When do Oklahoma and Texas come and how immediately will it affect our schedule?

[BigOrangePaddy]

I know all this is on google somewhere probably but also just wanted some of your thoughts.

Good or bad for the surging uptrending vols? I personally think short term, it won't matter. But long term, both could be major problems down the road with the resources that they bring.

CFB will likely head towards an expanded playoff march madness or NFL style sooner with the NIL and recent league expansions.

What made CFB so different from other sports before was the slim to no margin to error in regular season games. I think it's headed the way or mini NFl now myself post season wise.

 

[SpookyAction]

I have said it before, NIL is going to bring an end to running the table. College football will look more like college basketball. National champions are going to have some losses because the talent is going to be spread more evenly. It is a good thing for college football. It is a good thing for the Vols.

 

[VFL-82-JP]

To answer the questions in the title:

(a) They'll join the SEC by 2025 at the latest. So, three more seasons without them, unless they arrive early.

(b) How that will affect our schedule remains anyone's guess. The SEC floated the idea of a 4-by-4 pod structure for the league, but that was roundly hated. So they're back at the drawing board, as far as we know. Best guess is probably either an end to divisions, round robin scheduling with perhaps two or three permanent rivals played annually (in which case expect Tennessee's permanent rivals to be Bama and Vandy, with possibly Kentucky as the third) ... or keeping the two-division format while shifting a few teams around: TX and OK join the West, MZ moves from East to West, while Bama & Auburn move from West to East.

I personally like that last option. It's clean, and minimizes change just for the sake of change.

And I think none of this poses any problem whatsoever, short term or long term, for the Vols--as long as we continue to get the inspired leadership we have today from our president, chancellor, and AD. That paired with an innovative and motivational coaching staff as we have in Heupel & Co, and we're good no matter who is in the league or how it is built.

~ ~ ~

The points you raise in the OP go beyond those questions, though. You veer into FBS-wide questions. Like whether the playoffs will expand from 4 teams to 8, 12 or 16 (or more), to issues of amateurism vs professionalism, and to narrow-band equity of the sort that makes an undefeated season in the NFL so rare.

Those are complicated questions. I look forward to reading folks' thoughts on them in this thread. Thanks for starting it.

Go Vols!

 

[TrueOrange]

2025 is the target date, coinciding with the expiration of the Big 12’s Grant of Rights (which, until it expires, gives that conference full ownership of the media rights of the member schools - the ones that were conference members at the time it was agreed upon and signed. If the schools leave before then, they have already signed a legal agreement - through that Grant of Rights - to forfeit the financial distributions (revenue) they receive from their new conference back to the remaining Big 12 members for each of the years left on the Grant of Rights contract.).

 

[livefaith]

You're asking us?

 

[swampfoxfan]

To answer the questions in the title:

(a) They'll join the SEC by 2025 at the latest. So, three more seasons without them, unless they arrive early.

(b) How that will affect our schedule remains anyone's guess. The SEC floated the idea of a 4-by-4 pod structure for the league, but that was roundly hated. So they're back at the drawing board, as far as we know. Best guess is probably either an end to divisions, round robin scheduling with perhaps two or three permanent rivals played annually (in which case expect Tennessee's permanent rivals to be Bama and Vandy, with possibly Kentucky as the third) ... or keeping the two-division format while shifting a few teams around: TX and OK join the West, MZ moves from East to West, while Bama & Auburn move from West to East.

I personally like that last option. It's clean, and minimizes change just for the sake of change.

And I think none of this poses any problem whatsoever, short term or long term, for the Vols--as long as we continue to get the inspired leadership we have today from our president, chancellor, and AD. That paired with an innovative and motivational coaching staff as we have in Heupel & Co, and we're good no matter who is in the league or how it is built.

~ ~ ~

The points you raise in the OP go beyond those questions, though. You veer into FBS-wide questions. Like whether the playoffs will expand from 4 teams to 8, 12 or 16 (or more), to issues of amateurism vs professionalism, and to narrow-band equity of the sort that makes an undefeated season in the NFL so rare.

Those are complicated questions. I look forward to reading folks' thoughts on them in this thread. Thanks for starting it.

