While musing about how the divisions may line up

I pondered the good and the bad.

A 4 team pod seems like it could work better on paper with 3 permanent opponents, say LSU, Ole Miss and Texas A&M. And 2 8 team divisions might fair use well. But that will spread the 1 or 2 cross division games out even more that they are now.

I am skeptical that they would do complete away with Divisions of some sort, but if they did I could see these 5 being our permanent opponents just to keep us dead last.

Oklahoma, Texas, Alabama, LSU and Ole Miss.

Then our other 3 or 4 conference games will rotate every 2 years so you get a home and home back to back years. That is going to keep some teams from playing to every 4 years, which I guess is better that what we have now.

Example: 3 Non-conference Games and 9 conference games.(which all of our pre-scheduled NCGs will have to be re-visited)

2023

State would play LSU, Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama
In 4 straight weeks.

Then play UGA, Missouri, Florida, South Carolina

Before finishing with the Egg Bowl.

With the pod system, we might get Ole Miss, LSU, and A&M just to keep A&M from having g to play Texas every year. There could be some 2-7 years but as the rotation circles there might be a couple of 6-3 or even 7-2 conference years for us too.

But if the go to no divisions you can count on MSU getting screwed on scheduling.

I think divisions are gone.

TX, OU, Bama, LSU will not be on our schedule every year. With the payments to players and a schedule like that might as well prepare for a permanent dark ages in football.

I do expect that a few years down the road, the whole NIL thing will look much different and yes we will be worse for it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Matt3467

TX, OU, Bama, LSU will not be on our schedule every year. With the payments to players and a schedule like that might as well prepare for a permanent dark ages in football.

---

I do not doubt that the Talking Heads and The Money suppliers want to get a few more teams up at the Top of College Football, but make no mistake, they want it to stretch from 3 with a real chance to win to about 10. I suspect 2014 scared the crap out of The Status Quoers.

They will do everything they can to keep Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Oklahoma up there and get USC, Oregon, Florida State, Texas, LSU, Georgia, Penn State, Florida, Miami, Texas Aggies and maybe Michigan all in the mix for NC run. They don?t want the Iowa State, Indiana, Utah, Mississippi State, Arkansas, Kentucky, Baylor, Washington State Minnesota, Louisville group being consistently in the Top 10-12. They want the programs with a National Sea to Shining Sea appeal at the top.

All you have to do is listen to Cowherd, Packer, Herbstreit, Chris Childers, etc... to hear how badly they want the cream to always be at the Top. No room for interlopers.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Homedawg

I think divisions are gone.

---

There would be too many ties, possible 3way cause you wouldn't play every team in the standings.

I heard an interesting possible plan by the ACC of adding 1 more to get to 15 and have 3 Five Team pods.

Maybe Sankey?s plan is to get to 18 to create 3 Six Team pods.

So how do you have a champion with 3 pods?

What I like is that-- if the current pod predictions hold-- there could conceivably be years where our out-of-pod games could be: South Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Missouri, and Arkansas. Beats the hell out of playing Bama every year. That would give us a legitimate shot at Atlanta.

Then again, we could end up with Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Auburn, Oklahoma, and Texas. That would likely keep us home during the holidays, but I'll take it for the every-once-in-a-while opportunity to have the lighter conference schedule every once in a while.

I would imagine most seasons will end up in the middle of the two.

Four 4 team pods,division winners go onto 4 team SEC championship playoff. Winner of 4 team playoff wins the SEC champ game

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dotcomdawg

What I like is that-- if the current pod predictions hold-- there could conceivably be years where our out-of-pod games could be: South Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Missouri, and Arkansas. Beats the hell out of playing Bama every year. That would give us a legitimate shot at Atlanta.

---

And then you remember about NIL.

Now with all the rumors flying about the SEC going after at least 4 more Premier programs, I have come to the conclusion that Sankey was not happy with getting only 1 team in the playoff, his goal is to have ALL of the Teams in the playoff!****

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by R2Dawg

So how do you have a champion with 3 pods?

---

The way they have wanting to do it. Best 2 teams play for championship regardless of POD they are in. The 3 Pod system in an 18 team league would be strictly for scheduling, not for determining the 2 Championship participants. Playing the 5 teams in your Pod then 4 from the other 3 combined in a 9 game schedule, 5 from the other 3 in a 10 game schedule. The 8 game schedule is about to be gone.

I hate it but we will probably get stuck with Bama since they are just an hour down the road.

I’d like to see permanent opponents go away altogether; does anyone even look forward to the egg bowl anymore? I’m just not emotionally attached to rivalries like I used to be.

I am also in favor of doing away with playing two patsies every season as it’s just become a waste of time.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Schultzy

I’d like to see permanent opponents go away altogether; does anyone even look forward to the egg bowl anymore? I’m just not emotionally attached to rivalries like I used to be.

I am also in favor of doing away with playing two patsies every season as it’s just become a waste of time.

---

I like the rivalry games. Alabama is certainly not our rival.

But I would hate to see State not ever play them again. Rotating on and off with Bama and Auburn is fine with me. Put em in a different division or Pod.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Dawgology

I hate it but we will probably get stuck with Bama since they are just an hour down the road.

---

An hour? You're gonna get a ticket in Gordo or Reform.