Realignment: Divisions, Pods, & Schedules

#51
#51
OrangeEtBlanc said:
I think the best way to handle such realignment would be 4 Pods that couple each year for a rotating division. This allows you to play every team in the conference within 3 years, maintain only 8 conference games, and keep the SECCG as only 1 game instead of 2.
3 intra-pod games. 4-rotational division pod games. And 1 rotating opponent from the most distant (in time) pod yours will couple with, OR a rotating list of rivals you would play when not in your coupled-pod schedule.

Pod 1:

Tennessee

Vandy

Alabama

Auburn

Pod 2:

Georgia

Florida

Kentucky

South Carolina

Pod 3:

LSU

Ole Miss

Miss St

Mizzou

Pod 4:

Arkansas

Texas A&M

Oklahoma

Texas

The winners of each “coupled-pod” division will play in the SECCG that season.
Year 1:

Pods 1 & 2 make “East” Division

Pods 3 & 4 make “South” Division



Year 2:

Pods 1 & 4 make “East” Division

Pods 2 & 3 make “South” Division



Year 3:

Pods 1 & 3 make “East” Division

Pods 2 & 4 make “South” Division



Year 4:

Back to Pods 1&2 VS 3&4.



Year 1 example schedule for Tennessee vs Pod 2:

1. Vandy

2. Bama

3. Auburn

The three intra-pod games.

4. Florida

5. Georgia

6. South Carolina

7. Kentucky

The 4 “coupled-pod” opponents.



8. Mizzou (“most distant pod in rotation” rotating opponent)



Year 2 vs Pod 4

1. Vandy

2. Bama

3. Auburn



4. Texas

5. Oklahoma

6. Texas A&M

7. Arkansas



8. Kentucky



Year 3 vs Pod 3:

1. Vandy

2. Bama

3. Auburn



4. LSU

5. Ole Miss

6. Miss St

7. Mizzou



8. Arkansas



Year 4 vs Pod 2:

1. Vandy

2. Bama

3. Auburn



4. Georgia

5. Florida

6. South Carolina

7. Kentucky



8. Ole Miss



Year 5 vs Pod 4:

1. Vandy

2. Bama

3. Auburn



4. Texas

5. Oklahoma

6. Texas A&M

7. Arkanas



8. South Carolina



Year 6 vs Pod 3:

1. Vandy

2. Bama

3. Auburn



4. LSU

5. Ole Miss

6. Miss St

7. Mizzou



8. Texas



Year 7 vs Pod 2:

1. Vandy

2. Bama

3. Auburn



4. Georgia

5. Florida

6. South Carolina

7. Kentucky



8. Miss St



Year 8 vs Pod 4:

1. Vandy

2. Bama

3. Auburn



4. Texas

5. Oklahoma

6. Texas A&M

7. Arkansas



8. Florida



Year 9 vs Pod 3:

1. Vandy

2. Bama

3. Auburn



4. LSU

5. Ole Miss

6. Miss St

7. Mizzou



8. Oklahoma



Year 10 vs Pod 2:

1. Vandy

2. Bama

3. Auburn



4. Georgia

5. Florida

6. South Carolina

7. Kentucky



8. LSU



Year 11 vs Pod 4:

1. Vandy

2. Bama

3. Auburn



4. Texas

5. Oklahoma

6. Texas A&M

7. Arkansas



8. Georgia



Year 12 vs Pod 3:

1. Vandy

2. Bama

3. Auburn



4. LSU

5. Ole Miss

6. Miss St

7. Mizzou



8. Texas A&M



Rotation complete.



You would play 3 teams every year and ALL the others at least once every 3 years. You would play ALL the other non-pod SEC teams at least 5 times in a 12-year span.

And this is only with an 8-game SEC schedule. The rotation could be improved with a 9-game schedule at the cost of uneven home/away games.

At current, with the one permanent cross-division opponent and one rotating, you play every other SEC team every 6 years. For instance, we just played Arkansas last season and likely won’t see them again until 2026. We play Ole Miss at home this season, but under the current format (maintaining a home & home series) we won’t see them in Knoxville again for 12 years!
Under the format I described, we would have a home & home with every team at least every 4 years, not including the “most distant pod” rotational game.

Take Mizzou in my scenario: By Year 13 we will have played 3 home & home series as non-pod opponents by the time we would play just one home & home as cross-divisional in current format.

In an 8 vs 8 non-pod divisional format even without locked-in cross-division rivals, it would take 8 years to have a home & home with every other team, even if we have 2 cross-division opponents each season.

9-game SEC schedules would be difficult from the standpoint of inability of maintaining equal home vs away schedules.

Ever since realignment happened with A&M and Mizzou I have spent WAY too much time about a 16-team SEC with a pod schedule, lol.
Thoughts? Critiques?
Click to expand...
Wow you put a lot of thought into that. I think Both Bama teams would go East and TX and Ok would stay in the West, Missouri would he moved West and the East would be the stronger conference again. Tennessee already plays Bama every year so it wouldn’t hurt them as much as it would other teams.
 
#52
#52
in case you've not been tuned in for the last (18) months

THIS is the GREAT RESET

that has been discussed by world leaders for quite some time
 
#53
#53
Regardless to all this, the good news is that the Vols FINALLY have some worthy competition in this league. Tired of owning the same 13 teams.
 
#54
#54
They should together a pod of Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and Auburn. They are all close to each other! Then put TN, with Vandy, UK and SCe. 😁😁😁😁
 
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#55
#55
BlinghamptonVol said:
It is official and there’s will be 4 pods determined by alphabetical order of mascots:

Aggies
Bulldogs
Bulldogs
Commodores

Crimson Tide
Gamecocks
Gators
Landsharks

Longhorns
Razorbacks
Sooners
Tigers (Missouri, to keep old big 12)

Tigers
Tigers
Volunteers
Wildcats
Click to expand...
Except our mascot is smokey so... we would be in Texas (hell yes and bring it) Arkansas, Oklahoma.
 
