I was a pod fan but now I'm for East/West for SEC football
- Thread starter PirateDawg
- Start date
I'd prefer a pod with Vandy, Kentucky, and Mizzou, but really any deal that makes it so we don't have to play Bama every year would be acceptable.
This is dumb.
An 8 team division means you'll play 7 SECW teams every year. If you go to a 9 team league schedule, you'd only play two SECE teams per season. Even if you rotate the two East teams you play every year, you're looking at only playing the East teams once every four years. The SEC has already hinted that this is unacceptable, especially considering the huge TV contract the expanded league will try to negotiate. How are you going to sell the league when you only get UGa vs Texas or Tennessee vs Oklahoma match ups once every four years???? The pod or 3-permanent opponent idea allows each team to play one another more frequently.
I mean, Mizzou has been in the league how long? And we've only played in CoMo once -- SIX YEARS AGO!! That's ridiculous and would be even worse with two 8 team divisions. In other words: Not gonna happen.
An 8 team division means you'll play 7 SECW teams every year. If you go to a 9 team league schedule, you'd only play two SECE teams per season. Even if you rotate the two East teams you play every year, you're looking at only playing the East teams once every four years. The SEC has already hinted that this is unacceptable, especially considering the huge TV contract the expanded league will try to negotiate. How are you going to sell the league when you only get UGa vs Texas or Tennessee vs Oklahoma match ups once every four years???? The pod or 3-permanent opponent idea allows each team to play one another more frequently.
I mean, Mizzou has been in the league how long? And we've only played in CoMo once -- SIX YEARS AGO!! That's ridiculous and would be even worse with two 8 team divisions. In other words: Not gonna happen.
Four pods , you play everyone in yours every year, you play two from each of the others one year and the other two the next. Nine game SEC schedule and you play every team in the SEC over a two year period and in every stadium in a four year period.
The only reason to have pods or divisions is to set some rigidity for the championship game. So basically it all depends on how the SEC wants to structure that. If they want more cross-pollination and will just pick the two best records (or get rid of the championship), then playing a 2 or 3 permanent opponent schedule is the way to go. If they want to give more opportunities to the non-blue bloods and let rigid records determine the game then divisions are better, or pods. Keep in mind the latter will not always give you the best game, because the best teams may be in the same division or pod.
Pods will also destroy some good rivalries. Tradition does need to be taken into consideration.
My preferred system is the 3 permanents, no championship game (determine champions by records, allows for multiple champions and more opportunities i.e. HOPE), and an expanded national playoff.
Pods will also destroy some good rivalries. Tradition does need to be taken into consideration.
My preferred system is the 3 permanents, no championship game (determine champions by records, allows for multiple champions and more opportunities i.e. HOPE), and an expanded national playoff.
9. In the 4 team pod/3 permanent opponent structure, will play everyone in the conference (outside permanents) home and away every 4 years.
Well that would make the schedule a little tougher competition wise but ought to really help ticket sales and revenue.
Not a fan of the uneven home and away scheduling, particularly in the SEC.
And the way we beat up on one another will end up keeping SEC teams out of a 12-game playoff. The NCAA/Selection Committee is going to be under even greater pressure to produce regional diversity.
And the way we beat up on one another will end up keeping SEC teams out of a 12-game playoff. The NCAA/Selection Committee is going to be under even greater pressure to produce regional diversity.
There is no justification to do it any other way than this other than Alabama or Tennessee whining about traditions.
No reason to go to 9. I’m not saying they won’t go to 9 but it’s simply a matter of preference.
I prefer to stay at 8 Bc the sec is hard enough.
Don’t care about pods or East/west. Just want the easiest schedule possible for most years.
I prefer to stay at 8 Bc the sec is hard enough.
Don’t care about pods or East/west. Just want the easiest schedule possible for most years.
A few thoughts:
1) First of all, anyone saying do away with the SEC Championship game is going to be sorely disappointed. The league makes WAY too much money on it, and the game has been a massive success all around.
