(06-08-2023 11:24 AM)Crayton Wrote: (06-08-2023 10:32 AM)schmolik Wrote: If the Big Ten decides on "flex" rivals instead of 3-6-6, it could open the door for the SEC to give some teams to have more rivals than others and allow more rivalries like Texas-Texas A&M, Alabama-Tennessee, and Georgia-Auburn to remain while some schools could just have just one.
I don't know if it would apply in the Big Ten but I'd wonder if South Carolina and Kentucky could ask for no permanent rivals at all? If everyone were paired up, South Carolina and Kentucky likely would be stuck with each other. Does anyone in Columbia really care about UK or see them as a must see game? In Lexington, do they care that much about SC? If they could choose someone they'd probably choose UGa but South Carolina would definitely be 3rd and probably 4th behind Alabama these days and maybe even 5th behind UT on Georgia's list of SEC's opponents. If I'm South Carolina, I might prefer to just not have UK as a rival. I'm sure Kentucky would want Tennessee as their #1. Tennessee would want 'Bama and probably would get them. They don't care about Vanderbilt but Vanderbilt wants them. UT can certainly say they'd rather have UK than Vandy and the SEC office would probably accept it but then we're having the same conversation with South Carolina and Vanderbilt. Maybe Tennessee doesn't want to play either Kentucky or Vanderbilt and would rather just play Alabama every year and all three of South Carolina, Vanderbilt, and Kentucky have no one who want them.
IMO the flex format is handicapped if many of the teams want 3 rivals. If they are capped at 2 it should work. Once you allow 3 (effectively removing a team from flex), the important schools will all pick their 3. If Kentucky and South Carolina are the only two with a flex spot… they’ll always be paired.
Of course I’m still holding out hope they relax the “visit every 4 years” formula.
This has been my proposal due to the large number of SEC rivalries. It's the 3-6/6 format, but modified so that teams can play 2 teams annual and 2 teams 3 out of 4 years or 1 team annually and 4 teams 3 out of 4 years in a 9 conference game format. If a team wants to play all 4-5 teams annually or some of the team, it would only cost them 1 non-conference slot for each season done. If teams only want 3 rivals annually or 0 annually rivalries and play 6 teams 3 of 4 years, that is certainly an option that can be flexed.
3-6/6 (Hybrid)
Alabama
Auburn, Tennessee, LSU/Mississippi St.
- Auburn and Tennessee: 4 of 4 Years
- LSU and Mississippi St.: 3 of 4 Years
Arkansas
Texas A&M, LSU/Ole Miss, Oklahoma/Texas
- Texas A&M: 4 of 4 Years
- LSU, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, and Texas: 3 of 4 Years
Auburn
Alabama, Georgia, Florida/Mississippi St.
- Alabama and Georgia: 4 of 4 Years
- Florida and Mississippi St.: 3 of 4 Years
Florida
Georgia, South Carolina/Tennessee, Auburn/Kentucky
- Georgia: 4 of 4 Years
- Auburn, Kentucky, South Carolina, and Tennessee: 3 of 4 Years
Georgia
Auburn, Florida, South Carolina/Tennessee
- Auburn and Florida: 4 of 4 Years
- South Carolina and Tennessee: 3 of 4 Years
Kentucky
Vanderbilt, Missouri/Tennessee, Florida/Mississippi St.
- Vanderbilt: 4 of 4 Years
- Florida, Missouri, Mississippi St., and Tennessee: 3 of 4 Years
LSU
Ole Miss, Arkansas/Mississippi St., Alabama/Texas A&M
- Ole Miss: 4 of 4 Years
- Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi St., and Texas A&M: 3 of 4 Years
Mississippi St.
Ole Miss, Kentucky/LSU, Alabama/Auburn
- Ole Miss: 4 of 4 Years
- Alabama, Auburn, Kentucky, and LSU: 3 of 4 Years
Missouri
Oklahoma, South Carolina, Kentucky/Texas
- Oklahoma and South Carolina: 4 of 4 Years
- Kentucky and Texas: 3 of 4 Years
Oklahoma
Missouri, Texas, Arkansas/Texas A&M
- Missouri and Texas: 4 of 4 Years
- Arkansas and Texas A&M: 3 of 4 Years
Ole Miss
LSU, Mississippi St., Arkansas/Vanderbilt
- LSU and Mississippi St.: 4 of 4 Years
- Arkansas and Vanderbilt: 3 of 4 Years
South Carolina
Missouri, Vanderbilt, Florida/Georgia
- Missouri and Vanderbilt: 4 of 4 Years
- Florida and Georgia: 3 of 4 Years
Tennessee
Alabama, Kentucky/Vanderbilt, Florida/Georgia
- Alabama: 4 of 4 Years
- Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, and Vanderbilt: 3 of 4 Years
Texas
Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Arkansas/Missouri
- Oklahoma and Texas A&M: 4 of 4 Years
- Arkansas and Missouri: 3 of 4 Years
Texas A&M
Arkansas, Texas, LSU/Oklahoma
- Arkansas and Texas: 4 of 4 Years
- LSU and Oklahoma: 3 of 4 Years
Vanderbilt
Kentucky, South Carolina, Ole Miss/Tennessee
- Kentucky and South Carolina: 4 of 4 Years
- Ole Miss and Tennessee: 3 of 4 Years
Now if the 4 year rotation were willing to be pushed to 5 years in a 9 game schedule, a team could play 5 rivals annually and rotating 4 games would be the next best approach and maybe modifing that can be done (haven't attempted it yet).