I kind of hate to agree with Dan Mullen

[Todd4State]

But I 110% agree with him about the SEC scheduling for football being ridiculous.

He had a great point about how his players get to play South Florida like three times in their career but they only get to play some SEC schools one time if at all.

There is blame given to Alabama/Tennessee and Auburn/Georgia over this issue but to me those are rivalries on some level and those are good for college football even if some aren't relevant at the moment. So, I don't think that doing away with those rivalries is a great idea.

But I think this is a case of what I would do vs. what I think the SEC will do.

I would do away with the divisions and have every team have something like four permanent opponents or however the numbers work out based on rivalry and interest and things like that. But then have four games that rotate among the other SEC members. Top two teams make it to the SEC Championship so you avoid something like Alabama vs. 8-4 Mizzou.

Now what I think the SEC will do is add a ninth SEC game. And I think they will keep the mandatory P5 game. The other two for us will probably come from some combination of a local team of interest like USM, Tulane, Memphis, UAB, La Tech, South Alabama, and etc. and then a FCS team. And I think this could happen as soon as 2021-2023.

The thing I would like is we would get to see teams from the SEC East more. Yes, we may not have as many easy wins to keep our bowl streak alive but I think that will be replaced by a sometimes winnable game against a SEC East team like Vanderbilt.

[dantheman4248]

Solution A: Play 9 conference games. Negatives outweigh the pros on this by a mile. (Harder schedules, 1 less non-con home game basically, etc.)

Solution B: Swap Alabama / Auburn with Vanderbilt / Missouri. Eliminate Cross-Division Rivals. Nothing storied gets lost this way. (LSU-Alabama is not historic / doesn?t have the hate) (Well Vandy / Tennessee is lost but that?s Tennessee?s 3rd biggest rival at best)

Solution C: Everyone guaranteed 3 games, constant division rotating to meet needs.

A&M: Arkansas, LSU, Missouri
Alabama: Auburn, Tennessee, MSU
Arkansas: A&M, LSU, Missouri
Auburn: Alabama, Florida, Georgia
Florida: Auburn, Georgia, Tennessee
Georgia: Auburn, Florida, South Carolina
Kentucky: MSU, South Carolina, Vanderbilt
LSU: A&M, Arkansas, Ole Miss
Missouri: A&M, Arkansas, South Carolina
MSU: Alabama, Kentucky, Ole Miss
Ole Miss: LSU, MSU, Vanderbilt
South Carolina: Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri
Tennessee: Alabama, Florida, Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt: Kentucky, Ole Miss, Tennessee

Then rotate H&A every year with those 3 games. Someone with more time can do the full scheduling, but the simple gist is split the remaining 10 teams into two groups of five. Team A plays Group 1 H&A for two years and then Group 2 H&A for 2 years.

This scenario keeps pretty much every core game needed to be kept annually and allows every play to play each team in the conference home and away within a 4 year span. The downside is the divisions have to be realigned every two years with the group swaps and this does incur more overall traveling than the original east / west division alignment. Hopefully it?s what we eventually go to though.

[confucius say]

Just hurry up and do 9 sec games already. Would help interest and attendance. Would rather watch us play an sec team than Abilene in November.

And cut schollies to 75 while we are at it

[ShotgunDawg]

Many things need to change

[Liverpooldawg]

The reason it's that way is because Bama v Tennessee and Auburn v Georgia are sacred cows. It's yet another example of the SEC catering to the state of Alabama. Put all cross division match ups on rotation and the problem is solved. If they want to keep on playing those when it's off rotation then fine, it just won't count in the conference standings. We do it in baseball. If you REALLY wanted to get it right, with the current conference lineup, move Missouri to the west and move Auburn to the east and let the Iron Bowl be a non-conference game when it's off rotation.

While you are at it, move the SEC office out of Birmingham. If you have to stay central in the SEC footprint then move it to Nashville. To keep it neutral somewhere outside the footprint might be better. Somewhere in North Carolina might work. Somewhere in Canada or Europe might be better.

[AusTexDawg]

In a pre- or post-Saban era, I think MSU’s chances of a conference championship (and now the playoff berth that should come with it) are far higher with divisions.

If the SEC had 12 or 14 teams, I’d prefer 3 or 4 team pods, where everyone in the pod plays each other annually, and then make divisions from there two pairs of pods, rotating which pods make each division. Unfortunately, 14 teams makes for awkward schedules.

[Ari Gold]

Step 1 move Auburn to east , Mizzu to west
Step 2 see step 1

With 9 sec games , that means Bama will have to play 5 true road games every other year.. Bama hasn’t played 5 true road games in a decade..

