Do we know 2026 SEC opponents yet?

#51
#51
ntxVOL said:
Sankey is negotiating for 4 AQs from the SEC in an expanded playoff. To make that happen, the conference may be required to go to a 9 game conference schedule. That's how those negotiations have gone so far.

A 9 game conference schedule means each team loses a home game every two years. ESPN has offered an additional 50 million per year as compensation, Sankey wants 80.

That's my understanding of where things stand and why 9 conference games are still on the table.
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Sankey and the other conference leaders (except for the Big Ten) is against this format now.

They all prefer the 5-11 model which I believe is the best formula (SEC Champ, Big Ten Champ, Big XII champ, ACC champ and best G5 Champ) plus the next 11 ranked teams.

The SEC would likely get 4-6 teams yearly in that format which is why the Big Ten is strongly against, because their commish wants a 8-4 Iowa team who is 4th in the Big Ten "guaranteed" a playoff spot
 
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#53
#53
NighthawkVol said:
There is every reason to go to 9. If you don’t, you’re going to end up destroying annual rivalries like the 3rd Saturday in October.

12 teams get into the CFP now. It’s about to be 16. If you’re in the top 4 in the SEC, you’re in. If not, you don’t deserve to be.

So drop the requirement to play another P4 opponent each year, add a 9th SEC game, and stop whining about how hard it is. The new format gives you every opportunity to win a NC with a couple of losses.

Otherwise, losing the Tennessee-Alabama, Georgia-Auburn, Etc. games on an annual basis further erodes the magic of the sport. We’re losing all the reasons we fell in love with it in the first place.
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You're close.

Make those FCS games preseason (ridiculous we don't have preseason games), keep the P4 requirement and add a 9th conference game. If I have to do this stupid conference realignment and super conferences, give me more competitive games.
 
#54
#54
It's simple with the 9

Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina
Auburn, Alabama, Tennessee, Vanderbilt
Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Missouri
Arkansas, LSU, Mississippi, Miss State

You play those 3 in your group every year no matter what.

You keep 90% of the rivalries (sorry Alabama-LSU, Auburn-Georgia, Tennessee-Kentucky, LSU-Florida), you switch the 6 every other year and you get to play at every SEC twice and at their place at least once if you stay 4 years at an SEC school. It's not 100% perfect but it makes sense and it works well IMO.
 
#55
#55
zjcvols said:
It's simple with the 9

Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina
Auburn, Alabama, Tennessee, Vanderbilt
Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Missouri
Arkansas, LSU, Mississippi, Miss State

You play those 3 in your group every year no matter what.

You keep 90% of the rivalries (sorry Alabama-LSU, Auburn-Georgia, Tennessee-Kentucky, LSU-Florida), you switch the 6 every other year and you get to play at every SEC twice and at their place at least once if you stay 4 years at an SEC school. It's not 100% perfect but it makes sense and it works well IMO.
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This puts us in such a weird spot because I would rather have Kentucky over Auburn every year. Also, Auburn would rather have Georgia too.
 
#57
#57
Bigorangefaninga said:
F that, I don’t care about the “annual rivalries” anymore anyways! Even if Bama wasn’t bama for the past 15 years or whatever I do not care to play them every year. Now you old people maybe do, but as a guy in his 40’s and also kind of old, I could care less! To many teams in the SEC now and this isn’t old college football. Stay at 8 and play every single different team you can every few years and let’s see some good games against teams we don’t usually get to even play. I’d love to play little UT while saying screw Bama and it’s all because not everyone’s “rival” is up to snuff!
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I'm in my 40s too (49) and I can't imagine a football season without Bama on the schedule, though I am glad we'll get to play Texas sometimes.
 
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#60
#60
SquirrelOrange3 said:
During the '80s, I heard a lot of Tennessee fans saying "Bama's our biggest rival, but I hate Auburn more." In the '90s, it was the same quote with Florida swapped out for Auburn.
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I think people my age who grew up with Florida as a hated rival seem to not realize we hardly ever played them before the divisions were set. We didn't play Florida and Georgia every year.
 
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#62
#62
Bigorangefaninga said:
F that, I don’t care about the “annual rivalries” anymore anyways! Even if Bama wasn’t bama for the past 15 years or whatever I do not care to play them every year. Now you old people maybe do, but as a guy in his 40’s and also kind of old, I could care less! To many teams in the SEC now and this isn’t old college football. Stay at 8 and play every single different team you can every few years and let’s see some good games against teams we don’t usually get to even play. I’d love to play little UT while saying screw Bama and it’s all because not everyone’s “rival” is up to snuff!
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Why don't you just come out and say that you don't like college football, because removing the annual rivalries instantly turns CFB into the NFL Lite, which it is fast becoming anyway.

The one thing you said I agree with (although you didn't mean it that way) is that there are too many teams in the SEC. Amen to that. The fact that it isn't "old college football" any more is plain as day, and it is a damn shame.

As far as the OP's questions - no more expansion, but some retraction eliminating the four Big 12 teams would be very nice. Regardless of whether it's 8 or 9 conference games, I want to keep the Bama, Vandy, and UK games.
 
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#63
#63
zeppelin128 said:
I'm good with whatever allows us to keep Bama, Kentucky, and Vandy as annual rivals. I don't care about the rest, but those 3 are a requirement for me. I would be royally pissed if we stopped playing any of those three for some game against teams that should still be in the Big12.

I don't care about playing Mizzou or whatever. I do care, very much, about the TSIO.
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I could take or leave Kentucky. When the nine game schedule was initially being speculated about, people were saying our three permanent games would be Alabama, Vanderbilt and South Carolina. Personally I'd rather play the Gamecocks every year than Kentucky. It's way better for recruiting in the Carolinas/Georgia and sometimes they have a good team. There's not much upside in beating UK every year.
 
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