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.
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287 comments Add your comment
Nick
September 27th, 2011
3:18 pm
All this BS is exactly why it needs to be left alone.
really???
September 27th, 2011
3:20 pm
Cupcake City -
I’m assuming you’re trolling, but the SEC uses a rotation schedule for interdivisional games, with each team having a permanent cross-division rival. Therefore it would be foolish for them to schedule teams they’ll play every few years anyway.
PigIron
September 27th, 2011
3:22 pm
Buzzer
September 27th, 2011
1:09 pm
If the ACC is so inferior, why are all the posters on here intent on raiding the ACC for a 14th team?
That’s not really the case. The SEC needs to add another school now that TAMU has joined the conference simply to maintain numerical balance in the divisions. In order to add a quality football program that is actually within the SE geographical region one has to consider the three ACC schools that have reasonably good football programs. Those are FSU, Clemson and VA Tech.
The only other options are WVU and Mizzou. Either of these schools would represent a mid-tier football program in the SEC, but both are at the extreme boundaries of the SEC’s geographic footprint. The best solution for the SEC would be to add one of the three ACC schools, but one of them will first have to leave the ACC. The SEC will not likely lower itself to poaching teams from another conference under the table, as did the ACC with Pitt and Syracuse.
Will
September 27th, 2011
3:23 pm
College football is starting to suck! I am now more interested in the NFL. I don’t think it’s just me as well. I have noticed several games this year on TV with lots of empty seats. The Ole Miss game last week was not even close to capacity.
Is the Miss St game sold out?
THE Dixie Redcoat Band
September 27th, 2011
3:24 pm
We can hardly wait to travel to Columbia and tailgate.
War Eagle
September 27th, 2011
3:25 pm
East
UGA
Tenn
FLA
kentucky
SC
Vandy
Clemson
West
Auburn
Alabama
LSU
Miss
Miss State
Ark
Tex A&M
Clemson has SEC atmosphere with stadium and campus, plus the minor sports will be easier travel and more competitive.
Replace Clemson with South Florida or Conn. in ACC
PigIron
September 27th, 2011
3:25 pm
@Will
Conference realignment is hardly the most significant problem on the Ole’ Miss radar.
Columbus
September 27th, 2011
3:30 pm
We are going to need 2 divisions OR the top 2 from each division go to conference playoff system. Its not like there isnt a month between the season and bowl games for the playoff teams to play one more game.
Its going to happen anyway. Its inevitable. All sports are doing it with wildcard playoff teams. You cant stop it might as well go ahead and do it now. It will lead to a national playoff system faster also and get the money from the BCS to the schools where it belongs.
As far as another team or 3, how about one or 2 that are mediocre half the time? I mean the league is more than tough enough. Like a North Carolina, East Carolina, Virginia, etc. Missouri would work too. I would certainly rather have them instead of Oklahoma.
War Eagle
September 27th, 2011
3:32 pm
East- UGA, TENN, SC Vandy Kentucky Fla Clemson
West Auburn Bama, Miss, Miss State LSU Ark. Tex A%M
Clemson has more SEC atmosphere, campus, stadium, plus other sports would have less travel and be competitve
Replace Clemson in ACC with South Florida or Conn.
PigIron
September 27th, 2011
3:33 pm
@Columbus
Why not UAB? It’s inevitable anyway… Right?
ARdawg
September 27th, 2011
3:36 pm
Well, not much need to comment. The ajc blog nation has it all figured out
Buzzer
September 27th, 2011
3:37 pm
PigIron, my point is that it’s easy for the SEC folks to diss the ACC, but then these same folks see these terrible teams (VT, FSU, NC, NC State, Clemson, Maryland) as good possible 14th teams. You can’t have it both ways.
And Syracuse and Pitt came begging. If FSU came begging to the SEC, you don’t think it would take them?
Joe
September 27th, 2011
3:40 pm
SSIgator
Since you’re all about stats and history…Could you please answer the following questions:
1. Who has won more SEC titles UGA or UF?
2. Who leads the all time series UGA or UF?
3. Who has more Heismann winners UGA or UF?
Joe
September 27th, 2011
3:41 pm
maybe DawginLex can help SSIGator out…..since he is likely a coward and wont answer but will spew more sewage from his mouth….
Carl Gump
September 27th, 2011
3:46 pm
UGA
FLa
FSU
Clemson
GT
Tenn
UNC
NC State
Aub
Bama
LSU
Ole Miss
Miss St
A & M
Notre Dame
KY
Thar’s ya a 16 team super conference in football and basketball.
PigIron
September 27th, 2011
3:49 pm
Buzzer,
It’s easy to diss the ACC because they just aren’t very good at football. That’s not an opinion. The numbers back it up. They have poached schools (mostly from the Big East) attempting to become a football power, but it has backfired every time. Both Miami and Florida State have gone downhill playing in the ACC. It might have looked like an easy path to a championship game, but playing against a lower level of competition only brings a good program down to the level of their competition over time.
