Revised 13-team SEC schedule shouldn’t endanger Georgia-Auburn rivalry
The revised SEC logo has 13 pennants. (SEC)
As MrSEC notes, you could easily get a headache trying to figure out how the SEC is going to make a 13-team schedule work next year, but from all indications that’s just what the league is going to be doing.
Georgia athletic director Greg McGarity told Bulldogs Blog “that’s the direction we’ve heard, is that we’re moving along with 13,” and with Texas A&M now officially in the conference the SEC even issued a photo of the rejiggered logo with 13 pennants.
Indications are that the SEC probably will be sticking with eight conference games until a 14th team is added at sometime in the future. That leaves seven teams in one division (most likely the West) and six in the other.
The problem with handling unbalanced divisions, as MrSEC explains, is that while normally a schedule with eight conference games includes five division opponents and three games against opponents from the other division, with 13 teams three teams in the larger division must play six division games (and just two non-division contests).
So the conference has to decide which previously scheduled West vs. East games won’t take place next year.
The assumption everyone appears to be working under is that all of the current “permanent” East-West rivalries, including Georgia-Auburn, Alabama-Tennessee and Florida-LSU, will be maintained.
“It’s critical that the Georgia-Auburn series stay intact in football,” McGarity told the Macon Telegraph last week. “I can’t imagine that being displaced or being discontinued. I think your traditional rivalries are always going to be there. Tennessee-Alabama, count on that.”
I hope he’s right. Of course, if Missouri winds up being the eventual 14th team in the league, it’s quite likely that Auburn will move over to the SEC East and the Georgia-Auburn rivalry won’t need protecting.
But until then any schedule changes that would interrupt the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry need to be vetoed by Michael Adams and McGarity, if necessary.
Got a question for the Junkyard Blawg? Send it to junkyardblawg@gmail.com.
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287 comments Add your comment
JDawg1785
September 27th, 2011
12:21 pm
Good point on Arky, Beast. Although it would be a huge shame if they had to move Auburn to the East and cancel Bama/UT as a result. That’s always been one of my favorite rivalries in the SEC.
By the way, do WV fans really burn couches? Yikes!
PigIron
September 27th, 2011
12:21 pm
1. VA Tech
2. Clemson
3. ???
robodawg
September 27th, 2011
12:21 pm
Wish just one school had vetoed A&M. But since we got em, I think the 14th team needs to be added in the East. Then you keep one permanent cross-division rival and drop one of your rotating cross-division rivals and you’re done, and all the rivalries are protected.
The most vulnerable rivalries are Alabama’s. If we add Mizzou and Auburn slides to the East, then Bama has to maintain two rivalries on the east side — UT and Auburn. Either one will get chopped, or we’ll add a conference game and have two permanent cross-division rivals.
The SEC should not go to 9 conference games. If you add a conference game to everybody’s schedules, you make the nation’s toughest schedules even more grueling and you beat up your own teams more, making it harder to make the SEC champ a shoe in for the BCS. Plus, with 7 more league games, you absorb 7 more losses within the conference, endangering how many teams the SEC sends bowling every year.
Atlanta Gator
September 27th, 2011
12:22 pm
“getting a degree from Flori-duh means wearing jorts with a blue and orange tank top while sporting the newest mullet hair-do.”
Or a white polo shirt with Brooks Brothers khakis. Whatever. LOL
59bulldawg
September 27th, 2011
12:24 pm
@DawginLex: LSU and Arkansas are closer to A&M than Missouri . . . and Ole Miss and Miss State are probably not a great deal further than Missouri. So A&M wouldn’t be all alone if we didn’t offer Missouri. I wouldn’t be unhappy with Mizzou but had rather us take Va Tech, Clemson, or Florida State. Heck I might even take Southern Mississippi or East Carolina! LOL!. The trouble, I guess, with adding any of those first three is that we would be making the SEC schedule even more of a murder’s row. I don’t have an idea where we will find the 14th member but it makes more sense to add two next year instead of one then and another one later. Still I would love for it to be VA Tech! Just saying . . .
