re: I feel like we are getting left out in terms of the benefits of this merger.

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LSU not having to play Alabama every year until a championship game is a big win for the football program.

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Ebb and flow - Been on a good run but it won’t always be Bama.

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Zzyzx

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Christ thank you. I cannot believe the pushback I’m getting on this. I cannot imagine a fall where we aren’t back and forth every year between Tuscaloosa and Baton Rouge. That’s the whole damn point of this sport. I live for that game. I want our schedule to be harder, not easier. That’s what I’m paying for as a fan. Massive games and as many as possible. Trophies are awesome but if you’re cutting out massive annual games to get there then I want no part in that.

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I realize that. I just didn’t realize how much of a bunch of bitches LSUs fan base actually was. I thought we welcomed playing Bama every year and enjoyed the challenge. I’m legitimately shocked at how scared y’all are of them. It’s pathetic.

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With this new format, LSU is not relevant for Alabama to play in the regular season every year, sorry if that hurts peoples feelings. IF this current POD System is accurate, not saying it is, but the SEC Network put it out which might be Trial balloon from the League Office:

The PODS were:
1)Texas A&M/LSU/Ole Miss/MSU
2)OU/Texas/MIZZOU/Arkansas
3) Alabama/Auburn/TENN/Vandy
4) FLorida/UGA/UK/SCAR.

The 4 non-negotiable games since 1992 expansion that have impacted every scheduling decision are 1)Bama/Auburn, 2)UGA/Auburn, 3) UGA/FLorida and 4) TENN/Bama.

If POD3 is true, Alabama gets everything it wants in its POD. They get "Their" 2 biggest rivals, Auburn and TENN.

Florida and UGA is taken care of with POD4.

So the only thing that needs to be resolved is how to deal with UGA/Auburn.


Well, a 3 POD + 1 Permanent +5 rotate years 1 and 2 and then 5 new teams years 3 and 4 would work the same way the 3 POD, 2+2+2 rotation in years 1 and 2 then the other 2+2+2 rotation from the other 3 PODS.

You accomplish the same thing and the SEC historic rival games are all preserved. Furthermore, the Auburn/TENN game will easily replace the LSU/Auburn game for Auburns #3 game. Prior to 1992 expansion and since the 1950's, Auburn played UGA/Bama/FLorida/TENN win what their older fans referred to as "Amen Corner"

So they will get 3 of those 4 "Amen corner games" back and twice every 4 years, see UGA/Bama/Florida/TENN the same time.

POD2 with Texas and OU keeps that game in place and you can assign Texas and Texas A&M as permanents in a 3-1-5 rotation. That takes care of those 2 historical games. POD2 also brings back the #2 rival game from the old SWC, Texas and Arkansas (only behind Texas and Aggie).

In POD1, Ole Miss, Miss. State get to play each other every year, and they get to play LSU, who are the 2 teams LSU has played the most and LSU gets to play Texas A&M, which in terms of intensity, is the closest thing to a rivaly along with Florida that LSU has. The incident on the field after the game reminded me of the LSU/Tulane game where players and coaches were at it. (I know FSU and LSU had a brawl in the early 90's).

LSU/Florida is the one game that the players seem to have the most trash talk back and forth, and that has been true going back to the Urban Meyer era at Florida.

So maybe LSU in a 3-1-5 rotation keeps Florida if they want the same.

Most of the Bama posters are hoping for a way they can get Texas or OU as some type of permanent POD crossover, if such as thing happens. Sort of a battle of the blue bloods, they have an all-time loosing record to both OU and Texas, so while they have Saban, they want to even up 1 of those series really quick.

Well I keep forgetting we are now at 16, 1 short here, so not going to work.

All the Bama and Auburn posters on the Rant are saying 2 Divisions geographic, with LSU in with Ole Miss, Miss. State, OU, Texas, Texas A&M, MIZZOU, and Arkansas.

7 division, 2 rotating cross over games.

It might add some spice to the games if opponent is played less frequently

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Just get rid of these stupid pods and let the teams mutually agree on their three permanent opponents. AU can have UGA, FL, and AL if they mutually agree. GA can have FL, AU and say TN if they mutually agree. AL can have TN, AU and whomever else if they mutually agree.

Pods limit you to 4 choices. With no divisions at all, you can literally have 16 different results. Some will have their pick of the litter; some will have to settle. But that's really no different than forcing pods and creating artificial rivalries.

Play 9 games. The 6 remaining nonpermanent games will allow you to do a home and away with the rest of the conference in 4 years.

I think the advantage of this kind of setup is obvious, but I may be missing something. Haven't been able to get a response yet why a pod is better.

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Your system is great and I have thought about the 3 Permanent and 6 rotation as well. No Divisions, top 2 teams in Atlanta. I was just going under the assumption that the PODS that the SEC Network put out, were not just some random thing a producer put together. Could be wrong, but I think that came from the SEC office just to see what fan reaction would be.

So if the SEC is going to go with these 4 basic geographic PODS, you need at least 1 permanent cross-over.

The way that you described will work but it will require as you say lots of mutual agreement.

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might add some spice to the games if opponent is played less frequently

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The opposite happens. We don’t have extra spice with Georgia and Tennessee.

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The opposite happens. We don’t have extra spice with Georgia and Tennessee.

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To play teams in the other division more often you could add the ninth conference game and not add conference members. You do not have to add UT and Ok to play Tenn and Ga. more often.

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it will require as you say lots of mutual agreement.

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Really not that hard. There's really not a lot at stake strategically. You're rotating thru the teams too quickly to get much of a scheduling advantage, and you're not keeping anyone out of your state for recruiting. Honestly, I would give them some advance notice to work it out; schedule a meeting to finalize; if it takes more than an hour or so, fine the recalcitrant 100K an hour.

The important aspect of this is that it is their choice, even if they are settling. The fat smelly guy at the Sadie Hawkins Dance is not going to be picked by the homecoming queen (unless he is really f'ing rich). You can't always get what you want.

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You’re dumb if you think playing Oklahoma and Texas gives us a worse shot at the playoffs than Alabama and Auburn every year.

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Or you’re dumb to assume we won’t play Auburn and Alabama every year simply because people are speculating the resulting schedule should Oklahoma and Texas be added to the conference. No one knows how the divisions or pods will be set up. There is only speculation and we could easily be screwed.