Excited About Conference Realignment

[Frank Duncan]

I've got a plan to kidnap Sankey and put him in the hole in my basement until one of two things happens. He either agrees to the idea, or he drops enough weight for me to stitch together a new skin for myself made from his flesh.

He cuts the league teams back to ten, or else he gets the hose again!!

 

[Frank Duncan]

Calling the conference "Southeastern Conference" now has no geographic integrity just as the new other conferences. SEC is effectively gone. Needs a new name.

Suggestions ??

Big South

 

[Vfl2407]

I've got a plan to kidnap Sankey and put him in the hole in my basement until one of two things happens. He either agrees to the idea, or he drops enough weight for me to stitch together a new skin for myself made from his flesh.

It rubs the lotion on its skin Or else it gets the hose again.

It rubs the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again.

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[volbound1700]

SEC East and West worked well with 12 teams. It stopped working with 14. I think this new 16-team arrangement is going to be an upgrade to the 14-team SEC model.

 

[volbound1700]

That makes too much sense for he SEC to consider it

I think that is part of the discussion/plan. However, they have a current contract with Atlanta that runs until 2030 or something crazy so it will be a while before it comes up.

 

[rocketskates]

It will be nice for other teams from what was the east to have to play Bama on a regular basis. I also like that we get to play Miss St/Arky and some of the more manageable west teams other than LSU or a prime Auburn/Ole Miss which has been the case lately.

 

[volbound1700]

This will be a brutal schedule every year. I don’t see how anybody could like it. Tennessee will struggle to get 9 wins a year. We better start recruiting like heck to get depth because there is going to be a lot of injuries.

Actually our schedule next year isn't that bad. Go look at it. Oklahoma was a tough add but we traded Missouri and South Carolina for Arkansas and Miss State. I would say that is a win. Also getting Florida at home is a lot easier.

 

[volbound1700]

If they adopt the dumbass 1-7 model nobody should be happy.

Yeah, I want the 3-6-6. I hate losing an OOC game but it just makes the most sense.

I want our 3 to be Alabama, Kentucky, and Vandy. They are the 3 most important rivals to Tennessee. Florida would be the #4.

 

[TrueOrange]

One thing I hate about all the new realignment is that playing an SEC schedule will be running a gauntlet every season and 9 wins won't be easy to come by, while Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Clemson, and Florida State will continue to play cream puff schedules and win 10-11 games most years. Just based on difficulty of schedule, better SEC teams will miss out on the playoff to lesser teams from the other three "Power 4" conferences every season.

The SEC coaches all said the same thing in 1990 about moving from a 7 game to an 8 game conference schedule and playing a conference championship. How’d that all turn out?

 

[volbound1700]

Regarding the realignment, I feel like the SEC is 2 Big12 team short of really fixing all of our rivalry issues. Kansas and Oklahoma State would fix the issues with Missouri and Oklahoma not having end of year rivals. Kansas-UK would be an excellent Basketball rivalry.

I get that these two programs don't add much $$$ and see why they got left behind plus 18 would be very bloated but I think it would close the loop on Big12 setup and every team would have their major rivals included.

 

[TrueOrange]

If they adopt the dumbass 1-7 model nobody should be happy.

It depends on who they listen to: if they leave the decision up to basing it on the coaches as the main talking points, then probably yes.

If Greg Sankey nuts up like Roy Kramer did in 1990 when every coach said 8 conference games plus a championship game was going to be the death of the conference and tells them all “Tough. This is for the betterment of the conference. You all can go without playing one more Northwestern-Illinois State each year. We are doing this” (despite the public hissy fit the coaches would all throw to the media), then there’s a chance…but I’m sadly not as hopeful/optimistic as I would have been with Roy Kramer or even Mike Slive there.

 

[TrueOrange]

Would someone list all 4 divisions & Teams!

There aren’t 4 divisions…

 

[sami]

The SEC coaches all said the same thing in 1990 about moving from a 7 game to an 8 game conference schedule and playing a conference championship. How’d that all turn out?

I hear you, but just it's a bit irritating seeing a school like Penn State constantly among the top 10-12 and playing NY6 bowls when they lose to the only two good teams they play every year. Maybe adding Oregon and Washington changes that a little, but it's still 5-6 good teams and a lot of dreck in the Big 10. But I suppose the rest of the country says the same about the SEC.

 

[TrueOrange]

Calling the conference "Southeastern Conference" now has no geographic integrity just as the new other conferences. SEC is effectively gone. Needs a new name.

Suggestions ??

It’s a brand name at this point.

 

[TrueOrange]

I expect less undefeated seasons, across the board, especially if they go 9 game SEC schedule.

The SEC coaches all said the same thing in 1990 about moving from a 7 game to an 8 game conference schedule and playing a conference championship. How’d that all turn out?

 

[sami]

It depends on who they listen to: if they leave the decision up to basing it on the coaches as the main talking points, then probably yes.

