Conference Realignments

#177
#177
milohimself said:
Imo, put ecu in a major conference and it becomes the premier football program in that state within four years.

And that includes the panthers. :)
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But what would its TV ratings be? It's hard for me to imagine they would be comparable to NC State.
 
#178
#178
Velo Vol said:
But what would its TV ratings be? It's hard for me to imagine they would be comparable to NC State.
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From my experience they have an alright fanbase. The thing is that fanbase is growing pretty quickly, because they've been seeing some pretty decent success. I think they would dominate the state if they weren't in C-USA.
 
#182
#182
Manvol said:
This I agree with out of the others mentioned. The enrollment is huge.
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Actually has the top 5 student population in the nation, but I will say no even though it is my second fave college team. They play in a pro stadium and it would take away from the SEC quite a bit
 
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#183
#183
South Florida is also known for being a commuter school which is another thing that I think the SEC finds distasteful in general. That's the reason I don't see USF, ECU, Cincy, or Louisville coming in.

Are they commuter schools? Probably, but I don't know and don't really care. I still don't see any of these as viable options, even though ECU is intriguing.

I still think that TCU is a good option for #16.
 
#188
#188
coastertal said:
South Florida is also known for being a commuter school which is another thing that I think the SEC finds distasteful in general. That's the reason I don't see USF, ECU, Cincy, or Louisville coming in.

Are they commuter schools? Probably, but I don't know and don't really care. I still don't see any of these as viable options, even though ECU is intriguing.

I still think that TCU is a good option for #16.
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ECU is NOT a commuter school. It is in the middle of nowhere a la Starkville, and Greenville is a great college town. IMO they would be a good fit. They will routinely beat Vandy, KY, Ole Miss and might trip up a GA or SC or maybe even TN. The Eastern NC/VA area produces good talent. They would only get better. plus the SEC would break into the Raleigh NC and Norfolk/VA Beach/Tidewater TV markets. That would be worth at least 2 mil+ tv sets.
 
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#189
#189
KureVol said:
ECU is NOT a commuter school. It is in the middle of nowhere a la Starkville, and Greenville is a great college town. IMO they would be a good fit. They will routinely beat Vandy, KY, Ole Miss and might trip up a GA or SC or maybe even TN. The Eastern NC/VA area produces good talent. They would only get better. plus the SEC would break into the Raleigh NC and Norfolk/VA Beach/Tidewater TV markets. That would be worth at least 2 mil+ tv sets.
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ECU's turned into a good program, and if we can't pull an ACC school they'd easily be the best pickup.

Also where are the WVU rejection rumors? I want to get my hopes up.
 
#190
#190
Dowdy Ficklen is a tough place to play. Just ask NC State and UNC. There fans are routinely liquored up and ripened for their games. However they don't refer to it as EZU for nothing. Their academic reputation is poor.
 
#192
#192
Okay, so I've had great interest in how this conference realignment will change our schedule over the years and I've worked out some different scenarios using some hypothetical additions.

Let's say we add 4 schools to go to 16 teams. It seems unlikely that we'd keep a 8-team 2 division league which would result in terribly difficult scheduling. I think a 4-team, 4-pod system is the only way to go with 16 teams.

So, let's say we add ATM (done deal), Mizzou (likely), WVU (possible, but who knows), and ECU (possible, but unlikely). Due to the strengthening of the ACC and the $20 million buyout, snagging a team from that conference will now be very very difficult, though not necessarily impossible.

Now, let's say we move to 4 4-team pods.

North:
Tennessee
Kentucky
Vandy
WVU*

East:
Florida
Georgia
South Carolina
East Carolina*

South:
Bama
Auburn
Ole Miss
Miss St.

West:
LSU
Arkansas
A&M*
Mizzou*
______________________________

Now, with such a format we could have rotating pods which then comprise the 2 divisions each year.

So, one season it's North+South vs. East+West, the next rotation would be North+East vs. South+West, and then it would be North+West vs. South+East, and then back to the first year division format.

