When the SEC goes to 14 or 16

quote:

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When the SEC goes to 14 or 16


will there be more pride taken in the divisions as opposed to the conference as a whole?

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Probably. When we stop playing each other, the simultaneous rivalry and comradery will wane. What identity will Georgia and LSU share? To each, the other will simply be a team they never play who has an association with other teams they never play who, as a group, share a tenuous and vague association with a group of teams they do play. There'll be no bragging rights ("Ha ha! We beat you 12 years ago!" isn't going to cut the mustard), no sense of conference identity ("Yeah, Boise? Well who cares if you beat Georgia? We'd kill them if we ever played them" would be about the only thing most SEC West fans would likely say).

Back in, say, 1976, when LSU and Georgia hadn't played each other in over two decades, do you think either felt any sense of pride or conference identity with the other? I doubt it. Conference identity depends on playing the teams in your conference at least every now and then.