If Greg Sankey nuts up like Roy Kramer did in 1990 when every coach said 8 conference games plus a championship game was going to be the death of the conference and tells them all “Tough. This is for the betterment of the conference. You all can go without playing one more Northwestern-Illinois State each year. We are doing this” (despite the public hissy fit the coaches would all throw to the media), then there’s a chance…but I’m sadly not as hopeful/optimistic as I would have been with Roy Kramer or even Mike Slive there.

Do you advocate the 9-game 3-6 model? That would be optimal and would keep the Bama game intact, but as long as Saban is still around that will likely never happen.

 

[volbound1700]

Do you advocate the 9-game 3-6 model? That would be optimal and would keep the Bama game intact, but as long as Saban is still around that will likely never happen.

It is the UK faction that is really pushing for the 8 game situation. They want to make bowl game. There was also some contract/money issues that are driving it. Basically SEC wants a bonus if they go to 9 games and won't go until they get it.

 

[sami]

It is the UK faction that is really pushing for the 8 game situation. They want to make bowl game. There was also some contract/money issues that are driving it. Basically SEC wants a bonus if they go to 9 games and won't go until they get it.

I would guess that all the middling schools would prefer 8 games for that reason. MIZ, UF, UK, ARK, AUB, MSU, USCjr, and even A&M are all less likely to be bowl teams and certainly not playoff teams with the 3-6 setup.

 

[volbound1700]

I would guess that all the middling schools would prefer 8 games for that reason. MIZ, UF, UK, ARK, AUB, MSU, USCjr, and even A&M are all less likely to be bowl teams and certainly not playoff teams with the 3-6 setup.

Ding ding ding, it is all about $$$$$. With 4 OOC games, you can win all four and only have to win 2 SEC games to make bowl. Or go 3-1 in OOC (since every team has to play that 1 Power 5 team) and 3 games in the SEC.

However, main reason is that SEC wants to get paid $$$ for that 9th game and is playing hard ball by showing they will do a season with 8 games.

It isn't about fans, strength of schedule, etc. It is all about $$$. Same reason you see Ball States on your schedule is that you want a home game because you make more off a home game, even if it is a weaker team than playing someone like Michigan where you have to give up a home game to make it work.

 

[sami]

Ding ding ding, it is all about $$$$$. With 4 OOC games, you can win all four and only have to win 2 SEC games to make bowl. Or go 3-1 in OOC (since every team has to play that 1 Power 5 team) and 3 games in the SEC.

However, main reason is that SEC wants to get paid $$$ for that 9th game and is playing hard ball by showing they will do a season with 8 games.

It isn't about fans, strength of schedule, etc. It is all about $$$. Same reason you see Ball States on your schedule is that you want a home game because you make more off a home game, even if it is a weaker team than playing someone like Michigan where you have to give up a home game to make it work.

Trust me, I fully understand that it's all about money. Without exception, no rule or policy change is made by a pro or college sports league that doesn't in some way revolve around revenue. Even the ridiculous "safety" rules are drawn up by lawyers and are about liability first and foremost. It has always been this way in some manner or form.

Same reason why they turned an 85,000 seat stadium into 102,000 by 'creating' an extra seat in every row at Neyland. I haven't been here since being in school 40 years ago and came down for the A&M game, and have to say that 14" is not quite enough for a seat, especially these days.

 

[TrueOrange]

I would guess that all the middling schools would prefer 8 games for that reason. MIZ, UF, UK, ARK, AUB, MSU, USCjr, and even A&M are all less likely to be bowl teams and certainly not playoff teams with the 3-6 setup.

Actually, Missouri’s repeatedly been a rather vocal advocate for the 9 conference game schedule setup since they got to the conference in 2013.

They were still on that side of the argument with the last discussions on the matter; they were one of the 4 schools (Missouri, Texas A&M, Florida, Georgia) voting in favor of a 9 conference game schedule in June.

Likewise, this time so were UF (likely because they already lose a home game to a neutral site game every other year) and A&M.

 

[TrueOrange]

Do you advocate the 9-game 3-6 model? That would be optimal and would keep the Bama game intact, but as long as Saban is still around that will likely never happen.

Yes, I do advocate for a 9-game model, with the caveat that is also isn’t some sort of 1-8 setup. I actually think that the Big 12’s whole “everyone rotates playing everyone like some sort of division-less NFL” setup (save for like Arizona-Arizona State and Kansas-Kansas State) is going to be really harmful for them in the long run.

It’s really not Saban so much as it is schools like Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, and Arkansas wanting to keep the 8 game slate, namely for the 4 OOC games (so they can keep scheduling an FCS school, 2 more cream puffs, and a lower-end Power 5 school to make the trip to a bowl game much easier).

Saban’s generally been more for a 9 conference game slate…the issue Alabama seemed to have was more about the pairings, namely in what had come out, it being the only one said to be yearly paired against 3 of the “Power 6” schools of the conference (in their case, getting Auburn and Tennessee plus a huge push by the SEC offices that LSU be their third), whereas the rest of the Power 6 weren’t looking at such pairings: Tennessee’s 3 were looking at having Vanderbilt and potentially UK; LSU’s 3 were potentially including Ole Miss and/or Arkansas; Georgia had Auburn and Florida but also South Carolina; Florida likewise getting South Carolina as a pairing; Auburn potentially having Miss St in its 3.

