How stupid is the SEC Tournament format?

[Quaoarsking]

I complain about this every year, and now I'm gonna do it again. Single elimination today, you can lose tomorrow and Thursday and get another chance, then starting Friday it's loss = out no matter whether you've lost already or not.

It's ridiculous. And nobody takes it seriously. And some teams have to play up to 6 games and pitch guys with no experience by the end.

I think there are 5 ways to fix it:

1. Go back to the old 8 team double elimination format. It doesn't really solve the problem of too many games for a team, but it is more fair. Also it puts a stigma on the 9th and 10th place teams in the SEC in the selection committee's eyes that they didn't even make their conference tournament. Also you yet 4 fewer fanbases spending money in Hoover.

2. Do a full double elimination tournament with 12 or 14 teams. This is probably the most fair, but would need to stretch out across 2 weekends to be workable and let pitchers pitch twice.

3. Do single elimination with all 14 teams. It would be wild and wacky, but nobody would play more than 4 games and at least every game would have the same win-or-go-home consequence. But baseball isn't really suited to single elimination.

4. Just take the top 4 and do a double elimination tournament set up exactly like a Regional, like a dry run for the teams. I like the idea, and you know the tournament champion would always be a great team, but it would mean less money and most of the conference with an offweek.

5. Stop doing the tournament altogether and do a full 39-game round robin. This is my favorite, but the least likely due to $$.

[R2Dawg]

I complain about this every year, and now I'm gonna do it again. Single elimination today, you can lose tomorrow and Thursday and get another chance, then starting Friday it's loss = out no matter whether you've lost already or not.

It's ridiculous. And nobody takes it seriously. And some teams have to play up to 6 games and pitch guys with no experience by the end.

I think there are 5 ways to fix it:

1. Go back to the old 8 team double elimination format. It doesn't really solve the problem of too many games for a team, but it is more fair. Also it puts a stigma on the 9th and 10th place teams in the SEC in the selection committee's eyes that they didn't even make their conference tournament. Also you yet 4 fewer fanbases spending money in Hoover.

2. Do a full double elimination tournament with 12 or 14 teams. This is probably the most fair, but would need to stretch out across 2 weekends to be workable and let pitchers pitch twice.

3. Do single elimination with all 14 teams. It would be wild and wacky, but nobody would play more than 4 games and at least every game would have the same win-or-go-home consequence. But baseball isn't really suited to single elimination.

4. Just take the top 4 and do a double elimination tournament set up exactly like a Regional, like a dry run for the teams. I like the idea, and you know the tournament champion would always be a great team, but it would mean less money and most of the conference with an offweek.

5. Stop doing the tournament altogether and do a full 39-game round robin. This is my favorite, but the least likely due to $$.

SECT is about them making money for SEC office and Birmingham. Not about anything else. I like just a single elimination; if you exit early get more rest. It would make each game very meaningful.

[Cooterpoot]

Eliminate all tournaments and championship games. It's all about the money and worthless.

[Maroonthirteen]

The SEC tournament is the same format as the CWS. (less the 3 game championship, SEC has a one game championship)

The Saturday game (single elimination) is only necessary if the loser bracket team beats the winner's bracket team Friday? So, while they are calling it a single elimination....technically it is still a double elimination game for the team that came out of the winner's bracket but lost Friday.


Regardless, a traditional double elimination bracket would be easier to follow....but TV man. TV controls everything. TV wants a one game winner take all on Sunday.

[Quaoarsking]

The SEC tournament is the same format as the CWS. (less the 3 game championship, SEC has a one game championship)

The Saturday game (single elimination) is only necessary if the loser bracket team beats the winner's bracket team Friday? So, while they are calling it a single elimination....technically it is still a double elimination game for the team that came out of the winner's bracket but lost Friday.


Regardless, a traditional double elimination bracket would be easier to follow....but TV man. TV controls everything. TV wants a one game winner take all on Sunday.

It's not exactly the same as the CWS. If you are undefeated going into Saturday and you lose, it's over for you.

Not to mention the 4 single elimination games today. It starts single, goes to double for a little while, and then back to single once there are 4 teams left (or arguably 6).

[Lord McBuckethead]

The SEC tournament is the same format as the CWS. (less the 3 game championship, SEC has a one game championship)

The Saturday game (single elimination) is only necessary if the loser bracket team beats the winner's bracket team Friday? So, while they are calling it a single elimination....technically it is still a double elimination game for the team that came out of the winner's bracket but lost Friday.


Regardless, a traditional double elimination bracket would be easier to follow....but TV man. TV controls everything. TV wants a one game winner take all on Sunday.

I like the play in games. It gives teams that have fought hard down the stretch to make it build a case to get into a regional, like Auburn. (until they decided to pitch this guy tonight). I would make the games tomorrow also be single elimination. That would clear out the teams real quick and get down to a double elimination setup quicker leaving only 4 teams left and the worst case some team would have to play 5 games, but that team is fighting through the initial bottom of the SEC opening day, and they need the extra games to build a resume.
Game night 1 - W
Game night 2 - W
Lose the next 2 - out or maybe win one game then lose the next 2 - 5 games.

I think you either award the upper teams with straight double elimination, or you make sure everyone in the tourney has to face atleast one game of single elimination prior to getting to the double elimination rounds. Either way, switching back and forth is stupid... that is if I understand the format as you stated above correctly.

[DownwardDawg]

I complain about this every year, and now I'm gonna do it again. Single elimination today, you can lose tomorrow and Thursday and get another chance, then starting Friday it's loss = out no matter whether you've lost already or not.

