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.
Find me on Facebook.
Follow me on Twitter.
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
287 comments Add your comment
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
September 27th, 2011
7:31 pm
I rather see West Virginia any day before Missouri
LakeDawg
September 27th, 2011
7:45 pm
Who cares. The SEC has become just a conglomoration of teams. Its only purpose to raise revenue. Now its just a league you have to win in order to play for the MNC. The SEC doesn’t care about tradition, why should UGA? I say play the easiest teams in the league. Vandy, Ole Mz., Kentucky, Miss St., A&M, SC, Ark., AU.
More Kool-Aid, anyone?
September 27th, 2011
8:08 pm
Since dawg homers seem to love living in the past, how about remembering the Jan Kemp trial, which exposed UGA and Vince Dooley for the jokes that they were. My favorite quote from the trial was this one:
O. Hale Almand Jr., a lawyer for the defense, offered a justification for the favorable treatment accorded the athletes, citing a hypothetical player. “We may not make a university student out of him,” he told the jury, “but if we can teach him to read and write, maybe he can work at the post office rather than as a garbageman when he gets through with his athletic career.”
The best thing about the trial was that it completely killed Vince Dooley’s shot at Congress, since he was exposed as a fraud and a cheat during the trial. Make no mistake – Dooley knew everything that was going on.
Nothing has changed in the almost three decades since the trial. If anything, the abuses are even worse. Exhibit #1: Jim Harrick and son.
Today the players are even more illiterate and felonious and, well, just plain stupid, as evidenced by their arrest records and record number of penalties. Even Vince Dooley couldn’t have controlled this mob, much less Mark Richt.
UGA Dawg 97
September 27th, 2011
8:35 pm
Dawg in Lex is retarded.
alpha male
September 27th, 2011
8:36 pm
bobby bowden on the finebaum show today said fsu probably stays where it is…its happy in the acc…says too that west virginia adds nothing to the sec, doubts they get an invite…then again, what does he know…
alpha male
September 27th, 2011
8:43 pm
hey lakedawg…the funny thing is that Vandy, Ole Miss., Kentucky, Miss St., A&M, SC, Ark., AU…have uga on their easy list…
LakeDawg
September 27th, 2011
8:54 pm
alpha male
September 27th, 2011
8:43 pm
hey lakedawg…the funny thing is that Vandy, Ole Miss., Kentucky, Miss St., A&M, SC, Ark., AU…have uga on their easy list…
———————————————————————————————————————————–
I know.
Back to the future
September 27th, 2011
9:19 pm
Texas A&M will be just one more team to put a regular beatdown on the hapless, uncoached dawgs. But looking at this week, it’s Miss State 37, Georgia 24.
The Diesel
September 27th, 2011
9:21 pm
It;s pretty much a given that the best part of SSIGator ran down the crack of his mommas butt.
Barf
September 27th, 2011
9:52 pm
It want matter when Auburn gets the death penalty for being the cheaterenest program ever
P. Bull Terrier
September 27th, 2011
10:12 pm
I’m wondering why nobody seems to be considering the University of South Florida as a possible 14th member of the SEC. Va Tech would be the best addition for the SEC based on bringing in the Washington DC area TV market, but if that doesn’t happen a second team in Florida might make more sense (and more money) than adding Missouri. USF is based in the #13 TV market in the country – Tampa/St. Petersburg – and the state of Florida contains 3 of the top 20 TV markets in the country.
I’m sure the University of Florida would rather have the entire state to themselves, but if adding a second team in Fla would bring in more money, I’m sure UF would rather have that even more.
Burma Shave
September 27th, 2011
10:14 pm
The SEC Schedule Next Fall
Brings Trepidation For All
To Balance The Load
Has Us Scratching Our Crania
And Slowly Succumbing
To Triskaidekaphobic Mania
Might Just Give West Virginia A Call
Burma Shave©
jack smith
September 27th, 2011
11:05 pm
Just add Mizzou or WVU. WHo cares. The sec got what it wants in A&M. Both Mizzou and WVU are another Miss. state. THey will have some good years and go to bowl games. MIzzou would be my first pick, but I wouldn’t wait on them. Give them a deadline. SO we can get this schedule fixed.
Dawg Fan
September 27th, 2011
11:41 pm
Permanently dropping gt from our schedule would result in the following:
(1) Allow flexibility in our scheduling
(2) Would be a major financial blow to the nerds bottom line
Pollyanna
September 28th, 2011
6:35 am
Just wait.