(And I see the impasse/rock and a hard place here, with Tennessee and Auburn being historic rivals but the SEC offices pushing heavily for LSU because the matchup has become - along with Georgia-Florida - one of the conference’s yearly “it prints money/ratings” games…to the point of also getting selected by CBS before the season even started…I sort of presume if you switched LSU out of their permanent rotation for like Mississippi State so it was like the others, the issue would have likely disappeared).

And I hate to say it, but outside of Dave Hart when he was here, Tennessee itself also generally voted against or not been for a 9 game conference slate, including once again such recently this summer.

 

[sami]

Yes, I do advocate for a 9-game model, with the caveat that is also isn’t some sort of 1-8 setup. I actually think that the Big 12’s whole “everyone rotates playing everyone like some sort of division-less NFL” setup (save for like Arizona-Arizona State and Kansas-Kansas State) is going to be really harmful for them in the long run.

It’s really not Saban so much as it is schools like Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, and Arkansas wanting to keep the 8 game slate, namely for the 4 OOC games (so they can keep scheduling an FCS school, 2 more cream puffs, and a lower-end Power 5 school to make the trip to a bowl game much easier).

Saban’s generally been more for a 9 conference game slate…the issue Alabama seemed to have was more about the pairings, namely in what had come out, it being the only one said to be yearly paired against 3 of the “Power 6” schools of the conference (in their case, getting Auburn and Tennessee plus a huge push by the SEC offices that LSU be their third), whereas the rest of the Power 6 weren’t looking at such pairings: Tennessee’s 3 were looking at having Vanderbilt and potentially UK; LSU’s 3 were potentially including Ole Miss and/or Arkansas; Georgia had Auburn and Florida but also South Carolina; Florida likewise getting South Carolina as a pairing; Auburn potentially having Miss St in its 3.

(And I see the impasse/rock and a hard place here, with Tennessee and Auburn being historic rivals but the SEC offices pushing heavily for LSU because the matchup has become - along with Georgia-Florida - one of the conference’s yearly “it prints money/ratings” games…to the point of also getting selected by CBS before the season even started…I sort of presume if you switched LSU out of their permanent rotation for like Mississippi State so it was like the others, the issue would have likely disappeared).

And I hate to say it, but outside of Dave Hart when he was here, Tennessee itself also generally voted against or not been for a 9 game conference slate, including once again such recently this summer.

I'm sure UT has always been against the 9-game schedule. Those three cream puff home games plus the neutral site game are usually automatic wins and big revenue providers.

It's hard to blame Saban, in all fairness, but it makes sense that they, of all SEC schools, would have the most 'rivalry' games in that they have historically been everyone's biggest game, always circled on the schedule. Actually, LSU has probably been their fiercest 'rival' for the last two decades.

But it will ultimately come down to ESPN ponying up more cash for that 9th game, and Saban probably getting out of either LSU or UT.

 

[TrueOrange]

It is the UK faction that is really pushing for the 8 game situation. They want to make bowl game. There was also some contract/money issues that are driving it. Basically SEC wants a bonus if they go to 9 games and won't go until they get it.

Ding ding ding, it is all about $$$$$. With 4 OOC games, you can win all four and only have to win 2 SEC games to make bowl. Or go 3-1 in OOC (since every team has to play that 1 Power 5 team) and 3 games in the SEC.

However, main reason is that SEC wants to get paid $$$ for that 9th game and is playing hard ball by showing they will do a season with 8 games.

It isn't about fans, strength of schedule, etc. It is all about $$$. Same reason you see Ball States on your schedule is that you want a home game because you make more off a home game, even if it is a weaker team than playing someone like Michigan where you have to give up a home game to make it work.

You’re right on the coaches stance; an easier OOC 3-1 or 4-0 can mean the difference between 7-6/8-5 and 9-4/10-3…which can be the big difference between keeping a job or being fired; it’s why if most of the coaches in the conference were asked about thoughts on playing FCS teams, most of them would want to keep the easy, guaranteed win on the schedule (though the answer wouldn’t be that direct in an interview).

But you’re sort missing focusing on the ADs have being so vocally against it as a major aspect, almost more so than the “they must be hardballing the network for more money in their contract” aspect people have been taking following last summer’s fall-through of schedule discussions.

For most of these ADs, the matter boils down in their views to “a 9th conference game equals one less guaranteed home game’s worth of revenue (ticket sales, stadium vendors, merchandise, etc) in the books that year and that’s bad.” If you suddenly made it so that they could host a 13th regular season game against another Northwestern Louisiana Bayou State, they’d probably agree to the 9 conference game in a heartbeat (…actually who am I kidding, the ADs would probably then just argue for having the extra home conference game AND the 4th or 5th home cupcake game).

 

[ButchPlz]

The thing is, the permanent rivals don't really mean that much. Everyone will be playing a Bama/LSU/Auburn-type crop every season. Saban's argument is just whining and bitching to the media, per usual, but unfortunately the BamaSEC will likely take it seriously.