It's ridiculous. And nobody takes it seriously. And some teams have to play up to 6 games and pitch guys with no experience by the end.

I think there are 5 ways to fix it:

1. Go back to the old 8 team double elimination format. It doesn't really solve the problem of too many games for a team, but it is more fair. Also it puts a stigma on the 9th and 10th place teams in the SEC in the selection committee's eyes that they didn't even make their conference tournament. Also you yet 4 fewer fanbases spending money in Hoover.

2. Do a full double elimination tournament with 12 or 14 teams. This is probably the most fair, but would need to stretch out across 2 weekends to be workable and let pitchers pitch twice.

3. Do single elimination with all 14 teams. It would be wild and wacky, but nobody would play more than 4 games and at least every game would have the same win-or-go-home consequence. But baseball isn't really suited to single elimination.

4. Just take the top 4 and do a double elimination tournament set up exactly like a Regional, like a dry run for the teams. I like the idea, and you know the tournament champion would always be a great team, but it would mean less money and most of the conference with an offweek.

5. Stop doing the tournament altogether and do a full 39-game round robin. This is my favorite, but the least likely due to $$.


I agree. The tournament format is stupid.

[Quaoarsking]

I think you either award the upper teams with straight double elimination, or you make sure everyone in the tourney has to face atleast one game of single elimination prior to getting to the double elimination rounds. Either way, switching back and forth is stupid... that is if I understand the format as you stated above correctly.

That sounds pretty good. Let me add in proposal #6:
Double elimination for the top 4 teams, but the other 10 teams make it as single elimination. Essentially, the top 4 get slotted in the winner's bracket of a double elimination, while the other 10 fight their way through the loser's bracket. I don't think it would add any games that aren't already in there, but gets rid of the ridiculous "It's OK to lose on Wednesday or Thursday but not any other day" nonsense we currently have.

[The Federalist Engineer]

So long as y’all understand I have been at a happy hour...

Include all 14 SEC teams + SWAC champ + SoCon Champ = 16 teams

Rank everybody by RPI

Then a single elimination tournament

Only the top-2 play the 4th game and nobody has to play much more than a typical SEC weekend unless you play 17 innings vs Missouri or something

[Rex54]

Option 5

[Pinto]

I say straight single elimination 12 team tournament. Top 4 get a bye. It helps the teams more because the teams are playing for Omaha, not a meaningless tournament championship. The only teams that get helped by the tournament are those not already locked into postseason play.

[Dawgcap]

I say straight single elimination 12 team tournament. Top 4 get a bye. It helps the teams more because the teams are playing for Omaha, not a meaningless tournament championship. The only teams that get helped by the tournament are those not already locked into postseason play.

And that is the point of this tournament. It’s not for the teams already in. It’s for the teams on the bubble. Gives opportunities to a extra team to make NCAA.

[HoopsDawg]

I like it. Wouldn't change a thing.

[Jack Lambert]

I say let all 14 teams in and you play until you lose. One and done. Top two teams get bye first day.

[Quaoarsking]

No worries, we'll beat an undefeated Florida team Saturday and eliminate them directly. Wednesday losses don't matter like Tuesday and Saturday losses do.

[SteelCurtain74]

I would go to what the ACC is currently doing which is 4 pods of 3 teams. Each team plays the two other teams in their pod. The winner of each pod goes to the semifinals. Based on this year's results, the pods would have looked like this:

Pod 1 - Arkansas, Auburn & Georgia
Pod 2 - Tennessee, Kentucky & South Carolina
Pod 3 - MSU, Alabama & Florida
Pod 4 - Vanderbilt, LSU & Ole Miss

Semifinals would be winner of Pod 1 vs Pod 4 & Pod 2 vs Pod 3.

Based on this method the most games any team would play is 4.

[Quaoarsking]

I would go to what the ACC is currently doing which is 4 pods of 3 teams. Each team plays the two other teams in their pod. The winner of each pod goes to the semifinals. Based on this year's results, the pods would have looked like this:

Pod 1 - Arkansas, Auburn & Georgia
Pod 2 - Tennessee, Kentucky & South Carolina
Pod 3 - MSU, Alabama & Florida
Pod 4 - Vanderbilt, LSU & Ole Miss

Semifinals would be winner of Pod 1 vs Pod 4 & Pod 2 vs Pod 3.

Based on this method the most games any team would play is 4.

How do they break a 3-way 1-1 tie? Run differential?

[Quaoarsking]

How do they break a 3-way 1-1 tie? Run differential?

From Wikipedia:

"If a 1-1 tie were to occur among all three teams in a pool, the highest seeded team will advance to the semifinals. Because of this, seeds 5-12 must win both pool play games to advance to the single-elimination bracket, and seeds 1-4 must only win the game against the first game winner. For example, if the 7 seed beats the 11 seed in the first game, then the winner of the 7 seed versus 2 seed advances to the semi-finals and the result of the 11 vs. 2 game would not determine further play.

Pool play is the official model of how the ACC tournament is played, but it can also be modeled as a single-elimination tournament. The tie-breaker described above is equivalent to a first round bye for the top four seeds. Seeds 5 through 12 play a first round game each, then the second round games between the first round winners and the top seeds determine who advances to the semi-finals. Games between the top seeds and the first round losers are also played but those are equivalent to consolation games that do not lead to further play."

[FriarsPoint]

Top 12. Single elimination and be done with it.

Paraphrasing Joe Morgan. You don?t find the best team until you get into a deep series. Deep series being 5 games or more.