Expected Future Vol SEC schedule if 7-1 format adopted.

[volbound1700]

Because of these Three names. Heupel, Kelly, and Freeze.
I think he sees an upgrade in coaching at all three places.
Saban wants to keep Auburn only.
If he has to add a second team, he wants MSU because he says they are a more important rivalry than Vols or LSU because of their close proximity to Starkville. Yeah, ok, Nick, sure.

I actually think they should have gotten Miss State instead of LSU. I had a perfect breakdown by team that maintained some of the regional/historical rivalries. Miss State is the closest school to Alabama and one of their longer series (they played MSU far more than LSU).

Here is how I would have done it:

Alabama: Auburn, Miss State, Tennessee

Arkansas: Texas, LSU, Missouri

Auburn: Alabama, Georgia, Ole Miss

Florida: Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina

Georgia: Auburn, Florida, South Carolina

Kentucky: Florida, Tennessee, Vanderbilt

LSU: Arkansas, Ole Miss, Texas A&M

Miss State: Alabama, Missouri, Ole Miss

Missouri: Arkansas, Oklahoma, Miss State

Ole Miss: Auburn, LSU, Miss State

Oklahoma: Missouri, Texas, Texas A&M

South Carolina: Florida, Georgia, Vanderbilt

Tennessee: Alabama, Kentucky, Vanderbilt

Texas: Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M

Texas A&M: LSU, Oklahoma, Texas

Vanderbilt: Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee


You could also switch and have alternative with following as an alternative:

Arkansas: Missouri, Texas, Texas A&M

LSU: Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Ole Miss

Oklahoma: LSU, Missouri, Texas

Texas A&M: Arkansas, LSU, Texas


This seems like a pretty solid setup and pretty fair. Not perfect but it protects most of the long-standing rivalries.

 

[sami]

I'm still aghast that shows like Gameday display betting lines and discuss point spreads for college teams. Gambling is an exploitive and incredibly nasty business, and the idea that it was okay to openly associate it with college athletics was simply mind blowing for me. I couldn't believe it. I still can't believe. I don't understand why people tolerate it. I know people gamble, I'm not saying gambling should be illegal or anything, but the idea of the flagship college sports program endorsing or promoting gambling on games was a real eye opener. One minute they're covering a sob story about someone with a serious medical condition working to further their dream of completing college, the next they've got some bald dude in a chair gushing about who'll cover the spread. The optics seem horrific to me. And even setting aside the question of propriety, gambling is what drives things like point shaving and other unlawful behavior. It undermines the integrity of sports. I can't even.

Like I said, the genie was let out of the bottle as soon as full legalization happened. The networks and leagues all had their own sports books set up in no time so 'fans' didn't have to go elsewhere to place their bets. Hell, there are tickers running along the bottom of the screen during games for in-game and prop bets.

Sports conversations among younger guys I hear when working or just out are invariably about fantasy teams and leagues and individual player performances. The 'game' has changed and is only about maximizing revenue, period. It's always been this way to a degree, but improving the "fan experience" in stadiums and arenas now is about posting in-game gambling info on the stadium video screens. Why do you think the "NFL Red Zone" streaming service was created?

I haven't watched any pre- or post-game coverage, or sports media during the week for about 20 years now, but it doesn't surprise me that gambling has become a huge part of it. Hey, "give the people what they want", right?

 

[sami]

I actually think they should have gotten Miss State instead of LSU. I had a perfect breakdown by team that maintained some of the regional/historical rivalries. Miss State is the closest school to Alabama and one of their longer series (they played MSU far more than LSU).

Here is how I would have done it:

Alabama: Auburn, Miss State, Tennessee

Arkansas: Texas, LSU, Missouri

Auburn: Alabama, Georgia, Ole Miss

Florida: Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina

Georgia: Auburn, Florida, South Carolina

Kentucky: Florida, Tennessee, Vanderbilt

LSU: Arkansas, Ole Miss, Texas A&M

Miss State: Alabama, Missouri, Ole Miss

Missouri: Arkansas, Oklahoma, Miss State

Ole Miss: Auburn, LSU, Miss State

Oklahoma: Missouri, Texas, Texas A&M

South Carolina: Florida, Georgia, Vanderbilt

Tennessee: Alabama, Kentucky, Vanderbilt

Texas: Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M

Texas A&M: LSU, Oklahoma, Texas

Vanderbilt: Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee


You could also switch and have alternative with following as an alternative:

Arkansas: Missouri, Texas, Texas A&M

LSU: Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Ole Miss

Oklahoma: LSU, Missouri, Texas

Texas A&M: Arkansas, LSU, Texas


This seems like a pretty solid setup and pretty fair. Not perfect but it protects most of the long-standing rivalries.