So, our schedule could look like this:

p=Pod rival, d=Division Rival r=permanent Rival/rotational rival

Vandy p
UK p
WVU p
Florida d
Georgia d
South Carolina d
ECU d
Bama r

So, in a season of North+East pods comprising a division, we could play our 3 pod-rivals, 4 division rivals, and 1 permanent rival in Bama each year, making SEC schedule 8 games.

Another season our schedule could be:

Vandy p
UK p
WVU p
Bama d
Auburn d
Ole Miss d
Miss St. d
Rotational Rival (Florida?) r

Now, whenever the North+South pods comprise a division, UT would play our permanent rival in Bama, making way for a second rotational rival game in years where perm rivals play one another. This rotational rival could be a single team, or perpetually rotated among different SEC team members. For instance, when North+South play one another, our rotational rival would be from either the East+West pods.

Now, let's look at the nitty-gritty of scheduling.

Let's say we move to such a format starting next year for hypothetical purposes.

With the pod-division format, we could have a 1-year or 2-year format (allowing for a contiguous home&home series). Thus, the North+South pods would be a division for two years before rotating.

In a 1-year format, where we would rotate pod-division lineups every year, a schedule with a particular team (let's say UF) would look like this:

2012: Home against UF
2015: Away against UF
2018: Home against UF
2021: Away against UF.

We would play a cross-pod team 4 times every 9 years, with a three-year gap in between each meeting. The gap between home games against against UF would be 6 years. So, in this format, we would see the Gators come to Knoxville every 6 years.

Now, let's change it to a two-year pod-division setup.

2012: Home against UF.
2013: Away against UF.
2018: Home against UF.
2019: Away against UF.

In such a format, we would play UF 4 times in only 7 years, but there would be a 5 year gap between the series and a 6 year gap between home games. Thus, we would see Florida come to Neyland every 6 years in this scheme also.

Now, let's take a look at how cross-division games are played in the current 12-team setup.

2011: @Arky & LSU
2010: @LSU & Ole Miss
2009: @Ole Miss & Auburn
2008: @Auburn & Miss St.
2007: @Miss St. & Arky
2006: @Arky & LSU

In the current format we play a non-permanent rival cross-division series with a particular team every 4 years. The gap between two home games against a particular team is 5 years.

For instance, the last time Arkansas came to Knoxville was in 2007. The next time they will be back is next season, 2012.

Thus, there is a 4 year gap between playing a team and a 5 year gap between 2 home games against a certain team.

Now, even with 4 new teams added, even with a 1-year or 2-year pod-division format, there are only 3 or 5 year gaps between games with a team and a 6 year gap between two home games against a particular team.

A 1-year pod-division format gives more frequent games than even the current setup, but only one more year difference between 2 home games. A 2-year setup makes the time between playing cross-pod/division opponents longer, but gives the benefit of back-to-back home&away series rather than spreading them out every 3 years.

The team with the best record of the pod-division is the champion and represents the division in the SEC championship game.

So, let's say this:
North+East division
North Pod
1. Tennessee
2. WVU
3. Vandy
4. Kentucky
East Pod
1. Florida
2. South Carolina
3. Georgia
4. East Carolina

Let's say Tennessee had the better SEC record between us and Florida, thus UT is the division rep in the SECCG from this pod-division.

The next season could look like this:
North+West Division
North Pod
1. Tennessee
2. Vandy
3. WVU
4. Kentucky
West Pod
1. LSU
2. A&M
3. Arkansas
4. Mizzou

Let's say that LSU has the better SEC record between us and them, so they would represent the division in the SECCG.

This is the only feasible setup I can see for a 16-team league. 8-team divisions would be so utterly cumbersome, both in scheduling and competition. You could never expect a lower-level team to compete in a 8-team division, but a 4-team pod helps the lower teams be more competitive, thus generating better football games and more intriguing match-ups.

