Favorite iteration of the SEC

[BigOrangeYankees]

The 10 team pre 1992.
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We had a huge hand-drawn SEC logo on our bedroom wall as a teenager.... with a nerf goal next to it. It's a wonder mom and dad didn't kill us! We (brother and I) played every game as John Ward announced it.

 

[SpookyAction]

The 10 team pre 1992.
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Davy Crockett looks like he’s trying to avoid peeing his pants.

Or he’s showing what it feels like to sit in a packed out Neyland.

Anybody else flipping hate the Davy Crockett image. I don't think has much cache in 2023.
I like Smokey. Love the Power T.

 

[SpookyAction]

At times, I still feel like Arkansas and SC are "new" teams. I'll be honest, Texas A&M and Mizzou will never feel like real SEC teams to me.

I feel like aTm fits the culture well enough.
Mizzou does not.

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In the painting, I first thought the Commodore has a musket in his mouth.

 

[EasternVol]

West Virginia would have been a better fit and they wanted in. I guess the St. Louis tv market was what bought Missouri an invite. It's hard to see what else they bring. I don't mind having somebody to beat 60-something to 24 every year though.

TV markets and to a lesser extent academics.

 

[EasternVol]

Anybody else flipping hate the Davy Crockett image. I don't think has much cache in 2023.
I like Smokey. Love the Power T.

Davy's better than a dog but that drawing is bad.

 

[SpookyAction]

West Virginia would have been a better fit and they wanted in. I guess the St. Louis tv market was what bought Missouri an invite. It's hard to see what else they bring. I don't mind having somebody to beat 60-something to 24 every year though.

They just don't bring much. Even their football program has faded.
They won at least 8 games each year from 2002 to 2011. RichRod had some teams that were fun to watch. Only 3 8 win seasons in the last 12 years.

 

[dobre_shunka]

TV markets and to a lesser extent academics.

A 70 year trend of a shrinking state population doesn't help either.

The WV population peaked in 1950 has been on a downward trend ever since then.

 

[sami]

The 10 team pre 1992.
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This was the best to me as well. Second choice would be 12 with ARK and USCe, but the 10 team league with no divisions was perfect.

 

[MSME Vol]

Any iteration where Bama goes 0 and whatever

 

[Chad F]

Whatever iteration gets A&M and Missouri out. Don’t understand either of those.

 

[Vol865]

16 with Texas, OU is good

My hypothetical without them would be drop Mizzou, add WVU

 

[VOLINVONORE]

I will trade Missouri for West Virginia, and throw in Vanderbilt for boot. Then we can sign Florida St or Clemson to make it 16 and give the double bird to the big how ever many that doesn’t match their actual name.

I think it is too late to bot Vandy. Tennessee hired Neyland to beat Vanderbilt. In fact, Vandy was very competitive until WWII. A lot of my “kin” went to Vandy back in the early 19 hundreds and some even went to Alabama. Fortunately, I have never been tempted to become a fan of either school.

 

[youcancallmeAl]

I'm for progress, let's see how the league looks with TX and OK added in. I want to see the UT vs TX matchup firsthand. I cannot believe that 2 universities with the pedigree's UT and TX have that they have never played each other in football

Cotton Bowl. 68?

 

[youcancallmeAl]

Double post.

 

[peaygolf]

Cotton Bowl. 68?

'69
'53
'51

All Cotton Bowls.

 

[youcancallmeAl]

I agree that Mizzou doesn't really fit. I would rather have Va Tech. That would bring the Washington, DC television market into play for the SEC, as they have a large alumni population and fan base there. Tennessee being closer to Va than anyone else would give us a leg up on recruiting that area.

When you start getting 16 teams, you essentially have two 8 team conferences. When you have fourteen, you have two conferences that are too small or one that's too large. 10 teams is more manageable and identifiable as a conference. YOu could play all teams in the conference each year with 3 non-conference games

If we're gonna to to 16 with Tx and Ok, go to two 8 team divisions and play 7 division SEC games, 3 non-division SEC games (including an every year rivalry), and 2 non-conference games.

 

[youcancallmeAl]

'69
'53
'51

All Cotton Bowls.

We played Texas in 69. Volbricks thinks we have never played Texas in football.

 

[Fightmaker]

I think it is too late to bot Vandy. Tennessee hired Neyland to beat Vanderbilt. In fact, Vandy was very competitive until WWII. A lot of my “kin” went to Vandy back in the early 19 hundreds and some even went to Alabama. Fortunately, I have never been tempted to become a fan of either school.

I’ll go with your take on this since they currently have a winning streak against Florida.

 

[Stacmot]

I’m good with Oklahoma and little ut. Vandy needs to take a hike. Let’s take Clemson instead of them and send lil Dabo packing!

 

[volfanhill]

People hate change

 

[ButchPlz]

People hate change

Change is never good by default.

 

[iuvol]

I voted for the 10 but I think it is inevitable that we go even bigger than we are today.

 

[ksgovols]

I picked the 12 team, but not Arky and SC, the one with Ga Tech and Tulane. Kudos to Vanderbilt for sticking it out and getting the payday when the other private schools like Tech and Tulane bailed because they couldn't compete.

Tech left in 1964 because of the newly implemented 140 total scholarship limit of 140 for football and men's basketball back in the 60's. Tech wanted more than 30 football scholarships per year. That didn't age well.

Tulane left in 1966 because they thought athletics was overshadowing the academic mission of the university. Tulane still has more SEC football championships than UK, VU, Arky, Mizzou or A&M. Tulane wistfully thought that Vandy, Duke, Tech, Wake Forest and the like would form an Ivy League of the South that never materialized.

Since the advent of cable tv, ESPN and the huge contracts for television rights, it's easy to pick the NFL Minor League teams with the most tv sets as the fair haired child. I like the traditional charter teams of the SEC less Tulane that quit the SEC in 1940. Or even the old Southern Conference which included most of the SEC and ACC teams.

 

[SpaceCoastVol]

Let’s get wild with this thing! 32 Teams

Texas
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State
Kansas
Kansas State
Florida State
Miami
Clemson
Duke
North Carolina
North Carolina State
Georgia Tech
West Virginia
Virginia
Virginia Tech
Louisville
Tulane
Notre Dame

This would actually be a decent proposal and then institute relegation with some of the lesser conferences like europe soccer

 

[Kngsport VFL]

I chose the 12 team with USC and Arky, but I am not opposed to a 16 team conference. The 16 teams just need to be east of the Miss river and south of the Mason/ Dixon to still be called the Southeastern Conference in my humble opinion.

Damn right! And if they want to add a team from the west, add a team from the east. NOT add another team from the west! Missouri has never belonged in the east division.