Jimbo Fisher talks conference realignment, ideal SEC scheduling model

Jimbo Fisher touched on a number of recent changes across the college football landscape including NIL, the transfer portal and conference realignment at the 2022 SEC Media Days.

A topic of emphasis for Fisher was the addition of Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC in the coming years, what it means for conference realignment within the SEC and an ideal scheduling model that would allow teams to play everyone in the conference within 2-3 years, while maintaining three permanent opponents within the conference.

“Well, the scheduling model I think is critical, especially as conferences expand,” he said. “I think the ability to get everybody to play everybody is critical. Because when you’re talking about a conference champion, now, not being able to play each other and make sure you do while a guy is there in school. And now conference champions can’t be determined by how the schedule falls. That’s never been the case when you always played them all.”

The current scheduling model leads to players going through their entire four-year careers without facing certain out-of-division foes like Georgia and Florida, which is why Fisher expressed his support for a model every team plays three “rivals” each year while its other opponents rotate.

“But I think, probably the model of three [yearly rivals] is much better,” he said. “And I think it gives you more consistency and you can keep some traditional rivalries. Which, that’s the one thing we’re trying to do in college football.”

He added.

“That, to me, makes college football special. The rivalries of college football. Trying to keep as many traditions as you can with the expanding world. Because listen, things are inevitable. They’re always going to change. But if you can keep as much as you can, I think it’s great. So I think that model will be there.”

Fisher already has an idea of which three schools he’d like to see Texas A&M play as their three rivals once Texas and Oklahoma join the conference.

“You want Texas because of that rivalry,” he said. “LSU is a great rivalry. Arkansas goes into that. Probably LSU and Texas for sure. The third team is Mississippi State.”

Texas was an obvious choice as both the Aggies and Longhorns have expressed interest in restarting the in-state rivalry. Both would naturally play each other when the Longhorns join the SEC, but making Texas a permanent opponent would only heat up the rivalry between both schools. LSU’s proximity and the history between both schools makes sense, same goes for the Bulldogs and Razorbacks, two current SEC West rivals and two of the closer teams to Texas A&M in the conference. Fisher notably omitted Oklahoma from his list of preferred opponents. From a regional standpoint, the Sooners would make a lot of sense as a permanent opponent, but since joining the SEC, Texas A&M does have some history with both Arkansas and Mississippi State.