This format helps maintain traditional rivalries, boost competition and spread it evenly, rotate cross-division games more fairly, and overall improve the quality of the football of the SEC.

You'll still see UT-Bama, Bama-AU, UF-UGA, UGA-AU, UF-LSU, LSU-Arky, LSU-TAMU, Ole Miss-Miss St., EVERY SINGLE YEAR. Little loss of traditional rivalries with the exception of Bama-LSU and UT-UF which could still take the place of the yearly rotational rival (seasons where UT's pod plays Bama's pod, our rival game is Florida, likewise LSU for the Tide).
 
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#193
#193
If ECU was a great program then the ACC would be chasing them. I would rather have Troy, Marshall, or Cincinnati. And I do not want any of those. Even SoutherN Miss or Tulane makes more sense than ECU.
 
#194
#194
onevol74 said:
If ECU was a great program then the ACC would be chasing them. I would rather have Troy, Marshall, or Cincinnati. And I do not want any of those. Even SoutherN Miss or Tulane makes more sense than ECU.
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The ACC already has four North Carolina teams as it is, why would they add another, even if ECU is a good program? UNC, NC State, Duke, and Wake Forest already comprise the North Carolina market for the ACC.

Like FSU and Clemson are good programs, they would only add to markets the SEC already has. It's somewhat similar for ECU and the ACC.

North Carolina is a market the SEC currently has no presence in, so the adding of ECU is not entirely far-fetched. Putting them in a good conference may help them overtake the basketball-focused North Carolina schools of the ACC in popularity in football.
 
#195
#195
onevol74 said:
If ECU was a great program then the ACC would be chasing them. I would rather have Troy, Marshall, or Cincinnati. And I do not want any of those. Even SoutherN Miss or Tulane makes more sense than ECU.
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Out of all the choices outside of WVU, they are the best option considering location and facilities. WVU is a hell of a long way from Knoxville.
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#196
#196
OrangeUTopia said:
Me too. I'd prefer going back to having conferences limited to 10 teams. Much rather have 6-8 quality conferences like the old SEC, Big 10, Pac 10, ACC, Big 8, SWC andBig East than what it's coming to with 4 superconferences.
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Me too. But it's all about the Bennies now. NFL-lite...
 
#197
#197
JoeKyleVol said:
Okay, so I've had great interest in how this conference realignment will change our schedule over the years and I've worked out some different scenarios using some hypothetical additions.

Let's say we add 4 schools to go to 16 teams. It seems unlikely that we'd keep a 8-team 2 division league which would result in terribly difficult scheduling. I think a 4-team, 4-pod system is the only way to go with 16 teams.

So, let's say we add ATM (done deal), Mizzou (likely), WVU (possible, but who knows), and ECU (possible, but unlikely). Due to the strengthening of the ACC and the $20 million buyout, snagging a team from that conference will now be very very difficult, though not necessarily impossible.


Now, let's say we move to 4 4-team pods.

North:
Tennessee
Kentucky
Vandy
WVU*

East:
Florida
Georgia
South Carolina
East Carolina*

South:
Bama
Auburn
Ole Miss
Miss St.

West:
LSU
Arkansas
A&M*
Mizzou*
______________________________

Now, with such a format we could have rotating pods which then comprise the 2 divisions each year.

So, one season it's North+South vs. East+West, the next rotation would be North+East vs. South+West, and then it would be North+West vs. South+East, and then back to the first year division format.

So, our schedule could look like this:

p=Pod rival, d=Division Rival r=permanent Rival/rotational rival

Vandy p
UK p
WVU p
Florida d
Georgia d
South Carolina d
ECU d
Bama r

So, in a season of North+East pods comprising a division, we could play our 3 pod-rivals, 4 division rivals, and 1 permanent rival in Bama each year, making SEC schedule 8 games.