Go Vols!

Agree with liking the last option, that puts Georgia and Florida playing bama every year same as us. It also makes sense geographically.

 

[OrangeBeachVol]

Both will be coming with big oil $ boosters along with T A&M so they could be every year contenders just due to buying players thru NIL deals. Not that SEC teams don't have big $ to but are they willing spend with the oil tycoons. I'm hoping the NIL stuff runs Saban into retirement.

 

[Franklin_Vol09]

To answer the questions in the title:

(a) They'll join the SEC by 2025 at the latest. So, three more seasons without them, unless they arrive early.

(b) How that will affect our schedule remains anyone's guess. The SEC floated the idea of a 4-by-4 pod structure for the league, but that was roundly hated. So they're back at the drawing board, as far as we know. Best guess is probably either an end to divisions, round robin scheduling with perhaps two or three permanent rivals played annually (in which case expect Tennessee's permanent rivals to be Bama and Vandy, with possibly Kentucky as the third) ... or keeping the two-division format while shifting a few teams around: TX and OK join the West, MZ moves from East to West, while Bama & Auburn move from West to East.

I personally like that last option. It's clean, and minimizes change just for the sake of change.

And I think none of this poses any problem whatsoever, short term or long term, for the Vols--as long as we continue to get the inspired leadership we have today from our president, chancellor, and AD. That paired with an innovative and motivational coaching staff as we have in Heupel & Co, and we're good no matter who is in the league or how it is built.

~ ~ ~

The points you raise in the OP go beyond those questions, though. You veer into FBS-wide questions. Like whether the playoffs will expand from 4 teams to 8, 12 or 16 (or more), to issues of amateurism vs professionalism, and to narrow-band equity of the sort that makes an undefeated season in the NFL so rare.

Those are complicated questions. I look forward to reading folks' thoughts on them in this thread. Thanks for starting it.

Go Vols!

Virginia Tech and North Carolina will join by 2025.

 

[VFL-82-JP]

Both will be coming with big oil $ boosters along with T A&M so they could be every year contenders just due to buying players thru NIL deals. Not that SEC teams don't have big $ to but are they willing spend with the oil tycoons. I'm hoping the NIL stuff runs Saban into retirement.

Oil is big money, sure, but the days of it and steel and railroads being a dominant form of Big Money, those are past.

The richest folks in the US--and the world--these days (fellows like Musk, Bezos, Gates, etc.) tend to be tied to computers and other high tech, not oil.

No need to be afraid of the schools with oil money behind them. They're just another group with rich supporters. Kind of like us.

As for Saban, I'm hoping WE run him into retirement.

 

[TrueOrange]

Virginia Tech and North Carolina will join by 2025.

Unless the ACC completely blows up and literally votes to ends itself as an organized conference, their own Grants of Rights will not expire until 2036.

 

[VFL-82-JP]

Virginia Tech and North Carolina will join by 2025.

Unless the ACC completely blows up and literally votes to ends itself as an organized conference, their own Grants of Rights will not expire until 2036.

Agreed.

And North Carolina will go nowhere without NC State, Duke, and perhaps Wake Forest. Not because the Tarheel alumni love their intra-state rivals so much, but because North Carolina political leaders will not let those schools be separated.

I could see the SEC getting Va Tech one day. But not the North Carolina schools. Not unless we got all of them. And that's bigger than conference expansion; that's forming an entirely new tier of Division I.

 

[Volfan1000]

To answer the questions in the title:

(a) They'll join the SEC by 2025 at the latest. So, three more seasons without them, unless they arrive early.

(b) How that will affect our schedule remains anyone's guess. The SEC floated the idea of a 4-by-4 pod structure for the league, but that was roundly hated. So they're back at the drawing board, as far as we know. Best guess is probably either an end to divisions, round robin scheduling with perhaps two or three permanent rivals played annually (in which case expect Tennessee's permanent rivals to be Bama and Vandy, with possibly Kentucky as the third) ... or keeping the two-division format while shifting a few teams around: TX and OK join the West, MZ moves from East to West, while Bama & Auburn move from West to East.

I personally like that last option. It's clean, and minimizes change just for the sake of change.

