are gonna wind up?
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are gonna wind up?
Is it next year or the next?
I am sure it 100% depends on when OU and TX are coming this way. I assume they will be cleared to fully join the competition in conference next year, because it is worth too much money to not get it going.
I still like the idea that there are 4 pods. ABCD
Matchups include each pod plays 2 other pods, plus half of another one and it rotates every two years.
First 4 Years
A Plays B and C and Half of D
B Plays A and D and half of C
C Plays D and A and Half of B
D Plays C and B and half of A
Every 4 years, everyone would play everyone, home and away. Each Pod is set on playing 2 other pods every year. The other pod they play 2 teams cycles every two years.
The pods could be organized to maintain rivalries, I suppose.
Pod A - TX, OU, aTm, and Ark
Pod B - Ole Miss, LSU, MSU, MO
Pod C - Bama, Auburn, TN, Vandy
Pod D - UF, UsCe, Kentucky, GA
That is by strict geographical location. It is time to revamp the SEC into new traditions and to lock down the members to 16 permenantly.
9 game SEC season.
3 Non-Conference on 3 set weekends. Fix the Bye's to coincide on 2 weekends in the middle of the year to eliminate that advantage.
Here is the schedule as I see it. Fixed every year, so the overall schedule should be pretty damn easy to make out.
Week 1 - Non-conference for half, with half conference games (NC1) (sec 1)
Week 2 - Non-Conference for half, with half conference games (NC1) (sec 1)
Week 3 - Conference Games (sec 2)
Week 4 - Conference Games (sec 3)
Week 5 - Conference Games (sec 4)
Week 6 Bye Week for half Non Conference games for Half (NC2)
Week 7 Bye Week for half Non conference games for half (NC2)
Week 8 - Conference Games (sec 5)
Week 9 - Conference Games (sec 6)
Week 10 - Conference Games (sec 7)
Week 11 - Non-Conference for half, with half conference games (NC3) (sec 8)
Week 12 - Non-Conference for half, with half conference games (NC3) (8)
Week 13 - Week 10 - Conference Games (9)
Week 14 - SEC Championship Game - Best Record, TB1 Head to head, TB2 Common Opponent, TB3 CFP Ranking
4 pods
A&M, LSU, Mississippi State, Ole Miss
Arkansas, Missouri, Texas, Oklahoma
Alabama, Auburn, Kentucky, Vanderbilt
Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina
All 4 pods as balanced as they can be competitively and geographically tight
Play 10 game conference schedule: the 3 in your pod, plus 2 of the 4 in each other pod, plus 1 more game to preserve rivalries:
Texas - Texas A&M
Auburn - Georgia
Ole Miss - Vanderbilt
Mississippi State - Kentucky
LSU - Arkansas
South Carolina - Missouri
Alabama - Tennessee
Florida - Oklahoma (not really a rivalry but good game)
If your permanent rivalry gets drawn as a rotating opponent (it will half the time), play another team of similar level. You could probably set it up so that everybody has 2 permanent rivals, and you draw whichever 1 isn't on your rotating schedule, but it would take careful setting up of the schedules. That would allow games like Alabama-LSU and maybe A&M-Oklahoma to become annual events.
State needs Vandy as permanent. OM or Ark can have Kentucky as a permanent. If your going to switch it up, might as well. We have no rivalry with Kentucky.
Whatever the alignment it will almost certainly be a nine game conference schedule. Four team pods make the most since, that way teams can play each other more frequently than happens now.
Hell, I wish they'd go 10-game sec schedule. I absolutely can't stand weekends where sec teams play total garbage. Drop the P5 requirement, and just require it be a G5 or up, and play 10 sec games. Bowls suck now anyway since opt outs, and the sec champ would be in playoffs no matter what
They're not putting UK and Vandy in the same 4-team pod.
I don't see that happening, nine game will almost certainly eliminate the FCS payday games. The G5 games are hear to stay. I agree with your premise the two weeks leading up to rivalry week are some shitty football for the most part. It would be nice to see all the payday games at the front of the schedule but the nine game schedule may result in fewer cross country/conference P5 match ups.
Here is the way I see it shaking out:
Pod A
1) A&M
2) Oklahoma
3) Texas
4) Mizzou
Pod B
1) LSU
2) Arkansas
3) OM
4) State
Pod C
1) Bama
2) Auburn
3) Kentucky
4) Tenn
Pod D
1) UGA
2) UF
3) USC
4) Vandy
This gives the conference potential POD division winners of: A&M or OK, LSU, Bama, and UGA. They'll be a pecking order within the PODS based on historical relevancy, so they can create desirable matchups from "division" winners.
Mine is close to yours
Pod A
1) A&M
2) Oklahoma
3) Texas
4) Mizzou
Pod B
1) LSU
2) Arkansas
3) OM
4) State
Pod C
1) Bama
2) Auburn
3) Florida
4) UGA
Pod D
1) KY
2) Tenn
3) USC
4) Vandy
Will never happen due to Pod C.
Pods A the Same. Pod B BAMA AUBBIE LSU MSU, Pad C OM TN Vandy ARKY, Pod D KY FLA UGA USCe/
Pod A
Fla
Ga
SC
Vandy
Pod B
Auburn
Bammer
Tenn
UK
Pod C
LSU
MSU
UNM
Mizzu
Pod D (SWC Pod)
A&M
Ark
Tx
OU
1 permanent team and the rest will rotate in a yearly rotation ensuring that all teams play home and away in the league as much as possible with a 9 game schedule.
The pod idea sucks. Go to a 9 game league schedule, keep 2-3 permanent opponents and then rotate everyone else. Keep scheduling one P5 out of conference game. Scrap the conference championship game and go to an 8 or 16 team playoff.
Without a legit playoff, the less SEC games we play the better. Otherwise we just have even more of a chance to beat each other up while the other conferences just cup-cake their way in.
I do think the pod idea is cool, but how do you handle the conference championship game reasonably? And if it doesn't relate to the pods, then what's the point of the pods really.
Geographically, I've seen a few different ways you could do the pods that make sense, so I think there's plenty of options there.
It would never happen, but I'd like to see us get rid of divisions and permanent opponents and rotate everyones schedule while keeping an 8 game conference slate.
Pod A
Miss St
Ole Miss
Arkansas
LSU
Pod B
Alabama
Auburn
Tennessee
Vanderbilt
Pod C
Oklahoma
Texas
Texas A&M
Missouri
Pod D
Georgia
Florida
Kentucky
South Carolina
Cross Pod Permanent Opponents
Miss St - Kentucky
Ole Miss- Vanderbilt
Arkansas - Texas
LSU- Florida
Auburn- Georgia
The rest i have no clue
But I really think those pods are as balanced as you can get and as best as you can do it