BS.
I know we're getting our teeth kicked in with Saban there every year, but you don't just change a tradition like that.
If they want to keep it at 8 SEC games per team per year, then just flip the Arkansas-Mizzou/A&M-Carolina games to be Arkansas-Carolina/A&M-Mizzou. Those do make more sense, because Arky and SCar came to the SEC at the same time, and A&M and Mizzou have their Big12 history.
Personally, I'd like to see us bump it up to 9 conference games, and then everyone has to play 1 P5 OOC (already enacted, I think this is the last year that was grandfathered in where a team or two doesn't). To make it all more palatable, make every year have 2 bye weeks. "Championship Week" can be pushed back another week for all I care.
This would allow for the carousel to go back to what it was-- 1 permanent cross-division rival, and a rotating league home-and-home schedule like we had before the latest expansion. I haven't done the math, but considering the pre-2012 plan had 3 cross-division games per year and allowed every 4-year player to visit every SEC stadium, it should still work? Or almost work? A 5-year student should definitely be able to visit all conference destinations, at least in theory.
I want every team to have a geographic P5 OOC at the end of the year like Georgia/GT, UF/FSU, Kentucky/Louisville, Carolina/Clemson.
Tennessee: either UNC or preferably VT
Mizzou: Kansas
A&M: Texas
Auburn: Miami
Alabama: Oklahoma (we wish, they'd probably argue for Tulane or Troy)
(Auburn and Alabama would probably still want the Iron Bowl to be the last regular season game, but maybe their OOC P5 permanent rival could be the week before, instead of both teams beating up cupcakes)
Arkansas: TCU
LSU: Oklahoma State
Miss. State: Baylor or K-State
Ole Miss: Texas Tech
(Same plan as Aub/Bama, probably)
Vandy: who cares, Purdue, Wake Forest, whatever
idk, just daydreaming over here. I'd like all these match-ups, this year, the last five years, and for the foreseeable future.