And I think none of this poses any problem whatsoever, short term or long term, for the Vols--as long as we continue to get the inspired leadership we have today from our president, chancellor, and AD. That paired with an innovative and motivational coaching staff as we have in Heupel & Co, and we're good no matter who is in the league or how it is built.

~ ~ ~

The points you raise in the OP go beyond those questions, though. You veer into FBS-wide questions. Like whether the playoffs will expand from 4 teams to 8, 12 or 16 (or more), to issues of amateurism vs professionalism, and to narrow-band equity of the sort that makes an undefeated season in the NFL so rare.

Those are complicated questions. I look forward to reading folks' thoughts on them in this thread. Thanks for starting it.

Go Vols!

Perhaps Oklahoma will go to the SEC East while Texas goes to the SEC West.

 

[VFL-82-JP]

Perhaps Oklahoma will go to the SEC East while Texas goes to the SEC West.

It could happen. Along the lines of them putting Mizzou in the East with the previous expansion.

I hope it doesn't, though, if only because I like "East" to truly mean east and "West" to really mean west. Call it OCD or something, heh.

I also like the idea of the SEC West having a Big Eight / SWC vibe. Oklahoma, Texas, A&M, Arkansas, Mizzou ... heck, over half of the SEC-West could be alumni of those other conferences.

Meanwhile, putting both Auburn and Bama in the East (couldn't do that if you moved Oklahoma East) would solve a lot of rivalry issues.

 

[OffTackleVol]

Agree with liking the last option, that puts Georgia and Florida playing bama every year same as us. It also makes sense geographically.

Yes, move Missouri to the West where Texas and Oklahoma will be. Move Bama and Auburn to the East. That puts 8 teams in each division, correct? So, if you play each team in your division, that's 7 games. With a 12 game schedule, how do you do the remaining 5 games? You could play 4 games each season from the other division, that would leave 3 out of conference games. 9 conference games and 3 out of conference?

 

[EconVol92]

It could happen. Along the lines of them putting Mizzou in the East with the previous expansion.

I hope it doesn't, though, if only because I like "East" to truly mean east and "West" to really mean west. Call it OCD or something, heh.

I also like the idea of the SEC West having a Big Eight / SWC vibe. Oklahoma, Texas, A&M, Arkansas, Mizzou ... heck, over half of the SEC-West could be alumni of those other conferences.

Meanwhile, putting both Auburn and Bama in the East (couldn't do that if you moved Oklahoma East) would solve a lot of rivalry issues.

I agree as there really is no one that would be left from the West that really want's to play someone from the east if you take care of the Auburn/Georgia and Tennessee/Alabama issue.

When you get right down to it neither Florida or LSU really want to play each other on a yearly basis.

Do this change and increase the conference games up to 3 cross division games per year and I think this would work.

The problem with pods is that you can't really make them be fair.

A pod with FL, GA, SC and TN would not really be that fair and neither would a pod of MO, KY, TN and Vandy.

One would be East to West and the second from North to South. The first would be more brutal with 3 traditional powers and the second would be a cake walk more often than not for TN.

 

[greenbacknative]

The SEC is really gonna be a monster when OU and Texas arrive, wow!

 

[TrueOrange]

I agree as there really is no one that would be left from the West that really want's to play someone from the east if you take care of the Auburn/Georgia and Tennessee/Alabama issue.

When you get right down to it neither Florida or LSU really want to play each other on a yearly basis.

Do this change and increase the conference games up to 3 cross division games per year and I think this would work.

The problem with pods is that you can't really make them be fair.

A pod with FL, GA, SC and TN would not really be that fair and neither would a pod of MO, KY, TN and Vandy.

One would be East to West and the second from North to South. The first would be more brutal with 3 traditional powers and the second would be a cake walk more often than not for TN.

So are you saying to go to a 10 conference game schedule? There would be 8 teams in each division, so each team would need to play 7 games within the division and with 3 more cross divisional game that would bring you to 10 conference games. (Which I wouldn’t necessarily complain or not complain about; the loudest griping would come from certain schools over only getting to schedule 2 OOC games instead of 4 each year)

 

[LordBolton]

I thought the 4 pod system was a good idea. What was the problem?

