Should the SEC scrap divisions? (Article)

#26
#26
I'd rather keep it the way it is and have AUB and MO swap divisions.
Also, drop the UT/AL rivalry game. That particular historical rivalry long ago lost its luster.
If we're good enough, we'll get to play them in the championship game at the end of the season anyway.
 
#27
#27
To make this work well these things need to happen,ADD FSU and GT to the SEC, keep 2 divisions- West, AL, AK, MIZZO, tAm, LSU, Ole Miss, MSU, AUBURN, East, UT, UK, uSc, FSU, GT, Vandy, FL, GA.
Play mandatory 7 inter divisional games rotating 1 out every year but keeping rivalry games, add 1 cross divison game for a total of 3. Keep 1 rivalry game, rotate other two, top to bottom (play same 1 of three 2 years in a row) add 2 weeks to the season. Eliminate all but 1 OTC game. Place that game for homecoming for the entire SEC followed by the bye for the SEC.

Perfect SEC! Go VOLS!
 
#28
#28
My only real issue with that plan is that they got rid of the Florida-LSU rivalry game. I enjoy that game every year and consider it a real rivalry.
 
#29
#29
99gator said:
Except that Ole Miss and Miss State are their Vandy and Kentucky not their Missouri and South carolina
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You know that doesn't have any bearing on this conversation at all, right?

Two teams being better than normal inflates a division's results whether they're the top two teams, two in the middle, or the two at the bottom. More wins = more wins.
 
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#30
#30
Longsufferingvol said:
This article lays out a plan for scrapping divisions in the SEC and how scheduling would work. Under this plan, UT would have 3 yearly permanent rivalry games with Bama, Florida, Vandy, and play half of the remaining sec teams in odd years and the other half in even years. In my opinion, this would make SEC play much more interesting and competitive. It would also be nice to play all of the teams on a more regular basis. What do all of you think about this hypothetical plan?

http://www.sbnation.com/college-foo...-schedule-format-divisions-rivalries-rotation
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Not the first time this has been suggested. Won't be the last. Just like Auburn and Alabama to the east and Missouri and Vandy to the west. Until someone concludes the present arrangement is losing money for the conference and it's sponsors, those and other ideas will be regularly cycled and recycled as clickbait.
 
#31
#31
KINGSVOL said:
To make this work well these things need to happen,ADD FSU and GT to the SEC, keep 2 divisions- West, AL, AK, MIZZO, tAm, LSU, Ole Miss, MSU, AUBURN, East, UT, UK, uSc, FSU, GT, Vandy, FL, GA.
Play mandatory 7 inter divisional games rotating 1 out every year but keeping rivalry games, add 1 cross divison game for a total of 3. Keep 1 rivalry game, rotate other two, top to bottom (play same 1 of three 2 years in a row) add 2 weeks to the season. Eliminate all but 1 OTC game. Place that game for homecoming for the entire SEC followed by the bye for the SEC.

Perfect SEC! Go VOLS!
Click to expand...

Florida doesn't want FSU in the SEC. Georgia was a large part of forcing Georgia Tech out, and would oppose their return passionately, maybe just for pure spite.

Plus, the out of conference games allow one more home game to be scheduled each year. Like you, I roll my eyes at Tennessee playing the Brand X games against teams I have to google to learn who the Hell they are, but the extra yearly gate justifies the payout that finances these cash strapped programs.

College football is all about pulling in the Benjamins now. You have some nice ideas in theory, but if you think that will happen, you are dreaming.
 
#32
#32
I really like this concept. It definitely evens things out a little bit and could potentially create more exciting rivalries.
 
#33
#33
SayNoToJorts said:
This all day.

Must keep Georgia, UF, and Bama on the yearly schedule.

No one cares when we play Georgia State or North Texas. Just a waste of a good Fall weekend when we could be playing someone meaningful.
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This and cut down on the time between playing the others. Get back to home and home, I've got several I need to go back and get wins at their place.
 
#34
#34
I'm for busting the divisions, going to 7 SEC game seasons, 5 ooc games, and 1 possible SECCG. Everybody could get played regularly, and we could play some more interesting national matchups.

I'm tired of 8 conference games, when national matchups are so interesting. I loved being able to home and home against OU, UCLA, and UO. I like the onsies v VT, NCSU, and GT. After mid season it gets kinda boring playing UK, Vandy, USC year after year after yeear after year. How much better it would be to see 2 more P5 matchups each year instead, such as KSU, or Purdue, or Penn State, or Arizona State, or Miami, or Oregon State, or Baylor, or or or. C'mon, Kentucky agaaaain.

JMO.
 
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#35
#35
livefaith said:
I'm for busting the divisions, going to 7 SEC game seasons, 5 ooc games, and 1 possible SECCG. Everybody could get played regularly, and we could play some more interesting national matchups.

I'm tired of 8 conference games, when national matchups are so interesting. I loved being able to home and home against OU, UCLA, and UO. I like the onsies v VT, NCSU, and GT. After mid season it gets kinda boring playing UK, Vandy, USC year after year after yeear after year. How much better it would be to see 2 more P5 matchups each year instead, such as KSU, or Purdue, or Penn State, or Arizona State, or Miami, or Oregon State, or Baylor, or or or. C'mon, Kentucky agaaaain.

JMO.
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You'd have a hard time getting the other P5 schools to agree to additional OOC games against the top SEC schools.
 
#36
#36
Let's mix it up a bit, shall we?

I propose a SEC-North and SEC-South

SEC-N:
Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Ole Miss, South Carolina

SEC-S:
Auburn, Alabama, LSU, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi State, Texas A&M.

See you in Atlanta!!!!!!

;')
 
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#37
#37
ptcarter said:
Let's mix it up a bit, shall we?

