re: When the SEC goes to 14 or 16

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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.

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So, is it your contention that the SEC had no conference identity back when scheduling was left up to the schools, and certain schools just never played each other? Because that comprises a large chunk of SEC history. I think a lot of younger fans aren't even aware of that.

Personally, I think the TV people will eventually make it worth the SEC's while to play a 9 game schedule, and even with the permanent cross-over rival, that will allow you to play everyone in the league in a 3 year window. When you combine that with interaction in other sports, I think that would be regular enough contact to foster a sense of conference identity, not just division identity.