Another season our schedule could be:

Vandy p
UK p
WVU p
Bama d
Auburn d
Ole Miss d
Miss St. d
Rotational Rival (Florida?) r

Now, whenever the North+South pods comprise a division, UT would play our permanent rival in Bama, making way for a second rotational rival game in years where perm rivals play one another. This rotational rival could be a single team, or perpetually rotated among different SEC team members. For instance, when North+South play one another, our rotational rival would be from either the East+West pods.

Now, let's look at the nitty-gritty of scheduling.

Let's say we move to such a format starting next year for hypothetical purposes.

With the pod-division format, we could have a 1-year or 2-year format (allowing for a contiguous home&home series). Thus, the North+South pods would be a division for two years before rotating.

In a 1-year format, where we would rotate pod-division lineups every year, a schedule with a particular team (let's say UF) would look like this:

2012: Home against UF
2015: Away against UF
2018: Home against UF
2021: Away against UF.

We would play a cross-pod team 4 times every 9 years, with a three-year gap in between each meeting. The gap between home games against against UF would be 6 years. So, in this format, we would see the Gators come to Knoxville every 6 years.

Now, let's change it to a two-year pod-division setup.

2012: Home against UF.
2013: Away against UF.
2018: Home against UF.
2019: Away against UF.

In such a format, we would play UF 4 times in only 7 years, but there would be a 5 year gap between the series and a 6 year gap between home games. Thus, we would see Florida come to Neyland every 6 years in this scheme also.

Now, let's take a look at how cross-division games are played in the current 12-team setup.

2011: @Arky & LSU
2010: @LSU & Ole Miss
2009: @Ole Miss & Auburn
2008: @Auburn & Miss St.
2007: @Miss St. & Arky
2006: @Arky & LSU

In the current format we play a non-permanent rival cross-division series with a particular team every 4 years. The gap between two home games against a particular team is 5 years.

For instance, the last time Arkansas came to Knoxville was in 2007. The next time they will be back is next season, 2012.

Thus, there is a 4 year gap between playing a team and a 5 year gap between 2 home games against a certain team.

Now, even with 4 new teams added, even with a 1-year or 2-year pod-division format, there are only 3 or 5 year gaps between games with a team and a 6 year gap between two home games against a particular team.

A 1-year pod-division format gives more frequent games than even the current setup, but only one more year difference between 2 home games. A 2-year setup makes the time between playing cross-pod/division opponents longer, but gives the benefit of back-to-back home&away series rather than spreading them out every 3 years.

The team with the best record of the pod-division is the champion and represents the division in the SEC championship game.

So, let's say this:
North+East division
North Pod
1. Tennessee
2. WVU
3. Vandy
4. Kentucky
East Pod
1. Florida
2. South Carolina
3. Georgia
4. East Carolina

Let's say Tennessee had the better SEC record between us and Florida, thus UT is the division rep in the SECCG from this pod-division.

The next season could look like this:
North+West Division
North Pod
1. Tennessee
2. Vandy
3. WVU
4. Kentucky
West Pod
1. LSU
2. A&M
3. Arkansas
4. Mizzou

Let's say that LSU has the better SEC record between us and them, so they would represent the division in the SECCG.

This is the only feasible setup I can see for a 16-team league. 8-team divisions would be so utterly cumbersome, both in scheduling and competition. You could never expect a lower-level team to compete in a 8-team division, but a 4-team pod helps the lower teams be more competitive, thus generating better football games and more intriguing match-ups.

This format helps maintain traditional rivalries, boost competition and spread it evenly, rotate cross-division games more fairly, and overall improve the quality of the football of the SEC.

You'll still see UT-Bama, Bama-AU, UF-UGA, UGA-AU, UF-LSU, LSU-Arky, LSU-TAMU, Ole Miss-Miss St., EVERY SINGLE YEAR. Little loss of traditional rivalries with the exception of Bama-LSU and UT-UF which could still take the place of the yearly rotational rival (seasons where UT's pod plays Bama's pod, our rival game is Florida, likewise LSU for the Tide).
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:jawdrop:
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