PigIron
September 27th, 2011
12:24 pm
@robodawg
I agree regarding 9 conference games. If we allow that, then the next push will be for 14 regular season games. Maybe I’m just a hopeless traditionalist, but I don’t want to see CFB morph into the NFL Lite.
EGM
September 27th, 2011
12:25 pm
UCF would a great addition to any conference, including the SEC!!!
PigIron
September 27th, 2011
12:26 pm
@EGM
Balderdash!
EGM
September 27th, 2011
12:27 pm
Pigeon? What do they not offer?
David in Louisiana
September 27th, 2011
12:27 pm
Something’s going to have to give. I can see 13 teams working poorly for a single season but after that the SEC may have to seek a team that doesn’t fit previous qualifications. It may have to be lower tier academically such as WV, or in our existing footprint, such as Fl St or Ga Tech. I think for what the SEC gains in Tx A&M they can be a little less selective in choosing #14. I also think they would prefer to add a team that doesn’t require shifting any teams from their existing division. I suspect the SEC will spend the next year lobbying hard for such as NC or Va Tech. That would be more ideal.
beebee
September 27th, 2011
12:27 pm
South Florida is a GREAT idea!
It would further help elevate that program.
NO to Missouri.
bee (also an Alabama fan)
SSIgator
September 27th, 2011
12:28 pm
Atlanta Gator -
Sorry to hear about your troubles in Baton Rouge. We go every other year when UF plays there and have never had any problems at all. In fact, it is one of our favorite road trips. Sure beats going to Lexington.
Beast from the East
September 27th, 2011
12:29 pm
JDawg1785,
I offer proof. This is one of their fan’s websites.
http://www.wemustignitethiscouch.com/
Richt`s Hammer
September 27th, 2011
12:29 pm
I want to play Valdosta. We may lose but who cares, maybe I can get another dream team to lose 6 games a year.
Any of these schools b4 WVU
September 27th, 2011
12:31 pm
NC State
GA Tech
FSU
Wake Forest
USF
Tulane
UCF
ODU
GA State
Appalachain State
Univ of Memphis
Sam Robards, Dawg Fan
September 27th, 2011
12:32 pm
When we add a 14th team (I dunno who, I’d like OU or VT, but I’d settle on Mizzou, I guess) and move Auburn to the East, I want Texas A&M as the annual cross-division rival.
That’s really all I have to say on this matter.
Go Dawgs!
Atlanta Gator
September 27th, 2011
12:33 pm
“UCF would a great addition to any conference, including the SEC!!!”
“South Florida is a GREAT idea!”
I’m pretty sure that the University of Florida would quietly put the kibosh on both of those ideas before they ever came to a vote. Florida State has its own unique logic for SEC membership; Florida regional universities, not a chance.
Beast from the East
September 27th, 2011
12:33 pm
beebee,
Adding USF, UCF or any ther team from Central or South Florida would only create another monster to deal with in the SEC. The SEC already has the Florida television market. Let those schools build their programs like everyone else had to do….not off the coat-tails of others.
Loyal Door
September 27th, 2011
12:33 pm
Hay historian. Don’t let the facts get in the way of your stupid posts. Georgia Tech left the SEC because of issues related to scholarships and over signing. Auburn, “rough play” and “fear” had nothing to do with it. Hell, we already had 5 SEC titles compared to 4 for the dawgs when we left. Now my question for you is – which comes first being terminally stupid or being a dawg fan?
Sam Robards, Dawg Fan
September 27th, 2011
12:34 pm
Though if we add VT, the Auburn move won’t be necessary.
And if we add OU, I want OU as the cross-division rival.
Too many possibilities!!!
JDawg1785
September 27th, 2011
12:34 pm
Beast- funny, yet scary, stuff. Thanks for the laugh!