I propose a SEC-North and SEC-South

SEC-N:
Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Ole Miss, South Carolina

SEC-S:
Auburn, Alabama, LSU, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi State, Texas A&M.

See you in Atlanta!!!!!!

;')
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I hate to tell you this but we lost to 4 of them the last time we played.

Swap us with Miss St and I would be in.
 
#38
#38
Sounds interesting; however, keep the divisions and Bama as an SEC West opponent and play each team in the West with a two year home & home series.
 
#39
#39
We need to get Oklahoma and a good ACC program (FSU, Clemson, Va Tech?) into this thing and divide into two eight-team divisions, each consisting of two subdivisions. You play the three teams in your subdivision every season and the rest of the games rotate. Every fourth year, the subdivisions will be realigned based on conference winning % with the four most winning teams in each division being placed into the same subdivision and the four least winning placed in the other. Instead of the designated traditional rivalry game, the week before the SEC championship game there will be a mini-playoff with the winner of each subdivision playing the winner of the other subdivision within their division. The 12 teams not involved in the mini playoff will be assigned an opponent by the conference, which may be based on traditional rivalries, pairing teams that have not played one another that season, or allowing a rematch of two teams that played a particularly good/close game that season. The two mini playoff winners meet in the championship game.
 
#41
#41
Special Ed said:
Also, drop the UT/AL rivalry game. That particular historical rivalry long ago lost its luster.
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Heresy! So you would have the yearly rivalry end with them on a decade long win streak? Really? This rivalry is streaky... Tennessee is due to have a streak over them soon, but that wont happen if we dont play them on a regular basis.
 
#42
#42
don't see how it would make more money...so, if you can't think of a way to make more money...it won't fly...:)

GO VOLS!
 
#43
#43
TNnative said:
Florida doesn't want FSU in the SEC. Georgia was a large part of forcing Georgia Tech out, and would oppose their return passionately, maybe just for pure spite.

Plus, the out of conference games allow one more home game to be scheduled each year. Like you, I roll my eyes at Tennessee playing the Brand X games against teams I have to google to learn who the Hell they are, but the extra yearly gate justifies the payout that finances these cash strapped programs.

College football is all about pulling in the Benjamins now. You have some nice ideas in theory, but if you think that will happen, you are dreaming.
Click to expand...

No chnace of this happening, but since you mentioned it, UT would stand to make millions more with 3 more SEC games (2 at home)and dont forget the TV money

Season1: UT vs:
GA, FL, Vandy, GT, BALL STATE, BYE, FSU, uSc, AL, LSU, Auburn. ONLY 2 of those games WOULDNT BE ON THE NETWORKS! MONEY VOLS!

Wanna really get crazy; 4 team playoff for the SEC Championship- best record east or west (SEC GAMES) hosts 2nd best team in other division (1vs4, 2-3vs1) then SECCG in atlanta. 12 games plus 2 possible playoff games, 14 game season. SWEET!
 
#44
#44
VFL-82-JP said:
So are Ole Miss and Miss State.

In fact, Bama's dominance aside, you could probably make a case that the SEC as a whole has been more balanced, top to bottom, in the past 10 years than at any other period of its history. Historically best teams being bad, historically worst teams being decent.

As for East-West balance, it can't get much more imbalanced than it has been from 2009 to 2016. I see it shifting the other way as soon as Tennessee and Florida get their acts together (hopefully soon for the Vols).
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If you take Bama out, one could say the SEC hasn't been the dominant team for the past decade.
 
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#45
#45
IknoxvolsI said:
If you take Bama out, one could say the SEC hasn't been the dominant team for the past decade.
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If you take bama out somebody still would have won the SEC, represented the conference in the CFP. Who's to say they wouldn't have been as dominant?
 
#46
#46
Special Ed said:
I'd rather keep it the way it is and have AUB and MO swap divisions.
Also, drop the UT/AL rivalry game. That particular historical rivalry long ago lost its luster.
If we're good enough, we'll get to play them in the championship game at the end of the season anyway.
Click to expand...

This all day. Let Bama keep their rivalry with auburn as the automatic matchup and make our annual west matchup with mizzou.

However, Saban can't coach forever. So there's that. :good!:

because this will never happen.:thud:
 
#47
#47
IknoxvolsI said:
If you take Bama out, one could say the SEC hasn't been the dominant team for the past decade.
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I'm not sure what you mean about the SEC being a "dominant team." I'm going to assume you meant "conference" and that was just mispoken/mistyped.

But still...you'd be wrong about the SEC needing Bama to establish dominance.

First, a stipulation: the SEC (including Bama) was only the 3rd- or 4th-best conference in college football in 2016. Not opinion, fact based on Ws versus Ls against Power 5 opponents.

But in 2015 and just about every one of the decade's worth of seasons prior, even if you take Bama's wins out, the SEC is still the dominant conference. As measured in the only way that counts: Wins against other Power 5 conference members.

We weren't dominant just because of Bama, though Bama has been the most dominant of us. We were dominant because a lot of SEC teams won regular season and bowl games against a lot of teams from other Power 5 conferences.

Now, if you want to go all NegaVol and say that the SEC was dominant in spite of Tennessee not contributing to that dominance from 2008 to 2013, that would largely be true. We rarely won an OOC game against a Power 5 opponent in those years...no bowl game, and rarely beating the one P5 opponent on our regular season card.

But the conference...the conference as a whole (with or without Bama) did really well throughout the BCS era and into the CFB. Right up until our 2016 crash.
 
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#48
#48
Division games shouldn't count in overall sec records. Should be used as a tie breaker at the most.
 
#49
#49
We never should have added Missouri. West Virginia was a much better fit and made sense for the East. Better basketball too.
 
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