as that would likely preclude Alabama-Tennessee, Texas-Texas A&M, etc. from being played annually.

So be men and play nine like the Big Ten and Pac 12. Give up your New Mexico States and Sanfords. Nick Saban complains Alabama fans don't show up? That's why they're not showing up.

You know the SECs bank accounts are gonna be crying at the lost $$$$ so that’s not happening

Then SEC fans need to start speaking with their wallets and their remotes and saying they will not accept the crap FCS/Sun Belt/C-USA games. Forget leaving at halftime, don't show up. Don't even watch these games in November on TV. Hey, on November 13, don't watch New Mexico State play Alabama or Samford play Florida, watch Michigan play Penn State. If the SEC realizes they lose $$$$ this way, they'll start playing nine games.

As for conference games, be more selective. Watch the A-list games. Don't watch the B-list games. When they went to 10 conference games, they could have given us Alabama-Florida and Georgia-LSU. They didn't. If the SEC knows you'll watch Vanderbilt as much as you'll watch Alabama and Georgia, you'll get Vanderbilt. If you tune out when Vanderbilt's on and watch in huge numbers when Alabama and Georgia are on, you'll get Alabama and Georgia more often. The SEC is good in suckering us in believing that the whole conference is great. Alabama and Georgia are great. A lot of the conference are overrated teams feasting on Vanderbilts, FCS's, and C-USA/SBC's. The only SEC West team that would be over .500 in the Big Ten East this year would be Alabama.

This is going to feel like 2 conferences unless they do pods or no divisions (with NCAA rule change). I would hate that if I was LSU or the Mississippi teams. You have been a member of the SEC a long time and now have vast majority of schedule vs. teams who weren't there with you for most of it.

(10-11-2021 08:06 AM)Michael in Raleigh Wrote:  This is going to be impossible for schedules to satisfy everyone in terms of keeping games even in strength of schedule, frequency of rival games played, etc. This is the bed the SEC made by expanding to 16. The following is the best I could come up with.

They're going to have to do pods. LSU, Ole Miss, and Mississippi State are not going to sign off on being permanently separated from their longtime conference mates to the east, the pre-1992 SEC teams.

Potential pods:

OU
Texas
A&M
Mizzou

LSU
Arkansas
Ole Miss
Mississippi State

Florida
Georgia
South Carolina
Kentucky

Auburn
Alabama
Tennessee
Vanderbilt

9 game conference schedule.

3 games in your pod plus four against the pod you're paired with for two years.

Eighth game vs. a permanent cross-pod rival.
Ninth game vs. A team in the fourth pod.

Cross-pod rivals:

A&M-LSU
Mizzou-Arkansas
Vandy-Ole Miss
Auburn-Georgia
Kentucky-Tennessee
Alabama-OU
Texas-Florida
Mississippi State-SC

When your cross-pod rival falls in the same division as yours for two years, you'll play a team from another pod who's also sharing a division with their cross-pod rival.

I hope that makes sense. It's going to be messy. Schools aren't going to be happy. No sympathy.

Looks pretty good to me at first glance. I would make sure Arkansas got tied to one of Southwest Conference members though for permanent crossover though since in on pod with them.

Maybe would:
A@M- Arkansas
LSU-Florida
Then could tie one of Texas and Missouri with South Carolina and Mississippi State. Not rivalries, but always end up with something random at end.

(10-11-2021 08:20 AM)ohio1317 Wrote:  This is going to feel like 2 conferences unless they do pods or no divisions (with NCAA rule change). I would hate that if I was LSU or the Mississippi teams. You have been a member of the SEC a long time and now have vast majority of schedule vs. teams who weren't there with you for most of it.

LSU and the Miss schools literally voted for this!

Yes, getting rid of divisions is and has been what is best because it gives the conference the most flexibility with the schedule.

Pods will confuse the **** out of casual fans.

The east/west divisions aren’t bad at all and are easy for fans to remember.

I like the 2 conferences under 1 banner setup. I’d try to get a rule change where each 8 team division could have separate conference championships for every sport but football. If such a rule passed, I’d guess the big 10 and ACC would also jump to 16. An 8 team setup is pretty ideal, for hoops play 14 division games and 4 from the other side.