SSIgator
September 27th, 2011
12:34 pm
Any of these schools b4 WVU -
UCF? Are you kidding? UGA doesn’t want any more of that action.
Sam Robards, Dawg Fan
September 27th, 2011
12:37 pm
And I’ve heard a couple different theories relating to why Tech left the SEC.
One says that they thought they could get more money as an independent.
Another said that Bobby Dodd got into a (figurative) pissing match with Bear Bryant and left the conference.
I think it’s probably a mix of all these factors. Either way, Tech burned their bridge to the SEC, as far as I’m concerned!
Go Dawgs!
JDawg1785
September 27th, 2011
12:37 pm
Beast, did you also see that according to their little survey on the website, 62% of WVU fans want to join the SEC? Definitely a scary thought!
truedawg
September 27th, 2011
12:42 pm
VT, or FSU in the East. And most wanted NC. We have to not jump and act without thought. VT or NC would make the most sense. NC would open more markets and help their football, as they help our basketball. This makes most sense. Go Dawgs!!!
PigIron
September 27th, 2011
12:43 pm
We could go for Lees-McRae in NC. They’ve been undefeated in football — since they stopped playing.
Atlanta Gator
September 27th, 2011
12:43 pm
“Sorry to hear about your troubles in Baton Rouge. We go every other year when UF plays there and have never had any problems at all. In fact, it is one of our favorite road trips. Sure beats going to Lexington.”
The “rowdiness” of the LSU crowd has a lot to do with whether it’s a day game or a night game in Death Valley. If the locals have been drinking for six to ten hours before game time, it can get a little ugly. In fairness, I saw a few home crowds like that at Florida Field in the 1980s before the administration clamped down on drinking and half-time trips to the Purple Porpoise in the ’90s.
Regarding football games in Lexington, just be happy when they don’t play the Florida-Kentucky game in November in Lexington. It can get d*mn cold there.
murfdawg
September 27th, 2011
12:46 pm
Go after Navy! Capture the Washington market now that MD got routed by The Battling Bill Cosbys. Navy may have a little trouble in basketball(height restrictions for cadets) but baseball is really good. No one can question the academics and it would be good to send a share of the SEC money for national defense. Bring on Navy!!!
LawDawg
September 27th, 2011
12:46 pm
SSiGaytor,
Isn’t Gainesville a big landfill? Can you say V-E-L-V-E-T-T-A ?
Loyaldoor,
Rough play had everything to do with it. Also, look at the SEC titles again. Seems the mighty Jackettes won 4 of those titles when they, unlike any other conference team, refused to send their players off to 2 wars that were going on. Bunch of losers!!!!
rational
September 27th, 2011
12:47 pm
If Missouri was really interested then they would have already begun the process. The only real option for the SEC is WVU. That is probably why they are staying at 13 for now. They are hoping something a little better will present itself.
Gordon
September 27th, 2011
12:48 pm
That’s right Lawdawg. GT is so powerful they can decide they don’t want their players to go to war.
Geez.
LawDawg
September 27th, 2011
12:49 pm
Uh Gordo, it wasn’t because of GT being “powerful”.
Beast from the East
September 27th, 2011
12:49 pm
JDawg1785,
I saw that. Just say NO to WVU!
gbal
September 27th, 2011
12:50 pm
On scheduleing, could go to 9 confrence games (6 divisional and keep 3 non divisional games) and go to 2 non confrence games from 3. UGA would be locked with the bugs and then only have one other non confrence.
If AU moved east, that takes care of the UGA/AU rivalry …. But then Bamer has a problem with AU&UT rivalry Couldnt keep them both unless they did 2 LOCK games.
UGA guy here and I love rivalries but may be best to give them up and to to a straight rotation outside division.
LawDawg
September 27th, 2011
12:50 pm
Gordo, when you have a chance, do some research on the matter….gotta go.
truedawg
September 27th, 2011
12:50 pm
The joke next to Coke. Never again will they be in the SEC.
