SEC going with 1 permanent?

Because the conferences, in their greed, have become too big, I don't think there should be any permanent opponents. Teams should play a random selection of conference opponents, and then the following year play those teams that they didn't play the year before. So, yes, I like the idea of playing everybody every two years: That is a fair approach--or as fair as you're going to get given how laughably large the SEC is going to be--and it wants to add still more teams, apparently. It's all greed and nonsense. The league seems to be making a lame attempt to keep some traditional rivalries, when if it really cared about tradition and rivalries it wouldn't have become this bloated conference with a bunch of new schools. Tennessee would be stupid to accept having Alabama as our one permanent opponent--we'd immediately be at a disadvantage compared to every other school in the conference. I say no permanent opponents, and if you lose bama-auburn or georgia-florida, too bad. The league has only itself to blame.

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One permanent opponent is an absolute travesty. It would be a true shame to lose TSIO just because Saban (who won't be on the sideline come 2026) doesn't want to play a tough schedule and Kentucky/South Carolina are concerned about the number of power conference opponents.

Football is cyclical and, while I think you could alleviate much of the problem by pairing Alabama with Auburn/Tennessee/State as opposed to Auburn/Tennessee/LSU, there will be years where your opponents are a gauntlet and years where a plucky upstart Ole Miss squad is ranked #5 and you'll be glad to have avoided them.

For Kentucky and South Carolina, absolutely no one is forcing them to pick up an additional power conference game on top of Louisville and Clemson. If you don't want to schedule a home/home with Purdue or a neutral site game against UNC because you already fulfill requirements by virtue of playing your in-state rival, then by all means avoid doing so without ruining things for everyone else.
 
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I like the diversity that keeping with 8 allows with some mandates on what the other 4 consist of.

1 P5
1 G5
1 FCS
1 Discretionary non-con game

I think the 9 game model makes conferences more closed and I have been skeptical of it from the very beginning because it could cause contraction in competition.
 
With expansion, SEC will eventually have to go to 9 games. Gone are the days of making it to the playoffs with cupcake wins. Also, there is more room for error given the playoff is expanding as well. Go to 9 games with two permanent and everyone one wins. Seeing that UT Jr. Is joining the SEC I would love to see the Texas/OU and kick start Texas/Arkansas again because tradition matters! We can keep Bama and KY!
 
Lets just go to an all independent schedule. Then the Sabans and Smarts can play the cupcakes they feel they deserve every week
 
With expansion, SEC will eventually have to go to 9 games. Gone are the days of making it to the playoffs with cupcake wins. Also, there is more room for error given the playoff is expanding as well. Go to 9 games with two permanent and everyone one wins. Seeing that UT Jr. Is joining the SEC I would love to see the Texas/OU and kick start Texas/Arkansas again because tradition matters! We can keep Bama and KY!

If you don’t give Vandy Tennessee, you might as well kick them out of the SEC.
Plus in your scenario, Texas gets OU and Ark but not TAMU. That makes no sense.
 
I was just listening to Xm84 and the guy said that the schools opposed to a 9 game schedule are:
Arkansas
Mississippi State
South Carolina and
Kentucky.

Shocking I tell you. I think collectively they’ve been to Atlanta 4 times.
The host also said Bama could be leaning towards the 1-7 model too. It’s baffling because Saban has been the one talking up the 9 game schedule for close to a decade . Hey @bamawriter what are you hearing about Bama’s scheduling position ?
 
Looks like Saban is getting his way. He cried and cried about the 3 permanent opponents and took his ball to go home. He’s now the ONE who wants 1-7. Pitiful.

I’m sorry but it’s not college football season without Third Saturday in October.
Support for nine-game SEC football schedule dwindling with Alabama mulling vote for eight-game format
Do what college hoops does. Assign value to better opponents and penalize teams for playing glorified scrimmages. Do that and the 1-7 model works fine. No reason a single loss in season should doom a teams playoff chances if it's against a powerful opponent. Reward teams that take on tougher schedules.....unlike UGA.
 
I was just listening to Xm84 and the guy said that the schools opposed to a 9 game schedule are:
Arkansas
Mississippi State
South Carolina and
Kentucky.

Shocking I tell you. I think collectively they’ve been to Atlanta 4 times.
The host also said Bama could be leaning towards the 1-7 model too. It’s baffling because Saban has been the one talking up the 9 game schedule for close to a decade . Hey @bamawriter what are you hearing about Bama’s scheduling position ?

Saban isn't pleased with the speculation that Bama would get Auburn, Tennessee, and LSU every year in the 9 game model. Bama wants barn, UT, and MSU (Bama's oldest continuous rival).

But I'm not hearing the lean toward the 8 game model that some others are reporting. The most consistent stance I've heard out of the AD is "go to 9 and get the permanent opponents right."
 
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Do what college hoops does. Assign value to better opponents and penalize teams for playing glorified scrimmages. Do that and the 1-7 model works fine. No reason a single loss in season should doom a teams playoff chances if it's against a powerful opponent. Reward teams that take on tougher schedules.....unlike UGA.
I just don’t like giving up traditional games in the fall, part of the pageantry of CFB.
As for UGA schedule, can’t lay blame for the SEC canceling the Oklahoma game and Clemson didn’t want to move up the game from next year.The cancelled OU was the first of two games vs OU (TX/UA playing the 2nd and last of their schedule this year thus allowed to keep it). Clemson, Ohio St, UCLA, etc on UGA’s future schedules should be entertaining.
 
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Think about it. If the SEC was allowed to play SEC teams as non-conference games outside the ESPN contract, what would CBS pay for TSIO, TX-OK, WLOCP (Ga-Fl) and others. I think Sankey will stay with 8 games until ESPN ponies up more money
 
I like the diversity that keeping with 8 allows with some mandates on what the other 4 consist of.

1 P5
1 G5
1 FCS
1 Discretionary non-con game

I think the 9 game model makes conferences more closed and I have been skeptical of it from the very beginning because it could cause contraction in competition.

This is what I like too. Just make the discretionary non-con game a in state school for everyone and keep the money within the system. UT could rotate Memphis, MTSU, UTM, UTC etc. (Although I get the other schools needing to be on board). Most schools should be able to meet those requirements easily.
 
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In a one permanent setup someone is going to get screwed. Might as well be Florida


Would rather no permanent than that ! Might as well hold a random draw every two years and whatever the draw is, do a home and home. Followed by another draw.
 
UF permant is UGA and you get Vandy every year?

Seems.... fair?
Yep..........


Gators deserve a top 10 UGA and FSU every year.............. and a Top 5 UT every couple years thrown in for good measure..............Stars are aligned and all is right in the world.
 
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