Third Saturday and SEC Expansion

#104
#104
stevenharvey11 said:
I was just thinking about this. For different reasons though.

In the discussion about the Florida game, a Gator fan claimed Florida is the bigger rival to UT fans under 35. I stated I was 27, and I hate Alabama more. I hate Florida too, just not as much.

Then I started thinking how the game was the 3rd Saturday in October, and that got changed to the 4th.
I pondered how long it would be until they just changed it completely. I hope they never do, but I would bet someday they will.
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I hear ya, but I'm 25 and I think Florida is the much bigger rival. Traditionally, it has decided who gets to Atlanta (hopefully, this will begin to hold true again). I hate Bama, but there has been more riding on the UF game during my lifetime. I would hate to lose the Bama rivalry, but it wouldn't be the end of the world. With all that said, I don't think the SEC would let the UT-Bama rivalry go by the wayside--the conference is too smart for that.
 
#106
#106
bamawriter said:
No, it changed when the date range of the season expanded and teams could take 2 bye weeks every year.
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Correct. We last played Bama on the 3rd Saturday in 2007. Since then, the bye dates, 12 games, and there have been 5 Saturday's in Oct. One of those things. No big deal.
 
#108
#108
I think if the SEC just adds 2 teams and assuming one goes to the East and one to the West, then I think the SEC will keep 8 SEC games. THey will play the 6 division games, the one other division rival and then one rotating game. If they get rid of the inter-division rivalry games then not only do you lose Bama-Vols, but you lose Auburn-UGA and Florida-LSU...that will be too much for them to lose IMO.

The thing that scares me the most is adding two teams to the west and moving Auburn to the East, because then the only rivalry game they lose is TN-Bama and I think they would be OK just giving up one rivalry (considering they keep inter-division games).
 
#110
#110
bhuff_32 said:
I hear ya, but I'm 25 and I think Florida is the much bigger rival. Traditionally, it has decided who gets to Atlanta (hopefully, this will begin to hold true again). I hate Bama, but there has been more riding on the UF game during my lifetime.
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Which is why I would love to see UT and Bama in the same division.

With all that said, I don't think the SEC would let the UT-Bama rivalry go by the wayside--the conference is too smart for that.
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I feel like the conference doesn't really care about the rivalry.
 
#112
#112
TXVOL07 said:
So says a fan of a program on their third coach in the last 4 years in football, a failed baseball program for the past decade, a basketball program riddled with rappers, coaching scandals, and a jv replacement.

Need I light the hat signal so one of your own inform you on the quality of hires? Let's not throw stones in that glass house.
Posted via VolNation Mobile
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we're still not a member of a league where all the agreements make us a 2nd rate citizen. I can see why tamu would want to join the SEC since they don't like the feeling of being little brother to the big boys of their state. It's ok, we took pity on USCjr so I'm sure there's room for a little more welfare.

Tennessee- saving texans since 1836 (and just like back then you're still calling for reinforcements :birgits_giggle:)
 
#114
#114
tvolsfan said:
How do the big time boosters feel about Tennessee vs Auburn?
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I think most of the in-state boosters would take AU over Tennessee. Out-of-state might say Tennessee by a small margin.

I'd be all for dropping the barn into our rotating schedule. They need to play us much more than we need to play them.
 
#117
#117
tvolsfan said:
Which is why I would love to see UT and Bama in the same division.


I feel like the conference doesn't really care about the rivalry.
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I don't think really anyone outside of Tennessee and Alabama cares about the rivalry.

It's rarely been a high stakes game for the last 40 years, so it doesn't get much visibility nationally.
 
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#119
#119
bamawriter said:
I think most of the in-state boosters would take AU over Tennessee. Out-of-state might say Tennessee by a small margin.

I'd be all for dropping the barn into our rotating schedule. They need to play us much more than we need to play them.
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That's what I'm worried about. If it came down to picking one of the two, I have little doubt Tennessee would be the big loser.
 
#121
#121
If that specific expansion happened, why would we expect to have to move just Auburn to the East? Why not move Auburn and Alabama east and Vandy west to join OK and A&M? Here's how the divisions would look:

East: Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina, and Tennessee
West: Arkansas, LSU, Mississippi State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, and Vanderbilt

That would protect the following rivalries- Iron Bowl, Auburn-Georgia, Florida-Georgia, Florida-Tennessee, Tennessee-Alabama, LSU-Arkansas, Egg Bowl, and Tennessee-Kentucky. I might be missing some, but that protects most of the big games I can think of. It would also add natural and pre-existing rivalries with Arkansas-A&M and A&M-Oklahoma. LSU and A&M could become a good rivalry based on proximity. LSU-Oklahoma would become the potential division deciding game every year. I could see Vanderbilt-Ole Miss becoming a big rivalry just to see who won't finish dead last. It might also strengthen the West in basketball by sending Vandy West. If you had six division games plus three out-of-division games, that still leaves room to for a standing out-of-division opponent and three out-of-conference games.

I'm no conference commissioner, but that alignment makes sense to me.
 
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