You knew there had to be something on conference realignment, right?
Andy Staples is reporting ($$) that the SEC isn’t rejecting the concept of a nine-game conference schedule out of hand, which is either a magnanimous gesture on the part of Greg Sankey or (more likely) the short term way of dealing with the pressure ESPN is bringing in return for paying out more money to its broadcast partner.
Staples says there’s another financial consideration in play.
Administrators want a more frequent rotation of conference opponents to excite potential season ticket buyers. With Oklahoma and Texas coming into the league, no one wants to have to wait five or six years to see the Sooners or Longhorns in their stadium.
I’m sure the majority of conference coaches are all onboard with that. Bottom line, though, it’s a business move and you don’t make those if money doesn’t trump all. (In other words, tough luck, coach.)
Answering the eight/nine question is just the first scheduling step the conference has to take. Who plays whom comes next. Besides the pods vs. divisions talk we’ve heard, Staples says there’s another option that’s getting some traction, a three-permanent-opponent format.
Each team would have three opponents that it played annually. The other 12 opponents would rotate through twice every four years. So a player who spends four years at a school would get to play in every stadium (except at schools that play neutral-site rivalry games). The original suggestion for the current 14-team lineup was to do this with an eight-game schedule, which also would have allowed the other opponents to rotate through twice every four years. Adding a ninth game allows for a full rotation every two years with the 16-team league.
He calls that the cleanest option, but I imagine there would be some pretty fierce infighting over which schools get stuck with ‘Bama and which schools lobby for Vanderbilt.
I still think sticking with divisions and moving Alabama and Auburn to the East is the path of least resistance, but I’m not Greg Sankey.
Get The Picture 
I’m beginning to believe that we’re nearing the end of the WLOCP. There’s so much money out there that opting out is becoming a drop in the bucket. Same with the neutral site opening games.
Just my thoughts.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Dropping neutral site opening games would be great, but if we lose the cocktail party, those guys from out west should lose the game at the fairgrounds, too.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Who do you imagine would be opting out?
LikeLike
Why? Part of the appeal of TV is the 50/50 neutral site. I guarantee you ESPN has no interest in the Cocktail Party or the Red River Shootout being on campus. Same for the neutral site opening games.
LikeLiked by 7 people
Agree. Those are the equivalent of playoff or bowl games. And we all know how much espn loves those.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Maybe nine conference games with each team having a neutral site game, several already in place.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Why would we leave the Cocktail party. It is something makes us special.
LikeLiked by 4 people
As long as ESPN likes the number of viewers the tradition is safe.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Well Senator this is going to surprise you but I am totally against losing the Cocktail Party as a neutral site game. Ian about winning that game—that’s all. I don’t care about nice fall trips to the beach, Cocktail parties in Ponte Vedra or golf outings on St. Simon’s Island. For years I felt that playing the Cocktail Party in JAX was a disadvantage to the Dawgs. I have completely changed my mind on this. The disadvantage was that for years FU had a bye week before the Cocktail Party but Georgia did not. That was corrected in 2006 and the series evened up and now appears to be favoring the Dawgs once again. Truth is the Handbags couldn’t play the Dawgs on an even basis and Spurrier knew it so he got the FU AD to rig things in his favor by getting FU a bye week before playing us when Georgia did not have one. What pisses me off is that it took B-M so long (20+years) to recognize it. All those conference championships and 3 FU natties were won because of that advantage and should have an asterisk by them in the record books. FTMF.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I have to admit, I always wondered about Florida having a bye week baked into the schedule every year before Jax, and why it took UGA so long to get there. I know the previous coaches must have wanted it, but I’ve never seen an explanation as to the holdup. Can anyone enlighten us?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Not looking for more AD bashing (see McGarity rules below).
LikeLiked by 1 person
Please. Just use the KISS principle; divisions and two crossovers for a nine game. That pod shit just complicates life for everyone and it destroys even more of the tradition of CFB. UGA and CFB need those rivalries and traditions even more now that never before. NATS can be treated as a $ cupcake game. And we still have room for two directional games.
LikeLiked by 8 people
But what does South Carolina do? Will they keep Clemson on the schedule? FSU is a trainwreck now and likely not coming back anytime soon but if they’re back to their power status, does Florida want to play them with along with a 9 game conference schedule?
LikeLike
Florida and SCAR can schedule whatever they want outside of the conference games.