Agree it’s time to shake up the football scheduling . That Bama / Tenn rivalry is as dead as the Bear himself and it’s not coming back anytime soon.

[Dawgology]

But I 110% agree with him about the SEC scheduling for football being ridiculous.

He had a great point about how his players get to play South Florida like three times in their career but they only get to play some SEC schools one time if at all.

There is blame given to Alabama/Tennessee and Auburn/Georgia over this issue but to me those are rivalries on some level and those are good for college football even if some aren't relevant at the moment. So, I don't think that doing away with those rivalries is a great idea.

But I think this is a case of what I would do vs. what I think the SEC will do.

I would do away with the divisions and have every team have something like four permanent opponents or however the numbers work out based on rivalry and interest and things like that. But then have four games that rotate among the other SEC members. Top two teams make it to the SEC Championship so you avoid something like Alabama vs. 8-4 Mizzou.

Now what I think the SEC will do is add a ninth SEC game. And I think they will keep the mandatory P5 game. The other two for us will probably come from some combination of a local team of interest like USM, Tulane, Memphis, UAB, La Tech, South Alabama, and etc. and then a FCS team. And I think this could happen as soon as 2021-2023.

The thing I would like is we would get to see teams from the SEC East more. Yes, we may not have as many easy wins to keep our bowl streak alive but I think that will be replaced by a sometimes winnable game against a SEC East team like Vanderbilt.

Just rotate east opponents correctly and get rid of the cross-divisional permanent rivals...it's dumb anyway. Cross-divisional rivalries don't mean shit compared to inner-divisional rivalries. The TN/Bama "rivalry" hasn't been important for almost two DECADES and the only erason anyone would give a crap about Auburn/Georgia this year is because it has the rare potential to be a Top 10 matchup.

[BrunswickDawg]

Step 1 move Auburn to east , Mizzu to west
Step 2 see step 1

With 9 sec games , that means Bama will have to play 5 true road games every other year.. Bama hasn’t played 5 true road games in a decade..

Agree it’s time to shake up the football scheduling . That Bama / Tenn rivalry is as dead as the Bear himself and it’s not coming back anytime soon.

As much as I love rivalry games, I really wonder if we need to preserve them. I thought when MLB re-aligned and the Braves moved out of the NL West that I couldn't engage with East teams. I wanted fights with the Padres & Astros, and the down to wire run against the Giants, and to piss on the Dodgers. Now - I hate the Mets, Phillies and Nats just as much (or at least Bryce Harper) as I did those teams. All it took was a couple of heated games and chants of "LARRY" and I was revved up and holding a fan grudge.

Will only playing Ole Miss every 3 or 4 years cause me any heartburn? Not really. I'd frankly rather schedule NFL style balanced for parity. Vandy sucks again? They get the bottom 8 teams in the SEC with the easiest 4 at home. Bama won again? Give them the top 8, with the top 4 on the road. I don't care if that means they play at UGA, LSU, UF, and MSU every year. No more undefeated seasons just like the NFL. Give me a battle tested 8-4 SEC Champ going into the 8 team playoff and watch them kick ass.

[Cowbeller]

The TN/Bama "rivalry" hasn't been important for almost two DECADES and the only erason anyone would give a crap about Auburn/Georgia this year is because it has the rare potential to be a Top 10 matchup.
Bama TN sucks but UGA Auburn has to stay. Its not a rare top 10 matchup its the most consistently entertaining rivalry every single year with 2 top 15 teams almost every single year

[1bigdawg]

Bama TN sucks but UGA Auburn has to stay. Its not a rare top 10 matchup its the most consistently entertaining rivalry every single year with 2 top 15 teams almost every single year

So was Bama/Tenn for years... Things change.

[Cowbeller]

So was Bama/Tenn for years... Things change.

Clearly things haven't for UGA/Auburn. Ive been the atmosphere is one of the best for a rivalry and the SEC can never get rid of it. Even their bad years its a great game to watch.