There are only three schools in the ACC that would qualify for entry into the SEC, and they would be middle tier schools in the SEC at best. Pitt and Syracuse are currently members of the Big East. Texas A&M was no longer a member of the Big 12 when they were invited to join the SEC. You might not understand the difference, but it is significant.
Gator got SSIgator's tongue????????????
September 27th, 2011
3:50 pm
SSIgator
Since you’re all about stats and history…Could you please answer the following questions:
1. Who has won more SEC titles UGA or UF?
2. Who leads the all time series UGA or UF?
3. Who has more Heismann winners UGA or UF?
Can ANY Gator help your SSIgator??
September 27th, 2011
3:52 pm
Since you’re all about stats and history…Could you please answer the following questions:
1. Who has won more SEC titles UGA or UF?
2. Who leads the all time series UGA or UF?
3. Who has more Heismann winners UGA or UF?
SSIgator
September 27th, 2011
3:52 pm
Joe -
Stats are for the Richtite KoolAid drinking gang. But since you brought it up, what will you refer to when UF overtakes UGA in the categories you mentioned? Oh, I know. Then it will be “moral victories” since that is what UGA is now reduced to taking comfort in.
BTW, DawginLex is going through that “male time of the month” right now so he is not in a good mood and doesn’t want to play. He should be better in about three days if he stays on his Midol tablets.
PigIron
September 27th, 2011
3:52 pm
16 team super conferences are the wet dream of CFB losers. Only the ACC bought into such nonsensical rumors, which is ironic, because the whole “4 16-team super-conference” fantasy never included the ACC to begin with.
PigIron
September 27th, 2011
3:56 pm
If you want to discuss historic SEC statistics, then everyone representing Georgia, Florida or (God forbid) Georgia Tech need to line up behind The University of Alabama and The University of Tennessee.
Sheesh…
Buzzer
September 27th, 2011
3:58 pm
PigIron, I would agree that the SEC is superior in football to all conferences no doubt. However, many of the ACC teams would be competitive in the SEC which is why they as being discussed as potential 14th teams. Whether they are middle tier or top tier, I would leave for experts like yourself to determine. The quality of fottball in the ACC is much better than most SEC fans want to give credit.
My point was the Syracuse and Pitt came BEGGING. The ACC did not poach them, as you previously stated. Whether the SEC poached Texas A&M, well I leave that to you to defend, lol.
Buzzer
September 27th, 2011
4:01 pm
And PigIron, unfortunately, like most in here, you are too wrapped up in your biases to fully apprecaite the nuances of the discussion.
PigIron
September 27th, 2011
4:04 pm
Buzzer
September 27th, 2011
4:01 pm
And PigIron, unfortunately, like most in here, you are too wrapped up in your biases to fully apprecaite the nuances of the discussion.
That’s not the problem. I’m not sufficiently rude to explain the problem to you in great detail.
Buzzer
September 27th, 2011
4:05 pm
No, based on your posts, you clearly are.
PigIron
September 27th, 2011
4:07 pm
Okay then, here you go. You’re an idiot.
QED
Buzzer
September 27th, 2011
4:08 pm
HAHAHA
RawDawg
September 27th, 2011
4:08 pm
Regardless of who number 14 ends up being I cant see both ‘Bama and Auburn coming to the east. LSU and Arkansas would have a cake walk in the west every year, and the east would be brutal. Too unbalanced, traditional rivalries preserved or not.
Buzzer
September 27th, 2011
4:09 pm
Thank you for proving my point about the average SEC fan.
PigIron
September 27th, 2011
4:09 pm
At least you’re happy. That’s something, isn’t it?
Buzzer
September 27th, 2011
4:10 pm
Well we can agree on that LOL
SSIgator??
September 27th, 2011
4:12 pm
SSIGator….can you just answer the questions? Geez…you spew your sewage but when someone call you out and ask legimate questions you cant answer??????? when UF passes uga? Ha! it took you 60 years to win the first one…….Dude….football did not start in 91 opps…my bad…..that is for everyone EXCEPT UF.
GeoffDawg
September 27th, 2011
4:13 pm
Buzzer, in case you haven’t been paying attention the last few weeks, competitiveness in football is a mitigating but not a driving factor in expansion. If it was, FSU would be the top target instead of a 2nd or 3rd tier choice. Revenues from market share are king which is why the 14th team will likely come from either the St. Louis/KC or the DC metro area.
For goodness’ sake, even Maryland and NC St. have been mentioned and not even their Head Coaches’ wives would claim they could be competitive with an SEC schedule.
PigIron
September 27th, 2011
4:17 pm
For goodness’ sake, even Suwanee and Tulane can be “mentioned” on a football blog. That doesn’t mean that either of them will be joining the SEC anytime soon.
Football is not really important, but anyone who thinks that Maryland or NC are serious contenders in CFB has no business offering an opinion on this matter.