PigIron
September 27th, 2011
12:51 pm
@rational
The SEC is holding at 13 because they aren’t going to poach a school from another conference. If a school wants to join the SEC, then they’ll have to first make arrangements to abandon their current conference affiliation.
just a fan
September 27th, 2011
12:53 pm
I have 2 extra tickets to the game this weekend if someone is interested you can email me at
fantasynfl3100@yahoo.com
Atlanta Gator
September 27th, 2011
12:53 pm
“Rough play had everything to do with it. Also, look at the SEC titles again. Seems the mighty Jackettes won 4 of those titles when they, unlike any other conference team, refused to send their players off to 2 wars that were going on. Bunch of losers!!!!”
LawDawg, no Georgia fan should ever bring up those circumstances. Wally Butts owes the 1942 national championship and Frank Sinkwich’s Heisman Trophy to the fact that virtually the entire UGA team was exempt from the draft because they were enrolled in the UGA ROTC program and playing against other SEC teams depleted by early volunteers and the draft. The Gators played their 1942 schedule with a team of freshmen and a handful of 4F upperclassmen.
Glass houses, my friend.
Toss Sweep It Dadgummit!
September 27th, 2011
12:53 pm
So what are the chances that A&M coming in will give UGA a less challenging schedule by taking Bama off for next year?
PigIron
September 27th, 2011
12:54 pm
@gbal
I hope that we never see a 9 conference game schedule. Traditional rivalry games offer huge financial gains from television revenue. It’s not just about nostalgia.
47-40-2 vs Florida-61-39-5 vs Tech
September 27th, 2011
12:55 pm
Go Dawgs!
Mark Dooley
September 27th, 2011
12:55 pm
Take your pick: Clemson, Florida State, Missouri, Louisville. Me? I’d go after Clemson; they’re a natural!
thwgt
September 27th, 2011
12:56 pm
I guess it’s official, the greatest conference in college athletics has been ruined. I don’t understand the logic in creating super conferences. All we end up with is a diluted bunch of nonsense. Common geographic characteristics and other similarities are the elements which make conferences compelling. Not “Media Market” motivated grabs which yield a bunch of nonsense similar to the path chosen by NASCAR, not that I’m a fan. Sad day for the SEC, or is it SEC with southwest influence, or will it be SEC with SW and Mid-West flair?
Gordon
September 27th, 2011
12:56 pm
Lawdawg,
My research has shown that UGA is still angry about being beat in ‘43 and ‘44 and say those games shouldn’t count. There is no way to know how they would have felt if they had won those games or why they played them if they didn’t think they should count.
It also showed that GT left the SEC because of the 140 rule.
really???
September 27th, 2011
12:59 pm
There are a few good articles floating around about NC State being the best fit for the SEC. It would get the Wolfpack out from under the UNC-Duke umbrella and it would give the SEC a foothold in North Carolina. I’d call that a win-win and no current teams have to switch divisions.
PigIron
September 27th, 2011
12:59 pm
There is no relevant place for Georgia Tech in this discussion. It doesn’t really matter why they left the SEC. They aren’t coming back.
ATLER (RAMBLIN WRECK)
September 27th, 2011
1:01 pm
@Historian
Tech left the SEC because Bear Bryant had a dirty player that permanently put a Tech player out of football because of an illegal punch. Bryant wouldn’t discipline, plus the recruiting practices that the SEC wouldn’t correct. A couple of schools would over recruit so the other schools wouldn’t get them. When the school started they would then cut the player and the player couldn’t play for the other SEC schools. That’s why Tech left the SEC.
Nashville Dawg
September 27th, 2011
1:01 pm
I agreed with one of the post earlier that we can keep the tradition/rivalry of AU/UA, UGA/AU, UT/UA by moving the UA & AU to the East. They just need to get the 14th team to the West and I think it should be Mizzou.
PigIron
September 27th, 2011
1:01 pm
@really???
North Carolina has nothing to offer in the way of football. The SEC doesn’t need to add a bottom feeder just to make a grab at a television market.