I am sure it is just his opinion, but what does a 16 team SEC look like? Still an East / West or do they go for something like a 4, 4-team pod breakdown? Still 8 games or does it go to 9?
Neuheisel just stated a 4 pod format for 16 team SEC
- Thread starter Bulldog Bruce
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I'm sure he doesn't know any more than any of us do. My guess is no divisions or pods, each team has 3-4 permanent opponents and rotate 4-6 of the remaining teams so you never go more than a couple of years without seeing each team, probably still 8-game schedule, but could be 9 (partially depending on availability of OOC P5 games with a potential Big 10/ACC/PAC12 scheduling alliance).
State, Ole Miss, LSU, Ark
A&M, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri
Alabama, Auburn, Tennessee, Kentucky
Florida, UGA, SC, Vandy
Would be great
A&M, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri
Alabama, Auburn, Tennessee, Kentucky
Florida, UGA, SC, Vandy
Would be great
I think 2-3 permanents per team with 6 or 7 rotating. 9 game schedule….no pods. Two permanents makes sense to me because nobody has more than two real rivals anyway. SEC will buy out the nonconference games scheduled against whatever patsy opponents are on each team’s schedule to make room for the 9th game.. Still have a year or two to figure out how to do that. Only thing left to decide will be if they keep the OOC Power 5 requirement or not. Could go either way….but there’s a good chance it goes away if there’s 9 SEC games. Florida, UGA, Kentucky, and USC will obviously still do it, as will Alabama, LSU, and Auburn with their kickoff classic type games.
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.
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.
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Divisions are almost certainly going away. Likely adding another SEC game too. Things will rotate better and the two best teams (record wise) will be in the ship.
The one I saw floated a while back was this except swap Kentucky and Vandy, to make sure Alabama has the easiest possible permanent path.
I’m too dumb to do the math, but do we have to have a championship game to crown the league champion? They are going to have to make room for these extra playoff games with the expanded playoff. I think tie-breaker scenarios can be put in to crown the champion.
Personally I wished that all teams would only have one permanent opponent every year and that would be their rivals. I would love to see change up every year because it just gets stale playing the same teams every year.
You could keep the divisions.
West____________East
Oklahoma _______Alabama
Texas ___________Auburn
Texas A&M_______Florida
Arkansas________South Carolina
Missouri_________Tennessee
LSU_____________Georgia
MSU____________Kentucky
Ole Miss_________Vanderbilt
Play everyone in your division and add 2 from the other side that rotate every year. This way you keep the championship game at the end of the year and have a real division champion.
Pods are so mother 17ing stupid. What are we going to do, have a 2-game championship playoff for the SEC? Hell no, ridiculous. The name itself sounds dumb. "Pods", geez, makes me cringe.
2-3 permanent opponents and roll. Take the top 2 teams for the championship game, or just do away with the championship game. 8 or 9 team schedule, doesn't matter. I'd prefer to do away with a championship game and just crown the top record(s) as conference champions.
2-3 permanent opponents and roll. Take the top 2 teams for the championship game, or just do away with the championship game. 8 or 9 team schedule, doesn't matter. I'd prefer to do away with a championship game and just crown the top record(s) as conference champions.
I just can’t imagine they break up the auburn and Georgia game.
If we truly go to 3 permanent opponents then it seems like something from a rivalry standpoint would have to go. I don’t see how you can maintain Alabama/TN, auburn/GA, iron bowl and ga/fl.
If we truly go to 3 permanent opponents then it seems like something from a rivalry standpoint would have to go. I don’t see how you can maintain Alabama/TN, auburn/GA, iron bowl and ga/fl.
Explain to me the difference in a 4 team pod and 3 permanent opponents? You can call a pod or not but if you have 3 permanent opponents, you basically have a pod.
In a pod system, those 4 teams play one another every year. In the permanent opponent system, our 3 permanent opponents will be unique to us, while those other 3 teams will have a different set of permanent opponents.
4 pods, you play the three in yours every year. You play two from each of the other three pods every year alternating teams each year, 9 game schedule. That way you play every team in the conference at least once over a two year's span, and you play in every stadium at least once over a 4 year's span. If you want to adjust the pods for competitive balance you can do it every 4 years without upsetting the home-away balance. For the title game you can either take the top two teams or you can have two pods in the west and two in the east and take the top team from each. The pods would be only for scheduling in that case.
In a 4 team pod, all teams share the same permanent opponents. In a 3-permanent model, that isn’t the case. For example, Alabama might have Tennessee and Auburn as permanent opponents. But Auburn doesn’t necessarily have to be linked with Tennessee.
Concur, but they're not gonna let us have Ark, they'll squeeze us in with TAMU.
I like these. But if it extends to baseball, damn we are in a tough one. The Arkansas/Texas one would be fun too.
I kind of hope we have a new baseball rivalry with Texas with whatever else happens.