GeoffDawg
September 27th, 2011
4:30 pm
PigIron, the only schools that have concrete ties to expansion are Missouri (board meeting late this week) and West Virginia (already told “thanks for applying but your skill sets don’t match our needs”). Everything thing else including Va Tech, FSU, Notre Dame, Louisville, TCU, Maryland, NC St. and Clemson are all fevered blog rumors.
PigIron
September 27th, 2011
5:01 pm
@GeoffDawg
No disagreement there. There are plenty of rumors, including the ones regarding WVU and Missouri. My only point is that these rumors have no substance. When the conference makes an official announcement, then I’ll be interested. Until such time… Not so much.
Alphare
September 27th, 2011
5:37 pm
SSIGator, let me help you out. Since gator football didn’t start until 1990. Here is the overall stats between FL and UGA:
1. Who has won more SEC titles UGA or UF?
Answer: UF
2. Who leads the all time series UGA or UF?
Answer: UF
3. Who has more Heismann winners UGA or UF?
Answer: UF
dawg4ever
September 27th, 2011
6:04 pm
SSIGator, come back in two weeks after your powerhouse team has actually played a team with an SEC calibre defense and spew about how great Fatass Weiss and your head coach, OOPS, i mean your cheerleader without his pompoms, and your 2 all world midget running backs are. Florida will get their asses handed to them in the next 2 weeks, and then you will know what it feels like to play 2 top ten teams like UGA has. I doubt Florida will dominate one of the 2 teams like UGA did S.C., but we will see how great your gators are now that they actually play a decent team in the SEC. You pathetic gator fans that are beating your chests after beating Tenn, which may be the worst team in the SECE, will get a touch of reality about where your program is with your high school head coach in 2 weeks. Just one other note, your midget running back has the same stats after 4 games as UGA’s stud freshman. The only problem is that crowell has done this against 2 top ten teams, sorry, but the gators once again have no SEC calibre running back, and UGA as usual has one. See your make believe team and it’s coach in Nov.
SSIgator
September 27th, 2011
6:22 pm
dawg4ever -
I don’t think I would compare BSU and SC to Alabama and LSU if I were you, but whatever floats your boat.
dawg4ever
September 27th, 2011
6:55 pm
Really brilliant one, BSU had the # 3 ranked defense last year, and S.C has as good a defense as either LSU or Bama. Last time i checked S.C. dominated Bama last year, and i think they dominated your mighty gators last year also. Keep dreaming, and keep bragging about beating Tenn. and Ky. And do everyone on this blog a big favor, big your big mouth on this site in 2 weeks, and bring your big mouth buddy beast from the east with you. Your big bubble will burst in the next 2 weeks, and the mighty gators will be looking at 4 or 5 losses. S.C. will beat the mighty gators in Columbia, and florida state will dominate the gators again this year, UGA will be a toss-up again between 2 wannabe programs.
WalDawg
September 27th, 2011
6:55 pm
You know, I feel a bit more ignorant now. Thanks Dawg Fans! Go Dawgs!
Beast from the East
September 27th, 2011
6:56 pm
“I doubt Florida will dominate one of the 2 teams like UGA did S.C”
Yeah, total domination. It’s a shame that doesn’t go in the win column.
Southern Man
September 27th, 2011
6:58 pm
If GT wants back in the SEC, it will get back in the SEC. Their program has more history and pagentry than most of the current SEC schools. GT-UT, GT-AU, GT-ALA, and GT-SC are great rival games.
Beast from the East
September 27th, 2011
6:58 pm
dawg4ever,
UGA and UF won’t be a toss-up. And it won;t be pretty, either.
Beast from the East
September 27th, 2011
7:00 pm
dawh4ever,
Since you live off of others success (Bama and LSU), I have a question. Did you put a nothch in your bedpost when one of your buddies scored with a girl while growing up or is this just a recent development?
Dawg48
September 27th, 2011
7:02 pm
I would love to see tech back in the sec! Want ever happen though
Dawg48
September 27th, 2011
7:10 pm
It would be nice to go to just 4,major conferences. Sec acc big 10 @ PAC 16. If 4 conferences had 16 teams each and a conference champion ship that way you would not loose the importance of the regular season. You have tradition with rivalries between acc & sec also big10 & PAC 10 with the rose bowl. Sec champ vs acc champ in the sugar or orange bowl and big 10vs pac10 in the rose then the winner of each play for the national championship. And get rid of the stupid bcs! That keeps tradition and gives you a simple play off and want take away from the regular season.
Southern Man
September 27th, 2011
7:11 pm
@Dawg48
I would also like to see them back…their attendance started to decline when schools like WF and VA starting to coming to town.
SSIgator
September 27th, 2011
7:13 pm
Beast from the East -
Two observations: First, I did not know you had a big mouth and second, I did not know we were buddies. I guess you learn something new every day. BTW, don’t irritate dawg4ever – he sounds really mean.
Dawg48
September 27th, 2011
7:14 pm
@ southern man…….. It would add to a already great rivalry and show the nation how big of a rivalry tech and ga are.