[Choctaw Dawg]

If the SEC is serious about keeping those rivalry games but at the same time changing divisions up, this is what they would do

West: Mississippi State, ole Miss, Texas A&M, LSU, Missouri, Vanderbilt, Arkansas

East: Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, South Carolina, Florida


The "sacred" rivalry games are protected. Will this ever happen? Nope, and maybe it shouldn't. Still doesn't solve the issue of going to anybody elses stadium once every 12 years though

[ShotgunDawg]

If the SEC is serious about keeping those rivalry games but at the same time changing divisions up, this is what they would do

West: Mississippi State, ole Miss, Texas A&M, LSU, Missouri, Vanderbilt, Arkansas

East: Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, South Carolina, Florida


The "sacred" rivalry games are protected. Will this ever happen? Nope, and maybe it shouldn't. Still doesn't solve the issue of going to anybody elses stadium once every 12 years though

Then the East teams would complain about how much tougher their schedule is

[Choctaw Dawg]

Then the East teams would complain about how much tougher their schedule is

I would think so. I know that would never happen, but if they are as serious as they are about keeping those games then theyd have to get the shaft with the current format we have scheduling

[Tbaen]

How about this:

Keep the two divisions, one upper and one lower, with relegation of the bottom 4 of the upper division and promotion of the top 4 of the lower each year. Upper winner plays lower for the championship. That gives a "have not" at least a fighting chance at the crown, provides tv with a good cinderella story line, gives the blue bloods and tv plenty of top matchups during the year to put them in national championship position and rotates who plays who. Six games against division foes and three cross division games with a scheduling bias toward guaranteeing a game with one traditional rival and making every effort on a second choice rival, with no guarantee.

(I have an affinity for the overly-complicated, a level playing field and above all giving State a better chance to play for something worthwhile every generation or so.)

[smootness]

A&M: Arkansas, LSU, Missouri
Alabama: Auburn, Tennessee, MSU
Arkansas: A&M, LSU, Missouri
Auburn: Alabama, Florida, Georgia
Florida: Auburn, Georgia, Tennessee
Georgia: Auburn, Florida, South Carolina
Kentucky: MSU, South Carolina, Vanderbilt
LSU: A&M, Arkansas, Ole Miss
Missouri: A&M, Arkansas, South Carolina
MSU: Alabama, Kentucky, Ole Miss
Ole Miss: LSU, MSU, Vanderbilt
South Carolina: Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri
Tennessee: Alabama, Florida, Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt: Kentucky, Ole Miss, Tennessee


Auburn would never, ever allow this to happen. They have to play Alabama, Florida, and Georgia every year while LSU is only guaranteed A&M, Arkansas, and OM? Lulz.

[dantheman4248]

Auburn would never, ever allow this to happen. They have to play Alabama, Florida, and Georgia every year while LSU is only guaranteed A&M, Arkansas, and OM? Lulz.

Can’t help who is rivals with who. The Auburn / Florida game is one of the main reasons Auburn wants back in the East

[Tbonewannabe]

Just rotate east opponents correctly and get rid of the cross-divisional permanent rivals...it's dumb anyway. Cross-divisional rivalries don't mean shit compared to inner-divisional rivalries. The TN/Bama "rivalry" hasn't been important for almost two DECADES and the only erason anyone would give a crap about Auburn/Georgia this year is because it has the rare potential to be a Top 10 matchup.

I believe UGA/AU is the longest continuous rivalry in P5 football. I don't think they are doing away with that. They are also pretty close geographically which makes sense when you see that AU probably has the 2nd highest alumni base in Atlanta.

[Pinto]

If we just add Virginia and NC State we could have 4 4 team pods. Under 4 pods you play your 3 pod games based on geography, and then 2 teams from each other pod for 9 games. The other pod games swap every 2 years and you play everyone in the league every 4 years.

[smootness]

Can’t help who is rivals with who. The Auburn / Florida game is one of the main reasons Auburn wants back in the East

Yeah, and if they were in the East, they'd have a much easier annual schedule. They're never going to accept a much tougher schedule than most of the rest of the conference just so they can play Florida.

[dantheman4248]

Yeah, and if they were in the East, they'd have a much easier annual schedule. They're never going to accept a much tougher schedule than most of the rest of the conference just so they can play Florida.

I mean I don’t disagree. Just the 3 constant opponents seems to have the easiest path to happening. 3 set every year, 5 for 2 years, other 5 for 2 years, rinse, repeat. You could structure each team’s 5 so that it’s fairer overall then Auburn complaining about their 3 constant opponents. (You could have a UK, Vandy, UTK, OM, MSU pod for Auburn one year. Then SCar, aTm, LSU, Ark, Missouri). At the end of the day they aren’t playing this wildly difficult schedule each year on average.

[Percho]

Just rotate east opponents correctly and get rid of the cross-divisional permanent rivals...it's dumb anyway. Cross-divisional rivalries don't mean shit compared to inner-divisional rivalries. The TN/Bama "rivalry" hasn't been important for almost two DECADES and the only erason anyone would give a crap about Auburn/Georgia this year is because it has the rare potential to be a Top 10 matchup.

Not after this weekend. NO ***

[Rex54]

9th Conference game is the answer.