My guess at permanent teams after SEC realignment.

[GregAmsler]

Any schedule that has us not playing Florida and Georgia every year is based on money and not rivalry. Simple statement I know, just felt the need to say it.

Not really. Kentucky and Vanderbilt are MUCH longer standing rivals. Georgia and Florida only became rivals as a byproduct of the division split in the 90s. Hell, until the late 90s, we had still played Georgia Tech and North Carolina more than either.

Those who know the totality of Tennessee’s history know that the 3 biggest rivals are Bama, Kentucky, and Vanderbilt. From an historical standpoint, Auburn and Ole Miss have been as big as Florida and Georgia during long stretches.

 

[unfrozencvmanvol]

Meaningless because after 12 it will go to 16. I'm not arguing with the we will be playing Vandy and Ky forever.... But it won't change the fact that I would prefer Fla and UGA. What freaking big time recruit is clamoring for an official visit for KY and Vandy over UGA and Florida?

You realize we'll be playing UF and UGA every other year, right? Under the 3/6/6 plan, we'll play 3 teams every year and the other 12 every other year.

 

[unfrozencvmanvol]

Not really. Kentucky and Vanderbilt are MUCH longer standing rivals. Georgia and Florida only became rivals as a byproduct of the division split in the 90s. Hell, until the late 90s, we had still played Georgia Tech and North Carolina more than either.

Those who know the totality of Tennessee’s history know that the 3 biggest rivals are Bama, Kentucky, and Vanderbilt. From an historical standpoint, Auburn and Ole Miss have been as big as Florida and Georgia during long stretches.

Yeah, I grew up when we played Auburn and Georgia Tech every year. Florida and Georgia only every now and then. That's why Alabama is my No. 1 rival for us. They are the constant nemesis.

 

[NeverWe'llSever]

It's going to be impossible not to have a difficult schedule.

That’s the thing. To me, it doesn’t matter that much who your permanent opponents are. You’ll play every team in the league bi-annually regardless. But at least in the near future, there will be years where we won’t have to play both Bama and UGA in the same year.

The bottom line is, selfishly, I am moving back to Nashville. Vanderbilt, Kentucky and Alabama are the closest schools to me so that’s who I’d like to play every year. Vandy and Bama are locks. I don’t see any scenario where we don’t play those 2 every year. Kentucky, we have played more than any school (and obviously, we dominate them), so I want to keep them, too. I have a tradition with my dad where we go watch UT in Lexington every other year.

 

[NeverWe'llSever]

If Sankey and the SEC power structure go to 9 conference games with three permanent rivals and 6 rotators each season when Texas and Oklahoma join in either 2024 or 2025, this is what I think the 3 permanent teams will be for each of the 16 schools.

ALA - AUB, TENN, VAN
ARK - TEX, MIZ, OLE
AUB - ALA, UGA, MSU
FLA - UGA, LSU, USC
KEN - TENN, MSU, VAN
LSU - OLE, TAMU, FLA
MIZ - ARK, USC, OU
OLE - MSU, LSU, ARK
MSU - OLE, KEN, AUB
OU - TEX, TAMU, MIZ
TAMU - TEX, LSU, OU
TENN - ALA, KEN, VAN
TEX - OU, TAMU, ARK
UGA - FLA, AUB, USC
USC - UGA, FLA, MIZ
VAN - TENN, ALA, KEN


Tell me where you think im wrong and/or, if you agree with me, which schools would make out the best and which the worst with my scenario.

I also made a chart when I was bored at work one day. I’m sure we had a similar process to come up with it. For opponent 1, I picked the obvious rivalries that I thought would be non-negotiable for each school and then filled in the schools that were left. That was easy. For opponent 2, I did the second non-negotiable. This was a little harder, but most of the schools have a definite secondary rival. The third opponent was the hardest, but I tried to pick easier opponents for the top schools and schools that made geographic sense when possible. In every scenario I tried, 1 school gets screwed. And like yours, it was Texas A&M in my model. But I don’t think they’d complain too much, because those are undoubtedly the schools they need to beat to get to where they want to go. Plus, it’s A&M. They’re a big school, so they can handle it and they have little respect in this conference. How’d that gentleman’s agreement work out, Aggies? Lol.

 

[zaqhhh]

Any fan 30 and under is likely to see UF as one of if not the biggest rival (given the relative uncompetitive of the Bama series) so I think excluding UF from our permanent rival is questionable.

 

[LadyVolette]

You realize we'll be playing UF and UGA every other year, right? Under the 3/6/6 plan, we'll play 3 teams every year and the other 12 every other year.

Sounds good to me, and it might rekindle some ild rivalries too, could be fun

 

[NeverWe'llSever]

Any fan 30 and under is likely to see UF as one of if not the biggest rival (given the relative uncompetitive of the Bama series) so I think excluding UF from our permanent rival is questionable.

As a fan under 30, Florida has unquestionably been the biggest rival. But if you gave me the option to dump them for Kentucky, Ole Miss, Auburn or even UGA (schools we have played just as much or more), I would jump at the chance. For starters, we would still play UF every other year. But more than that, I hate Gainesville and Jacksonville, I hate traveling 11 hours to get there and, yes, I hate the hex they seem to have cast over our program. Everything about playing them is miserable.