2) Don’t know if they do pods or divisions, but based on Sankey’s interview with Bart and Charley recently, it looks like the days of going 10+ years without going to some campuses are going to end. Sankey acknowledged that is an issue that needs to be addressed. I wouldn’t be surprised to so three permanents and the rest of the games rotating. Top two records after tiebreakers meet in ATL.
3) I can’t see them keeping it at 8 games going forward, especially after playoff expansion. Eventually it will probably be 9 SEC games for each team.
1) First of all, anyone saying do away with the SEC Championship game is going to be sorely disappointed. The league makes WAY too much money on it, and the game has been a massive success all around.
2) Don’t know if they do pods or divisions, but based on Sankey’s interview with Bart and Charley recently, it looks like the days of going 10+ years without going to some campuses are going to end. Sankey acknowledged that is an issue that needs to be addressed. I wouldn’t be surprised to so three permanents and the rest of the games rotating. Top two records after tiebreakers meet in ATL.
3) I can’t see them keeping it at 8 games going forward, especially after playoff expansion. Eventually it will probably be 9 SEC games for each team.
Simple answer is, they don't. The SEC is the premier conference. The other conferences need a 9-game schedule for their strength of schedule. SEC schedule strength is off the charts with 8 games. Only thing a 9th game does is guarantee 8 more losses. I doubt the SEC office needs that.
1) TV wants more conference games and fewer cupcakes. They are the ones paying the bills and have a ton of power.
2) It’s much easier getting the scheduling rotation straight with 9 games than 8.
3) Assuming a 12 team playoff, one extra potential loss wouldn’t derail an SEC team with that SOS. A 10 win SEC team would basically be a playoff lock. Even a 9 win SEC team could have a shot.
9 ensures that you play everyone twice (home and away) every 4 years. Sankey has said they want this to happen, and Cohen reiterated.
You may as well prepare yourself for it.
You're going to have to refresh me on where they specifically said you'll play every school twice every 4 years. I do remember them saying the rotations will be much shorter than they currently are, which is absolutely a fact. But there's a lot of ways you can get the rotations down from 7 years to 2 or 3 with pods, no pods, 8 games or 9 games.
3 permanents/pods + 6 teams in year 1 and 2 + 6 more in year 3 and 4 = 15 teams, plus the team you're discussing = 16. No other schedule works out that perfectly.
I'm not digging up the podcasts and articles where Sankey said that. He wants every player to be able to visit every stadium once in their 4 year career.
For the record, I do agree that we don't NEED to play 8 games, as far as national relevance. I just think they will, now that we have 16 teams.
This is what I would like to see or something close. Go to 9 conference games with 3 locked opponents you play every year. The other six would play home and away and then the next 2 years you would play the remaining 6 conference teams. That way you play all SEC teams in a 4 year span.
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Unfortunately the previous system was what was best for State (12 game schedule with BCS games). We could schedule 4 auto-wins and get to a bowl every year, with that 10-2 year scattered in and get a prestigious bowl. But now with the playoff taking all the attention, and the non-playoff bowls meaning less, it doesn't really matter. I mean yeah, as long as there are bowls, we need to be in one. But once that playoff gets expanded, many bowls are going to get eaten up there.
I still say we need to play 3 easy OOC games though, when we go to 9 SEC games. I would imagine the P5 OOC requirement will evaporate. And of course, we won't be confined to an SEC West that is generally always loaded.
Saban won't be at Bama forever. It's possible we'll want them on the schedule someday. Empires rise and fall...ask Florida and Texas.
Alabama is the one school who will get it right more often than not. Bear won all those titles, after he left, they had maybe one bad coach, then got Stallings and were elite again, then after him they only went through less than a decade then got Saban.
This is the most important thing. Whatever the new SEC scheduling format looks like, our conference schedules will get slightly easier.
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