The pod idea with no specificity was put out there when they first went to 16 teams. There was discussion that the championship game would be teams with the 2 best records. I would assume the pods would be geographically decided. Who cares about Bama/ Tennessee rivalry ? Fl and Ga could be in the same pods, Bama and Auburn, us and OM. We will find out in a couple years tho
Figured anyway we go we are gonna be with at least ole miss and either lsu or bama. If it’s lsu then probably Arkansas if it’s bama then auburn.
I think it will come down to two options
The Pod System
A: OU, TEX, MIZZ, ARK
B: AM, MSU, MISS, LSU
C: ALA, AUB, VAN, UT
D: UGA, UF, USC, UK
9 Game SEC Schedule: Play 3 vs, your pod every year and 2 vs. other pods. You play everyone home and away every 4 years. An MSU schedule would be:
Year 1 and 2: AM, MISS, LSU. OU, MIZZ, ALA, VAN, UGA, USC
Year 3 and 4: AM, MISS, LSU, TEX, ARK, AUB, UT, UF, UK
The No Division System
All 16 teams in a division, 9 Game SEC schedule
3 Permanent Opponents (same as pods above)
6 Rotating Opponents
MSU Permanent Opponents: MISS, LSU, AM
Year 1/2: OU, MIZZ, ALA, VAN, UGA, USC
Year 3/4: TEX, ARK, AUB, UT, UF, UK
Top 2 make SEC Championship Game. Tiebreaker system similar to current Big 12.
The Pod System
A: OU, TEX, MIZZ, ARK
B: AM, MSU, MISS, LSU
C: ALA, AUB, VAN, UT
D: UGA, UF, USC, UK
9 Game SEC Schedule: Play 3 vs, your pod every year and 2 vs. other pods. You play everyone home and away every 4 years. An MSU schedule would be:
Year 1 and 2: AM, MISS, LSU. OU, MIZZ, ALA, VAN, UGA, USC
Year 3 and 4: AM, MISS, LSU, TEX, ARK, AUB, UT, UF, UK
The No Division System
All 16 teams in a division, 9 Game SEC schedule
3 Permanent Opponents (same as pods above)
6 Rotating Opponents
MSU Permanent Opponents: MISS, LSU, AM
Year 1/2: OU, MIZZ, ALA, VAN, UGA, USC
Year 3/4: TEX, ARK, AUB, UT, UF, UK
Top 2 make SEC Championship Game. Tiebreaker system similar to current Big 12.
Another option for the pod system. Pair the pods each year on a rotating basis. You'd play everyone in your pod, everyone in the pod your pod is paired with, then a permanent opponent from each of the other 2 pods (this preserves annual rivalries like UGA-AU which is NOT going away, and Texas-A&M which will be back as an annual game). Then the 2 paired pod winners play in title game.
I really think the no division or pod system is the simplest and easiest way to go though.
I really think the no division or pod system is the simplest and easiest way to go though.
I like it.
Scheduling...
a. 3 permanent opponents in your pod.
b. 4 opponents from one other pod that rotates every year.
c. 2 opponents from the other 2 pods. To borrow from the NFL, match teams with equal finishes within their pod from the previous year (pick randomly the first year).
With b, you play each team at least every 3 years, and you would play at each stadium at least every 6 years. With c, you would play some teams more often.
Championship game...
a and b above makes schedules mostly similar among the teams in the pods that are paired, making 2 de facto "rotating" divisions each year. Best record from each pod pairing meet in the championship game. For example, if pods A and B are paired (and C and D, also), then the best records from A/B and C/D would meet in the championship game. The next year, A and C would be paired, and the best records from A/C and B/D would meet.
This was what I came up with before:
I don't like 9 conference games, but if we go to 4 pods, it makes the most sense:
3 permanent opponents in your pod
3 x 1 permanent opponent from each pod
3 x 1 rotating opponent from each pod
Add that plus a Power 5 OOC, we're looking at 2 games to schedule the Southern Misses, Eastern Kentuckies, and Troys of the world.
I don't like 9 conference games, but if we go to 4 pods, it makes the most sense:
3 permanent opponents in your pod
3 x 1 permanent opponent from each pod
3 x 1 rotating opponent from each pod
Add that plus a Power 5 OOC, we're looking at 2 games to schedule the Southern Misses, Eastern Kentuckies, and Troys of the world.
Not a fan of that Pod setup. No way Kentucky and Vandy should be two permanents, in pod, for Alabama while State gets aTm and LSU. Nooo sir. That would be a level 10 screw job.
Agree. I'm convinced that anyone advocating for "pods" over just haven't three permanent opponents simply hasn't thought through the difference between those two approaches.
I think there’s too much money in the SEC Conference Championship game to make it go away.
A lot more money in a playoff. Especially after a league schedule that features the current SEC and Texas/Oklahoma.
I mean you could just play continuous games forever, and make money. But you have to think about the players.
Maybe... ESPN is shelling out an additional $300 Million a year to get the broadcast game and the SEC Championship Game away from CBS. That’s more than the current semifinal payout. I have to feel like that’s as much about getting the SEC CG as it is the weekly 2:30 game.
It will be diminished in an expanded playoff, if it ever happens.
And they better start worrying about the players. They've already proven that they have a lot more power than previously thought.
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