That's a solid and logical way to do it, but Bama-LSU has been one of the best and fiercest SEC rivalries for a couple of decades now. I would guess that most Alabama fans today have no connection or memory of any kind of any real rivalry with MSU.

 

[volbound1700]

That's a solid and logical way to do it, but Bama-LSU has been one of the best and fiercest SEC rivalries for a couple of decades now. I would guess that most Alabama fans today have no connection or memory of any kind of any real rivalry with MSU.

Yeah but going off history, Alabama has played Miss State far more times and the two schools actually have more history together. Alabama vs. LSU was really more of a recent thing and didn't get heat unto 2000s.

Also keep in mind that with a 3-6-6 model, Alabama would still see LSU every other year. In fact you would see everyone in the SEC every other year. So it would only be a one year gap.

 

[Snapper58]

I have seen the reports that Scjr would be one of our permanent if we go to the 9-3 model, but I would have thought that they would have left them on the schedule for next year if that was the case?

 

[DowntownVol]

For me, bring on the 7-1. The "1" could be Vandy, could be Bama, could be Kentucky, don't really care, because we're playing every team in the conference every other year anyway. I'm old enough to remember when we played Ole Miss and Auburn basically every year, but rarely played Georgia and Florida. Old rivalries could be renewed - it's hard for younger people to get a sense of how intense the old UT/Auburn rivalry used to be when we only play them once every five or six years, as it's currently set up.

 

[turbovol]

The idea that bama is a "rivalary" is a myth: When you've been getting your a$$ kicked for most of 20 years, it's not a true rivalry.

Likewise, we don't have real rivalry with either Kentucky or Vandy. When one team dominates for a long time, legit rivalry status disappears.

 

[sami]

The idea that bama is a "rivalary" is a myth: When you've been getting your a$$ kicked for most of 20 years, it's not a true rivalry.

Not sure how it's possible for anyone to watch this and still say it isn't a rivalry. 'Myth', my ass.

 

[onevol74]

I want whatever format that makes it easiest for us to make the playoff every year.

Poor strength of schedule is not going to get you into the playoffs.

 

[CNCVol88]

Should Saban get his way, and doesn’t he always, the SEC will go to a 7 rotating and 1 permanent team format starting in 2025.
That would probably mean that they would just take the 2024 7 teams and drop them and use the other 7 in 2025.

For Tennessee that would mean we would play these teams in 2025 including our 1 permanent game Vandy:
TAMU, OM, MIZ, USC, LSU, AUB, TEX, VANDY.
(imagine how all of our traditionalists would react to a season with no UF, UGA, BAMA or UK).
going a step further, we would probably host TEXAS, VANDY, MIZ, LSU and play at TAMU, OM, USC, AUB due to recency of hosting and visits.
This schedule would then just flop the home and away for 2027.

going another step ahead, that would mean in 2026:
we would host ARK, UGA, OU, VANDY and go to UF, BAMA, MSU, UK.
This schedule would then just flop the home and aways for 2028.

So to recap, if the 7-1 format is adopted, here’s how I see the next 4 seasons for the Vols:

2024 HOME UF, BAMA, UK, MSU. AWAY OU, ARK, UGA, VANDY
2025 HOME TEX, MIZ, LSU, VANDY. AWAY TAMU, OM, USC, AUB.
2026 HOME OU, ARK, UGA, VANDY. AWAY UF, BAMA, UK, MSU
2027 HOME TAMU, OM, USC, AUB. AWAY TEX, MIZ, LSU, VANDY
2028 HOME UF, BAMA, UK, MSU. AWAY OU, ARK, UGA, VANDY
(observant readers will note that an adjustment had to be made in the Vandy home/away site in 2026 to preserve 4 home games for UT, giving UT back to back home games in 2025/2026…so Vandy loses a home game to UT, but they get it back in 2027/2028 with 2 straight home games).

Do not want. Killing more tradition in the name of the ever depreciating dollar.

 

[onevol74]

Not sure how it's possible for anyone to watch this and still say it isn't a rivalry. 'Myth', my ass.

That is not a rivalry. That is an upset.

 

[volfan102455]

The idea that bama is a "rivalary" is a myth: When you've been getting your a$$ kicked for most of 20 years, it's not a true rivalry.

Likewise, we don't have real rivalry with either Kentucky or Vandy. When one team dominates for a long time, legit rivalry status disappears.

The Alabama series has always been an interesting one - wins are typically in streaks. So I expect when Tennessee finally turns the corner, we'll see the 10 , 11, 12 in a row the other way. That is typically how it works. Saban knows that history and he knows at some point the tide will turn - I think he would rather it be when he is no longer there.

Maybe he will retire soon.