(10-11-2021 08:36 AM)esayem Wrote:  

(10-11-2021 08:20 AM)ohio1317 Wrote:  This is going to feel like 2 conferences unless they do pods or no divisions (with NCAA rule change). I would hate that if I was LSU or the Mississippi teams. You have been a member of the SEC a long time and now have vast majority of schedule vs. teams who weren't there with you for most of it.

LSU and the Miss schools literally voted for this!

Yes, getting rid of divisions is and has been what is best because it gives the conference the most flexibility with the schedule.

Pods will confuse the **** out of casual fans.

The east/west divisions aren’t bad at all and are easy for fans to remember.

just do a 9 game schedule with 3 permanent rivals, playing everyone else every other year. basically a pod but with less formality and more flexibility.

(10-11-2021 08:41 AM)solohawks Wrote:  

(10-11-2021 08:36 AM)esayem Wrote:  

(10-11-2021 08:20 AM)ohio1317 Wrote:  This is going to feel like 2 conferences unless they do pods or no divisions (with NCAA rule change). I would hate that if I was LSU or the Mississippi teams. You have been a member of the SEC a long time and now have vast majority of schedule vs. teams who weren't there with you for most of it.

LSU and the Miss schools literally voted for this!

Yes, getting rid of divisions is and has been what is best because it gives the conference the most flexibility with the schedule.

Pods will confuse the **** out of casual fans.

The east/west divisions aren’t bad at all and are easy for fans to remember.

just do a 9 game schedule with 3 permanent rivals, playing everyone else every other year. basically a pod but with less formality and more flexibility.

I agree, and if any conference can get it passed it’s the SEC. The ACC and Pac should be for it as well. Let’s see what the other conferences think.

(10-11-2021 09:01 AM)esayem Wrote:  

(10-11-2021 08:41 AM)solohawks Wrote:  

(10-11-2021 08:36 AM)esayem Wrote:  

(10-11-2021 08:20 AM)ohio1317 Wrote:  This is going to feel like 2 conferences unless they do pods or no divisions (with NCAA rule change). I would hate that if I was LSU or the Mississippi teams. You have been a member of the SEC a long time and now have vast majority of schedule vs. teams who weren't there with you for most of it.

LSU and the Miss schools literally voted for this!

Yes, getting rid of divisions is and has been what is best because it gives the conference the most flexibility with the schedule.

Pods will confuse the **** out of casual fans.

The east/west divisions aren’t bad at all and are easy for fans to remember.

just do a 9 game schedule with 3 permanent rivals, playing everyone else every other year. basically a pod but with less formality and more flexibility.

I agree, and if any conference can get it passed it’s the SEC. The ACC and Pac should be for it as well. Let’s see what the other conferences think.

I don't know why anyone would be against divisionless. Its illogical to me.

If they are so worried about the ACC and Notre Dame, just pass a rule that states in order to be considered for a conference championship a school must play X number of conference games

(10-11-2021 09:04 AM)solohawks Wrote:  

(10-11-2021 09:01 AM)esayem Wrote:  

(10-11-2021 08:41 AM)solohawks Wrote:  just do a 9 game schedule with 3 permanent rivals, playing everyone else every other year. basically a pod but with less formality and more flexibility.

I agree, and if any conference can get it passed it’s the SEC. The ACC and Pac should be for it as well. Let’s see what the other conferences think.

I don't know why anyone would be against divisionless. Its illogical to me.

If they are so worried about the ACC and Notre Dame, just pass a rule that states in order to be considered for a conference championship a school must play X number of conference games

Generally on this topic I share the voice that coaches want divisions (permanent or rotating) so that they are competing against teams with only 1 uncommon opponents. The big complaints during the 12-team setup was that certain teams could miss out on the CCG because another team in their division played 2 or 3 easier opponents. If teams have 5 or 6 “easier” opponents, the howls of unfairness will rise in preseason every single year.

4-team divisions (or, “pods”) accomplishes 95% of the annual matchups divisionless does but keeps competition fair.

Go ahead, I’ll take the first “divisionless” setup someone puts here and show a division structure that keeps the same matchups but with competitive fairness.