LikeLiked by 5 people
Who cares about them? Not me!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good call, Moe. Screw all the speculation and fuck that pod shit.
LikeLiked by 10 people
Saban has long recommend 9 conference games. I believe is the likely outcome.
I don’t want a pod system let me start there. I did hear one of Pawwl’s guests who works for ESPN mention if the playoff committee decides to punish the SEC and wants to threaten to stay at four games. The rebuttal threat could be OK we’ll expand our own league playoff. Four pods each pod winner gets in the four team SEC playoff. It’s always about the money anything else they say is bullshit.
LikeLiked by 2 people
NCAA rules do not allow an intraconfrrence playoff of more than 1 game. The rules treat conference championship games, bowls and the playoff final as postseason games. A member school may play 1 conference championship game, 1 bowl game and 1 cfp final. The proposed playoff expansion would require NCAA rule change to allow a cfp quarterfinal and play in game.
The NCAA member schools aren’t going to permit the SEC to play conference championship semifinals.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Fuck the NCAA too.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Soccer don’t play Pods RR—just want to remind you
LikeLiked by 3 people
😉
LikeLike
No, but the Premier League (quad pod soccer) does!
https://www.quadindoorsports.com/quad-pod/
So, it must be good!! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Divisions work okay if you have a 10-game schedule. If not, you’d be looking at a decade and a half between teams from the other division showing up on your schedule. You may as well have two different conferences at that point. i could see pods with a permanent crossover game working reasonably well. The only problem I see is balance, but something like this would probably work:
Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, South Carolina
Alabama, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State
Texas A&M, Auburn, Kentucky, Vandy
Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri
You might have to flip Auburn and LSU depending on how much you want to keep either the LSU-Florida or LSU-Alabama rivalries going on an annual basis.
LikeLike
Actually, you’d definitely have to flip them, because Alabama-Auburn and Georgia-Auburn are two of the most important rivalries in the conference.
LikeLike
Decade and a half? With 2 8-team divisions and a 9-game schedule, don’t you play every team in the other division within 4 seasons?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah, I was thinking eight games, not eight teams. So yes, a nine-game schedule works.
LikeLike
Give me Florida, Auburn and South Carolina every year and rotate the rest. All. Day. Long.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Just have the Commodores, Volunteers and Gamecocks play everybody else – there would be your 3 cupcake games right there.
LikeLiked by 6 people
If we had McGarity still in place, he would offer to play at Auburn, on the weekend of their choosing, in consecutive years through 2028 if it would help.
LikeLiked by 4 people
I have it on good authority that McGarity is no longer with the university and that any commenter who dare speaketh his name is foolish for doing so. 😉
LikeLiked by 9 people
UGA gets UF, Auburn, and likely S. Carolina which I am fine with. As I have posted I have no interest in following the SEC football if UGA/UF and/or UF/Auburn are not annual.
If you split the team into divisions. LSU and Mississippi schools are in the west with their traditional rivalries lost. The rotation would be slow enough even with a 9 game SEC schedule that the SEC is more 2 conferences with a quarter final playoff game.
The SEC has a big problem here. They need to keep rivalries as well as keep the closeness/history of the SEC. If they do not keep both as discussed here in other topics, the give a shit of the fans falls off as it fades. Mickey may have finally killed the magic of SEC football with their greed.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t think the LSU/Florida rivalry as an annual event would be missed by many on either side.
To me, it’s pretty much a given that some rivalries are going to lose their annual status, no matter what configuration is selected.
LikeLiked by 6 people
I hope we can preserve the UGA-Auburn game as it is a game that I look forward to having each year but I am not optimistic about it. If we go to 3 permanent opponents I am more hopeful. I would be fine with Auburn and Florida as 2 of the 3.
Not sure who I would want to be the third:
Vandy – Nashville is a great city and we would definitely win more than not
Kentucky – As long as the game is played so we get to see the Fall season at Keeneland
Tennessee – Decent amount of history between us and Knoxville also not a bad trip
South Carolina – Most likely but can we please play the games in Columbia at a time of year when that stadium is not as hot as the gates of Hell?
Missouri – No
What would be interesting is if our third permanent was another SEC West team (very unlikely) but I think playing Texas every year with a trip to Austin every other year sounds great.