 

[VOLINVONORE]

Both will be coming with big oil $ boosters along with T A&M so they could be every year contenders just due to buying players thru NIL deals. Not that SEC teams don't have big $ to but are they willing spend with the oil tycoons. I'm hoping the NIL stuff runs Saban into retirement.

It will be interesting in 15-20 years what the "Big Oil"$ boosters do when fossil fuels use is replaced with solar, electric, atomic, and /or wind energy.

 

[EconVol92]

I thought the 4 pod system was a good idea. What was the problem?

To me the one problem is that one pod is going to get screwed.

You will have 9 teams that can legitimately be considered as contending for a national championship and then 7 teams that at this time have not really shown that ability.

With 4 pods there will be one pod with 3 stronger teams year in and year out and 3 pods with just 2 stronger teams.

Who gets screwed being in the pod with 3 stronger teams?

Just to satisfy a future question I am stating that the 9 teams are, Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and Texas A&M.

The original current set up (prior to the most recent expansion) was to assure that of the above teams now you had 3 in both divisions (Florida, Georgia & Tennessee in the East and Alabama, Auburn and LSU in the West).

 

[cobbwebb0710]

2025 is the target date, coinciding with the expiration of the Big 12’s Grant of Rights (which, until it expires, gives that conference full ownership of the media rights of the member schools - the ones that were conference members at the time it was agreed upon and signed. If the schools leave before then, they have already signed a legal agreement - through that Grant of Rights - to forfeit the financial distributions (revenue) they receive from their new conference back to the remaining Big 12 members for each of the years left on the Grant of Rights contract.).

It could happen sooner than we think. Apparently
the Big 12 has fast tracked the addition of the 4 new schools...
Report: Four new teams set to join the Big 12 in 2023
GBO!!

 

[Okie]

It will be interesting in 15-20 years what the "Big Oil"$ boosters do when fossil fuels use is replaced with solar, electric, atomic, and /or wind energy.

Oil isn't going away. Everything that you touch is made from petroleum derivatives. All of the plastics in cars that reduce weight to increase mpg can't be replaced by electricity. And oil money is quite often generational at this point. I don't live in Oklahoma anymore, but in an area where oil was huge a century ago. The descendants of families who made fortunes in that era are still around and are quite rich. They will continue to give to OU, texas, and A&M.

 

[Vols1966]

Agreed.

And North Carolina will go nowhere without NC State, Duke, and perhaps Wake Forest. Not because the Tarheel alumni love their intra-state rivals so much, but because North Carolina political leaders will not let those schools be separated.

I could see the SEC getting Va Tech one day. But not the North Carolina schools. Not unless we got all of them. And that's bigger than conference expansion; that's forming an entirely new tier of Division I.

Expansion is about money...as much as I would like to see the Hokies in the SEC, their TV market footprint is non existent.

 

[TrueOrange]

It could happen sooner than we think. Apparently
the Big 12 has fast tracked the addition of the 4 new schools...
Report: Four new teams set to join the Big 12 in 2023
GBO!!

Ok, but that doesn’t change anything about the conference Grant of Rights agreement, though. If anything, getting those 4 in quicker just makes sure they have everything already in place before their next TV contract negotiation.

It doesn’t change anything about the already made legal agreement (again, through the Grant of Rights) that would force any school who left before it expired to have to forfeit the financial distributions (i.e., conference revenue) they receive from their new conference straight back to the Big 12’s members for each of the years remaining on the contract.

 

[cobbwebb0710]

Ok, but that doesn’t change anything about the conference Grant of Rights agreement, though. If anything, getting those 4 in quicker just makes sure they have everything already in place before their next TV contract negotiation.

It doesn’t change anything about the already made legal agreement (again, through the Grant of Rights) that would force any school who left before it expired to have to forfeit the financial distributions (i.e., conference revenue) they receive from their new conference straight back to the Big 12’s members for each of the years remaining on the contract.

Did you read the part about Texas being financially ready to join the SEC now, they are just waiting on Oklahoma to come up with their buyout money.
I’m not saying it will happen, just don’t be surprised if it does.
GBO!!