 

[zaqhhh]

As a fan under 30, Florida has unquestionably been the biggest rival. But if you gave me the option to dump them for Kentucky, Ole Miss, Auburn or even UGA (schools we have played just as much or more), I would jump at the chance. For starters, we would still play UF every other year. But more than that, I hate Gainesville and Jacksonville, I hate traveling 11 hours to get there and, yes, I hate the hex they seem to have cast over our program. Everything about playing them is miserable.

Nah OM, Aub, or UGA def fall behind UF. UK is where the debate should be had.

There are lots of bad SEC towns, that’s not an excuse to not play them as often.

 

[NeverWe'llSever]

Nah OM, Aub, or UGA def fall behind UF. UK is where the debate should be had.

There are lots of bad SEC towns, that’s not an excuse to not play them as often.

UK is definitely my choice. We have played them more than any SEC school and it’s a 3 hour drive for me vs 11.

 

[zaqhhh]

.

 

[Hulavol]

LSU schedule - they should have ole miss, Auburn and Bama no matter what. Without those schools on their schedule, it won’t feel as much like football season.
Too bad we all can’t have four - because it feels wrong not having LSU and Florida every year too.

Bama should be Tenn, LSU, Auburn.

Tenn should be Bama, Florida and pick one from Kentucky / Vandy. - wish we could tell these last two to kick rocks and have Georgia in that spot.

Just my worthless opinion.

 

[vols40]

You realize we'll be playing UF and UGA every other year, right? Under the 3/6/6 plan, we'll play 3 teams every year and the other 12 every other year.

Yes. Yes I do. And I am still in favor of Bama, Fla, UGA as our permanent opponents. It's isn't for some I get that. That's why I ended the post with JMO. This is a forum and the discussion was over our potential permanent opponents. I am also very much in favor of doing away with east west match up in the "meaningless SEC championship game" in favor of the top two teams meeting. I can see it now top players "opting out" of the SECCG then "opting back in" for the soon to be 16 team playoff format. Lol just partly kidding on the last part.

 

[Vol423]

If Sankey and the SEC power structure go to 9 conference games with three permanent rivals and 6 rotators each season when Texas and Oklahoma join in either 2024 or 2025, this is what I think the 3 permanent teams will be for each of the 16 schools.

ALA - AUB, TENN, VAN
ARK - TEX, MIZ, OLE
AUB - ALA, UGA, MSU
FLA - UGA, LSU, USC
KEN - TENN, MSU, VAN
LSU - OLE, TAMU, FLA
MIZ - ARK, USC, OU
OLE - MSU, LSU, ARK
MSU - OLE, KEN, AUB
OU - TEX, TAMU, MIZ
TAMU - TEX, LSU, OU
TENN - ALA, KEN, VAN
TEX - OU, TAMU, ARK
UGA - FLA, AUB, USC
USC - UGA, FLA, MIZ
VAN - TENN, ALA, KEN


Tell me where you think im wrong and/or, if you agree with me, which schools would make out the best and which the worst with my scenario.

Lol. There is no way UT is going to essentially get 2 additional bye weeks out of 3 permanent games.

 

[peaygolf]

Lol. There is no way UT is going to essentially get 2 additional bye weeks out of 3 permanent games.

Those are the three most consistent UT rivalries. Makes sense.

 

[Vfl2407]

Lol. There is no way UT is going to essentially get 2 additional bye weeks out of 3 permanent games.

In this case , it’s not about UT.
it’s about giving each team their choice of their number one rival, for both Vandy and UK, that is UT.
For UT, that is Bama.

 

[Vol423]

In this case , it’s not about UT.
it’s about giving each team their choice of their number one rival, for both Vandy and UK, that is UT.
For UT, that is Bama.

Kentucky will be replaced by either Florida or Georgia.

 

[Boston Vol]

Kentucky will be replaced by either Florida or Georgia.

So it’ll be UF. UGA is going to get UF and Auburn. No chance that the SEC gives them UT on top of those two. I still say that Tennessee will get KY and Vandy.

 

[Boston Vol]

LSU schedule - they should have ole miss, Auburn and Bama no matter what. Without those schools on their schedule, it won’t feel as much like football season.
Too bad we all can’t have four - because it feels wrong not having LSU and Florida every year too.

Bama should be Tenn, LSU, Auburn.

Tenn should be Bama, Florida and pick one from Kentucky / Vandy. - wish we could tell these last two to kick rocks and have Georgia in that spot.

Just my worthless opinion.

Doubtful that LSU-Bama are permanent opponents. Bama is for sure going to get Tennessee and Auburn. They’ve played Mississippi State more than any other SEC opponent, so that’s likely to be their third permanent opponent.

 

[Vfl2407]

Kentucky will be replaced by either Florida or Georgia.

So you are saying that UK’s request to annually play THEIR top rival, UT, will be denied by the conference office.
what do you base this on?

 

[vols40]

Kentucky will be replaced by either Florida or Georgia.

I will take both

 

[Wireless1]

In this case , it’s not about UT.
it’s about giving each team their choice of their number one rival, for both Vandy and UK, that is UT.
For UT, that is Bama.

We have to remember that the schools that would pick us as #1 rival would only be UK and Candy, UGA and Fla pick each other as does Auburn and Bama. USC picks UGA with a close second to Fla.
we’d come closer to getting Ark than Fla, and has been stated, the longest stretch for us to face anybody is 3 years and we’ll see everybody in Neyland every 4 years

 

[landscapingvol]

They will keep UT be UF. To big of a rivalry and always one of the most watched games of the year. One of the best rivalries in the sport

It is not a big rivalry and is a fairly new series