LikeLiked by 4 people
My vote would be for Kentucky in mid October so that the ponies are a road trip every other year, UF in Jax as usual, and Auburn back to November. Missouri, South Carolina, and Vandy are all a hard no vote from me. Tennessee would be okay I guess, but Kentucky is a much better trip.
LikeLiked by 3 people
I think losing the LSU vs Bama game is a big deal, but ESPN would be happy with Bama playing UGA and UF every year. The LSU fans would cry, but whatever. Ole Miss and MSU would publicly complain, but behind closed doors be excited to not play Bama every year.
The biggest hurdle to 9 games is guaranteeing the bottom half of the conference a bowl game.
LikeLike
I think in their secret heart-of-hearts and regardless of what they say publicly, LSU losing Bama in the short term while Saban is still the coach wouldn’t hurt the feelings of many Tiger fans.
LikeLiked by 3 people
The fans might miss LSU/UF but not the decision makers. However then again UF fans don’t really understand history and come on go with their win loss record.
LSU will be interesting to watch LSU/Ole Miss is still a big deal to many. Arkansas LSU is a big deal especially to Arkansas.
Agreed some rivalries will be lost. I know where my line is and when I walk away. Fans do have a choice on how much they can take from organizations who want their money but won’t listen to what they enjoy.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m glad to see my preferred option of 3 permanent opponents and 6 rotating to ones is gaining traction.
LikeLiked by 2 people
On second thought isn’t the former UGA AD leading the group in JAX that host the WLOCP and wasn’t he formerly employed by the UF?
What could go wrong??!!
LikeLiked by 3 people
Agreed Senator; two divisions and a nine-game conference slate. My preference is to move Auburn and Alabama to the East and send Mizzou to the West. Would make our season ticket packages so much more appealing.
LikeLiked by 2 people
3 permanent opponents? Florida, Auburn and we get Vandy as our permanent homecoming game.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Adding Bama to the west would mean UGA will never win a National Championship.
LikeLike
That should be East instead of West. Before y’all get your pantries in a wad I know Bama is already in the West.
LikeLike
We have to get past Bama to win a natty anyway, during the regular season, in the SECCG or in the playoff. Might as well play ‘em in the regular season.
LikeLiked by 3 people
According to you, we’ll never win another NC regardless. And I always keep my pantry in good order, dickwad.
LikeLiked by 6 people
SO……there is no hope??
LikeLiked by 2 people
When you’re the guy who said we couldn’t beat Auburn in 2020, what do you expect? Optimism?
Just more woe is us pessimism. The thing that really pisses me off is that these annoying whiners will look like just like any other real fan when we win the title when obviously they are not. If there were any justice in the world they’d be forced to be as unhappy on that day as they are on every other day. At least for that one time, we’d actually enjoy their misery.
LikeLiked by 6 people
Whichever way the wind blows for some, bandwagon fans. Fans of other teams/schools and etc. Got a few on here.
Either you are or you ain’t…….if loving the Dawgs is wrong, I don’t want to be right.
Always 15 & 0 FWIS, until we ain’t……always feel that we will win, have been right more than I am wrong.
Like our chances this year, but then again…..what else is new – 😏
LikeLiked by 1 person
Even if we lost to Bama in conference play, more years than not we’re going to be one of the 12 best teams in the nation
LikeLiked by 1 person
Quite the loser mentality there if I’ve ever heard it. Why even bother playing tough teams in big, nationally showcased games. We should just stick to playing Sisters of the Poor and Georgia Tech in a 12 game rotation every year.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Then we’d be Clemson.
LikeLiked by 1 person
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
We gon see, ain’t we, fat boogie?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Not sure where this notion that they’ll alwaysbe at the top comes from… I sat in Sanford when we beat the brakes off them in 2003, Fat Phil had a crazy long win streak against, and Senator Tubbs has a ring for the thumb… We’ve gone toe-to-toe with them the last half dozen times we’ve played and, while it seems like they get all the breaks against us (and everyone else other than Gus), the worm will turn.
They are much more likely to hire Bill Curry Junior or Mike Shula III than an heir of Saban….
LikeLiked by 3 people
Isn’t the question “what does ESPN want?” Generally I think they’ll be aligned with most fans, as they’ll want more content (9 games) and more good games. But they probably won’t care about things like tradition or travel. Follow the money.
LikeLike
You’re likely correct. They still don’t understand that had they kept more tradition, they could have been making more money in NASCAR. Fans will react the same.
