Which games get made permanent?Īt the center of this conversation lies the question of how the SEC plans to identify rivalry games that are relevant from a historic perspective, meaningful in terms of geography and appealing to fans. LSU could draw a conference slate that avoids Georgia, Florida and Tennessee. Georgia could take on a much tougher schedule instead of facing the same six teams from the SEC East. Increased parity and competitiveness could come by facing more teams, and more importantly by facing a different run of teams every season. Under the nine-game model, teams would get at least one home game and one road game against every SEC opponent during a four-year span. Mississippi State and Florida have met just once 2010 and have faced off in Gainesville only four times since 1990. Georgia hasn't played at Texas A&M since the Aggies joined the league in 2012. The benefits would be a wider variety of games and the possibility of increased competitiveness in what has become a top-heavy SEC.Īdopting this nine-game schedule would breathe fresh air into what has become an often repetitive model that often sees teams go a decade or more between road trips against a conference opponent.įor example, Alabama has played only two games at Vanderbilt since 2002 the Commodores have visited Tuscaloosa only twice since 2006. "We’ve looked at well over 40 different formats, if you will, and from those formats there were different models," SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said during an appearance last Friday on "The Paul Finebaum Show." Expanded SEC schedule model advantagesĪt this point, the most likely model pits each team against six rotating opponents and three permanent rivals. HEAD OF CLASS: Ranking 10 best recruiting classes after final signing day PORTAL SUCCESSS: Florida State, LSU lead list of top transfer classes GOOD FOR ALL: Why Oklahoma, Texas leaving Big 12 early makes sense While the conference could remove the mandate requiring every member to face at least one Power Five opponent out of SEC play, eliminating a non-conference game could have deep ramifications for athletics departments that rely on the income provided by paycheck games against the SEC. Staying with the eight-game model would benefit the Championship Subdivision and Group of Five schools that populate most of the SEC's non-conference schedule. By broadening the field to include six conference champions and six at-large bids, the upcoming 12-team playoff field will guarantee that at least one, very likely two and even three SEC teams will reach the bracket every season.Īt the same time, adding a ninth game deepens the league's offerings to broadcast partners as the SEC prepares to enter a mammoth TV deal with ESPN. That was during the Bowl Championship Series and four-team College Football Playoff eras, however. The argument for eight has always come down to a simple concept: Why makes things more difficult when one additional loss could cost the SEC a shot at the national championship? That the SEC has played eight while the Big Ten, the Big 12 and Pac-12 played nine league games has performed a small but not insignificant part in helping the conference claim the national championship in all but three seasons since 2006. While the conference will do away with the traditional East-West divisional split with the introduction of the Sooners and Longhorns, the SEC could still retain the current eight-game model that includes one game against a permanent rival.īut one recent change should lead the SEC to abandon the longstanding aversion toward adding a ninth league game. The shift to nine games is not guaranteed. Watch Video: Has Georgia surpassed Alabama as the best program in college football?Īfter years of pushback, the SEC is poised to embrace a nine-game conference schedule with the additions of Oklahoma and Texas, which will join the league in 2024 after coming to a $100 million separation agreement with the Big 12.
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