The reality of an expanded SEC schedule

Have you considered that A&M and LSU have played more times than LSU has played:

Vanderbilt
South Carolina
Auburn
Georgia
Tennessee



So who fricking cares? Just play who is on your schedule.

The reality of a non expanded schedule over 20 years:

LSU plays:

FL: 20
GA: 8
SC: 8
TN: 8

Arky plays:

FL: 8
GA: 8
SC: 20
TN: 8

Bama plays:

FL: 8
GA: 8
SC: 8
TN: 20

With an expanded (14 team), 6-1-1 sched with no change in perm opponent over 24 years:

LSU plays:

FL: 24
GA: 4
SC: 4
TN: 4

Arky plays:

FL: 4
GA: 4
SC: 24
TN: 4

Bama plays:

FL: 4
GA: 4
SC: 4
TN: 24

AU is the same except GA is their permanent opponent; OM is Vandy, and MSU is KT.

IMO, besides just being stupid from a conference cohesion standpoint, over time it's a significant advantage to Arky and Bama. You can tolerate this imbalance when you keep the rotation to 5 years or under, but this is getting ridiculous.

As an aside, sorry TN, but I don't think you can be considered among the top teams any more. Yes, I know you are currently in just a down cycle and that you will be good again probably more often than not. But that's just it. You can be good, but I don't think you can be great like FL or GA if they ever get their act together. Your base is just too weak and the competitive landscape has changed too much unfavorably. I see your future to be more like SC--good but not dominant. Maybe if all the stars in all the galaxies align...

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wonder if any of the teams who are playing each other this year might get screwed by the new schedule next year?

I'll be pissed, for example, if we have to go to LSU and/or Bama again next year.

That would be a screwjob.

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When we switched formats in 2002, there were some teams that had to go on the road to play the same team twice in a row. Ole Miss played us in Tiger Stadium in 2001 and 2002, we played at Kentucky in 2001 and 2002. I'm sure there were other examples, but don't know which ones. It also happened in 1992 when we went to divisional play and the 8-game schedule. We played Ole Miss on the road in 1991 and 1992, Alabama at home both years. We also played Kentucky at home in back to back years in 1987 and 1988 when the SEC went from a 6-game schedule to a 7-game schedule.

The one good thing, I guess, is that 2011 will conclude the second 5-year cycle of rotations that were set up in the 2002 format change, so everybody got all their home and away games against all the opponents they were supposed to.

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Saturday, Arkansas and Vanderbilt are meeting for the 6th time ever as SEC opponents. That's 20 years, and this will be our 6th meeting in that timeframe

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That's the worst thing about having a lot of teams and keeping annual inter-divisional games. It's a shame LSU never got to play against Herschel Walker, Bo Jackson or Peyton Manning. Preserving Alabama-Tennessee and Auburn-Georgia is going to insure that continues to happen to SEC teams and their fans.

In my opinion, it dilutes the benefit of being in the SEC. A Missouri coach, for example, trying to recruit a player by saying "hey, you'll be able to play teams like Alabama in Bryant-Denny Stadium and LSU in Death Valley" won't have an answer when the recruit points out to him "you're in the East, you won't play those teams until 2022".

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I'll be pissed, for example, if we have to go to LSU and/or Bama again next year.

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We will be okay