#56
#56
Sounds like LSU would be favored and poor Arkansas gets pooped on. How about leaving things as they are. If Oklahoma and Texas are added put OK in the East Texas in the west.
 
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#57
#57
This looks ridiculous. Introduce two new teams and give them the easiest path? I just don’t see this as a positive.

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#63
#63
SkidsisVFL said:
I’d like to see:

SEC North:

Arkansas
Kentucky
Missouri
Oklahoma
Ole Miss
South Carolina
Tennessee
Vanderbilt

SEC South:

Alabama
Auburn
Florida
Georgia
LSU
Miss St
Texas
Texas A&M

Keep cross div, move to 9 conf games.
Arky-LSU
UK-Florida
Mizzou-Texas A&M
OU-Texas
Ole Miss-Miss St
So Car-Georgia
VOLS-Bama (or VOLS-Florida/UK-Bama)
Vandy-Auburn

—OR—

Pod A: VOLS, UK, Vandy, So Car (Appy Pod)
Pod B: UGA, UF, Bama, Auburn (Deep South Pod [or the “tons of rivalries” pod])
Pod C: Ole Miss, Miss St, LSU, Arky (MissArkAna Pod)
Pod D: Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Mizzou (Big XII Pod)

9 games: 3 in your pod, 2 from each other pod. One home/one away from each pod.

Imo jmo tifwiw etc etc
Click to expand...
Man the northern division is depressing
 
#64
#64
GoBigOrangeVols said:
No divisions and no pods. Each school gets 3 permanent rivals (play every year) and rotates through the other 12 (6 per year), for a total of 9 conference games. Here are each school’s permanent rivals:

Alabama: Auburn, Tennessee,Miss St.
Arkansas: Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas A&M
Auburn: Alabama, Georgia, Miss St.
Georgia: Florida, Auburn, South Carolina
Florida: Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee
Kentucky: South Carolina, Vanderbilt, Missouri
LSU: A&M, Ole Miss, Texas
Ole Miss: Miss St., LSU, Vanderbilt
Miss St.: Ole Miss, Auburn, Alabama
Missouri: Arkansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma
Oklahoma: Texas, Arkansas, Missouri,
South Carolina: Kentucky, Florida, Georgia
Tennessee: Vanderbilt, Alabama, Florida
Texas: Oklahoma, A&M, LSU
Texas A&M: LSU, Texas, Arkansas
Vanderbilt: Tennessee, Kentucky, Ole Miss
Click to expand...
I’m not against playing Bama every year. I’m just against having our other division rivals NOT play them...given the opportunity for a re-set. But we don’t have the “charter member” juice we used to...reckon they’ll do what nick tells them.
 
#65
#65
The athletic suggests that each team has 3 fixed opponents and everything else rotates (not a pod system):

SEC considering 9-game conference schedule when Texas and Oklahoma arrive, team sources say. Here's how it could look

Alabama — Auburn, Mississippi State, Tennessee
Arkansas — Kentucky, Missouri, Texas
Auburn — Alabama, Georgia, Vanderbilt
Florida — Georgia, Tennessee, LSU
Georgia — Auburn, Florida, South Carolina
Kentucky — Arkansas, Mississippi State, South Carolina
LSU — Florida, Ole Miss, Texas A&M
Mississippi State — Alabama, Kentucky, Ole Miss
Missouri — Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M
Oklahoma — Missouri, Ole Miss, Texas
Ole Miss — LSU, Mississippi State, Oklahoma
South Carolina — Georgia, Kentucky, Vanderbilt
Tennessee — Alabama, Florida, Vanderbilt
Texas — Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M
Texas A&M — LSU, Missouri, Texas
Vanderbilt — Auburn, South Carolina, Tennessee
 
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#66
#66
Does the SEC stop at just Oklahoma and Texas? I don't think they are done adding teams just yet according to the super conference models and expanding the College Football Playoff. It's all about the TV money driving the change. We will see.
 
#67
#67
Volprofch05 said:
The athletic suggests that each team has 3 fixed opponents and everything else rotates (not a pod system):

SEC considering 9-game conference schedule when Texas and Oklahoma arrive, team sources say. Here's how it could look

Alabama — Auburn, Mississippi State, Tennessee
Arkansas — Kentucky, Missouri, Texas
Auburn — Alabama, Georgia, Vanderbilt
Florida — Georgia, Tennessee, LSU
Georgia — Auburn, Florida, South Carolina
Kentucky — Arkansas, Mississippi State, South Carolina
LSU — Florida, Ole Miss, Texas A&M
Mississippi State — Alabama, Kentucky, Ole Miss
Missouri — Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M
Oklahoma — Missouri, Ole Miss, Texas
Ole Miss — LSU, Mississippi State, Oklahoma
South Carolina — Georgia, Kentucky, Vanderbilt
Tennessee — Alabama, Florida, Vanderbilt
Texas — Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M
Texas A&M — LSU, Missouri, Texas
Vanderbilt — Auburn, South Carolina, Tennessee
Click to expand...

I think we should be thinking pods, because there is a lot of smoke that says we are not yet done.
Notes: I suspect we stall at 16. I also think the Big 12 breaks up faster than the Titanic.
Pods prepares better for future expansion, my guess:
West: Texas, Texas A&M, Arky, and Ok
Mid West: Mizz, Ole Miss, MS, LSU
Mid East: Aub, Ala, Vandy, KY
East: Georgia, Florida, TN, SC
If we add more teams ... all bets are off ... :^))))
 
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