Neuheisel just stated a 4 pod format for 16 team SEC
- Thread starter Bulldog Bruce
- Start date
I've got a setup. I call it The Matrix. Arrange the teams in a 4x4 grid.
ABCD
EFGH
IJKL
MNOP
You play everyone on your row and column permanently. So let's say you're team A, you have B, C, D, E, I, and M. The other three opponents come from your group for the year. You can group by pairing rows together or columns together. So something like rows 1&2 in one division and rows 3&4 in the other. In that case you'd also play F, G, and H to get to nine games. The next year the groups change, so it might be columns 1&3 in a division and 2&4 in the other. In that case G, K, and O are your other opponents for the year.
ABCD
EFGH
IJKL
MNOP
You play everyone on your row and column permanently. So let's say you're team A, you have B, C, D, E, I, and M. The other three opponents come from your group for the year. You can group by pairing rows together or columns together. So something like rows 1&2 in one division and rows 3&4 in the other. In that case you'd also play F, G, and H to get to nine games. The next year the groups change, so it might be columns 1&3 in a division and 2&4 in the other. In that case G, K, and O are your other opponents for the year.
Not sure why everyone hates pods - nobody seems to mind the NFL which is the same thing but "worse" in terms of duplicity of home and homes within "pods". They seem to make the most sense to me.
From all the media here in Texas during the SEC expansion news, I would be surprised if they grouped TAMU and TEX together. I think TAMU would fight that, so I would imagine:
South: MSU, OM, LSU, TAMU
West: TEX, OU, MIZ, ARK
North/Central: TENN, VANDY, BAMA, AUB
East: UGA, SCAR, FLA, UK
That seems generally "fair" across the board. Auburn can get competitive and Tennessee can't be terrible forever, right? UGA would have a pretty easy route, but FLA should come back at some point.
It just seems hard to get a 16 team conference (of which 66% of the National Champions have come from since the BCS era) boiled down to 2. It was nearly a nightmare for the B12 this season and that was only with 10 teams. You almost have to go to a 9 (or maybe 10) game schedule to make sure a coin toss or another goofy-*** tiebreaker doesn't decide the fate. After that, its SEC championship game and 3 CFP if we really move to 8 teams.
We are looking at a 16 game NCAA schedule. Is that too much? To keep it to 14 or less, there would be no more cupcake games. Essentially killing a lot of G5 programs dependent on that money. ESPN would love it though, better content.
From all the media here in Texas during the SEC expansion news, I would be surprised if they grouped TAMU and TEX together. I think TAMU would fight that, so I would imagine:
South: MSU, OM, LSU, TAMU
West: TEX, OU, MIZ, ARK
North/Central: TENN, VANDY, BAMA, AUB
East: UGA, SCAR, FLA, UK
That seems generally "fair" across the board. Auburn can get competitive and Tennessee can't be terrible forever, right? UGA would have a pretty easy route, but FLA should come back at some point.
It just seems hard to get a 16 team conference (of which 66% of the National Champions have come from since the BCS era) boiled down to 2. It was nearly a nightmare for the B12 this season and that was only with 10 teams. You almost have to go to a 9 (or maybe 10) game schedule to make sure a coin toss or another goofy-*** tiebreaker doesn't decide the fate. After that, its SEC championship game and 3 CFP if we really move to 8 teams.
We are looking at a 16 game NCAA schedule. Is that too much? To keep it to 14 or less, there would be no more cupcake games. Essentially killing a lot of G5 programs dependent on that money. ESPN would love it though, better content.
I think if they go the 4 pod route your lineups will be exactly what we will see.
So here is what I would like to see. 4 Pods.
AM OK TX MZ
LSU AR OM MS
Van TN Bama AU
GA FL SC KY
Play 9 game SEC schedule 3 Perm POD games then POD 1 Plays Pod 2 in year 1 and 2. The 8th game would be 1 team from POD 3 for POD 1. POD 2 would play 1 from POD 4. .
9th game would be unsettled and a semifinal to make SEC championship.
POD 1 Plays POD 4
POD 2 Plays POD 3
1 seed from each POD plays 1 seed
2 seed plays 2 seed and so on
The winners of the 1 seed games will play for SEC championship.
To keep each team alternating a 5th sec home game you would alternate Which POD gets 9th game at home each year.
AM OK TX MZ
LSU AR OM MS
Van TN Bama AU
GA FL SC KY
Play 9 game SEC schedule 3 Perm POD games then POD 1 Plays Pod 2 in year 1 and 2. The 8th game would be 1 team from POD 3 for POD 1. POD 2 would play 1 from POD 4. .
9th game would be unsettled and a semifinal to make SEC championship.
POD 1 Plays POD 4
POD 2 Plays POD 3
1 seed from each POD plays 1 seed
2 seed plays 2 seed and so on
The winners of the 1 seed games will play for SEC championship.
To keep each team alternating a 5th sec home game you would alternate Which POD gets 9th game at home each year.
My proposal:
The “remember the Big 8” Pod:
Texas, TAMU, OK, Mizzou
The “when is basketball season” pod:
Kentucky, Tennessee, Auburn, South Carolina
The “Road to Omaha” pod:
LSU, State, Vandy, Arkansas
The “2 Seasons” pod (football, and Crootin’):
Bama, Georgia, Florida, Ole Miss
The “remember the Big 8” Pod:
Texas, TAMU, OK, Mizzou
The “when is basketball season” pod:
Kentucky, Tennessee, Auburn, South Carolina
The “Road to Omaha” pod:
LSU, State, Vandy, Arkansas
The “2 Seasons” pod (football, and Crootin’):
Bama, Georgia, Florida, Ole Miss
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Never thought we'd see A&M, Texas and Oklahoma in the SEC
but here we are...Time to move on from some of this nonsense of "the way its always been."
but here we are...Time to move on from some of this nonsense of "the way its always been."
I think it's almost certain we'll avoid Bama as a permanent opponent. In a pod system, we will probably be in a pod with Mississippi, LSU and either A&M or Arkansas. Even with permanent opponents outside your pod, Bama's permanent in our pod would be LSU (that's a huge TV moneymaker that isn't going to a rotating basis). If you go with 3 permanent opponents, Bama's would be Auburn, Tennessee & LSU. Even if they went to an 8-team East-West division format, Bama & Auburn would likely be in the East.
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