LikeLike
I mapped out the 3 permanent opponents thing, and pretty much everyone would get to play their “top two” rivals and/or their in-state conference partner. We for sure get UF, Auburn, and SC. (We are SC’s #1 choice.)
The only place across the SEC where it gets tricky for me is Tennessee and Kentucky. I start with UT getting both Bama and Vandy (UT/Bama for history and Bama’s #2 choice, and UT is Vandy’s #1 choice), leaving a choice between UF and UK for #3.
The UF-UT game is only a ~30 year tradition, but “3rd Saturday in Sep.” has (had?) been a biggish deal. That would leave UK with Vandy, SC, and UF. The UT/UK series has a longer history, plus is a bigger rivalry from UK’s perspective. There was even the whisky barrel trophy for a long time. If you make UT/UK happen, then UT/UF goes away and then UF gets Vandy (along with KY and UGA).
LikeLike
I have learned to not fret over things out of your control. Let’s just go to Charlotte and whip Clemson’s ass, the rest will all fall into place.
LikeLiked by 7 people
Oh hell yeah, Cotton! That’s what I want to hear.
LikeLike
I like your option too.
LikeLike
8 SEC games, 3 permanent, and we home and away everyone else every 4 years sounds ideal. We’re acting like one conference, and it leaves room for meaningful non-conference games/rivalries.
LikeLike
I’m a fan of a 9-game schedule regardless of the model, but the three permanent is by far my favorite. It preserves WLOCP and DSOR while still assuring we play every other team every two years?! That’s amazing. After that, I like large divisions (again, due to maintaining Florida and Auburn,) My least favorite are four static geographical pods. Why should we play Kentucky every year but not Auburn?
At the end of the day, I can be a selfish GA fan and say that I don’t give a F what happens to the entire conference as a whole (hell, add Oregon and Ohio State to the “southeastern” conference, go nuts!) but don’t you dare take my rivalry with Auburn and Florida. As long as we maintain those games, do whatever you want.
LikeLiked by 3 people
I’m surprised we don’t see more of the mentality of your last paragraph around the country. For example, I would love to see someone like West Virginia just say “look we’d love to join the ACC or wherever, but first we’re getting a deal where we know we can play Pitt, and Marshall every year.”
What value to viewers and fans do schools like that even have without their core rivalries? I hope schools and networks come around to that fact one day. For now it’s the fastest money for ESPN, and only the fastest money for ESPN, that matters.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Right, what kind of rivalry could WVU-Iowa State ever be when they will literally never meet an opposing fan in a decade?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Exactly. Part of what makes the SEC great is that we are among our rivals’ fans and alums every single day. Bragging rights don’t matter if you don’t have anyone to trash talk… or avoid for a year.
LikeLiked by 1 person
(Only WVU doesn’t want to play Marshall – but point taken)
LikeLiked by 1 person
I said this on another thread but it bears repeating here. UGA must be vigilant on scheduling if the SEC goes to 9 games. If the normal schedule for Georgia would be 4 home SEC games, 4 away SEC games and 1neutral site game (the Cocktail party) I guarantee you that some year the conference office will want Georgia to switch to a 3-5-1 schedule “to make the league schedule fit.” Not only no to that but HELL NO!
LikeLiked by 3 people
Why don’t we just listen to Mickey’s mouth pieces and learn from them what Mickey wants. Mickey always enjoys the Deep Souths oldest rivalry so it will be Auburn for sure. Same with the WLOCP so UF is in. That leaves UT or USCe. Well I’m old enough to remember we used to not play UT that much before the 14 team deal and USCe was a big deal as an out of conference game. (Herschel Vs George Rogers). We need USCe to keep our South Carolina and North Carolina recruiting presence. I really don’t care about the other guys. Let the bottom dwellers play other bottom dwellers and get them bowl eligible. Some years the schedules are going to be brutal but interesting.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think it would be USC simply because saddling UT with both Bama and UGA at this point would be…. pretty extreme. But it would definitely be happening to Auburn so who knows?
LikeLike
All options on the table……
They essentially confirmed that they’re making it up as they go along.
Aren’t you comfortable with who is trusted to keep the great American sport going?
LikeLike
Not a lot to worry about on the fairness / avoidance in the 3 permanent 6 rotating setup. One team’s permanent opponent allocation can hardly make their total schedule so easy when you throw a new 6 on and off the schedule every year or every other year.
LikeLike