You will all figure out real soon that we are going to have a far tougher time moving forward than we enjoyed – say in 2002
joe taxpayer
September 28th, 2011
7:18 am
Drop the GT game.
TallaDawg
September 28th, 2011
9:36 am
I do not understand why SEC schools do not want to add their in-state rivals (for that reason alone). Wouldn’t this actually help. If FSU joins the SEC, the FSU-UF game would be a conference game. UF would then be able to add another out of conference rival. Also, in a 14 or 16 team league, how is anyone going to be guaranteed an OOC rival? Having your rival in conference seems to be the only way to ensure the continuation of the series. Being in the same conference (and Division) does not seem to bother the UA-AU rivalry.
TallaDawg
September 28th, 2011
9:39 am
I also like the Univ. of So. Fla. idea. Sew-up the whole Florida market while UM is down.
Rich
September 28th, 2011
9:53 am
WVU brings in the Pittsburgh TV market (only 2 slots below the Kansas City market that has everyone in a wad about Mizzou) and the entire state of West Virginia.
Moreover, just like Syracuse with respect to New York, Mizzou fans aren’t as relevant within their footprint as West Virginia is wihtin their TV footprint
PureEvil
September 28th, 2011
9:55 am
Texas A&M….. Great another team we can lose to every 3 to 4 years!!!
PureEvil
September 28th, 2011
10:09 am
SEC should get TCU as the 14th team and move Auburn to the East and be done with it!!
duronimo
September 28th, 2011
10:19 am
I do think that distance between schools is important now that more people are going by car to avoid the hands down their pants at airports. The nearest state where the SEC does not have a member is North Carolina. What about taking UNC? Joining the SEC would upgrade their football recruiting and make them a worthy member. They’re already a legendary basketball school. It would open up the Charlotte TV market as well.
PureEvil
September 28th, 2011
10:26 am
duronimo
UNC cares too much about Basketball… they would never leave the ACC for the SEC.
They can’t even win football games in the ACC!! Why would they want to get there brains beat in every week in the SEC??
PureEvil
September 28th, 2011
10:29 am
The only school in the ACC that I think would leave for the SEC would be Clemson. IMO
Tom, Resident Georgia Fan
September 28th, 2011
10:36 am
DawginLex … Notre Dame wants no part of the SEC. They like their cupcake schedule as is.
Toe meets leather
September 28th, 2011
11:22 am
Best of luck to the Dawgs this Sat
Questions
September 28th, 2011
11:28 am
A few salient comments:
1. Four different SEC teams have won the last five BCS championships.
2. UGA was not one of those teams.
3. During that period, UGA did not win the SEC championship.
4. During that period, UGA did not even win its SEC division.
5. Red panties.
In other words, UGA has sunk into total irrelevancy both regionally and nationally.
So why is UGA paying Mark Richt millions of dollars a year?
Delbert D.
September 28th, 2011
12:04 pm
Get $20 million fans to contribute a dollar and FSU might leave the ACC. I don’t know why, though; they are sitting pretty with the ACC TV contract.
Bazooka Joe
September 28th, 2011
12:06 pm
Regardless of why Tech left the SEC, the fact remains, they left the SEC and should NOT have the opportunity to return. End of story…..
Still@theBAR
September 28th, 2011
12:14 pm
Why is time being wasted on this subject? The SEC will have a 14th before this schedule will ever be printed.
DawginLex
You know Notre Dame would never even answer the phone if the SEC called. The SEC doesn’t have the academics.
Delbert D.
September 28th, 2011
12:15 pm
According to numerous news reports, the SEC has rejected WVU as a potential member. Maybe it’s because they are only 50 miles from Pittsburgh.
Still@theBAR
September 28th, 2011
12:20 pm
The SEC thinks they are to Classy and Smart to have WVU as a member. Now isn’t that the funniest thing you have ever heard?
Delbert D.
September 28th, 2011
12:22 pm
The West Virginians wouldn’t be able to understand the southern folks and vice-versa.
Just Move 2 teams East
September 28th, 2011
12:43 pm
At least the hillbillies in WV know how to count to 14.
WV Hillbillies
September 28th, 2011
12:46 pm
Yep!
That’s how many matches it typically takes to ignite a couch.
JR1967
September 28th, 2011
3:59 pm
I guess with all of the geographical changes to the SEC, I guess that means Hawaii will eventually become a member of the SEC West.
WV Hillbillies
September 28th, 2011
4:41 pm
Oh heck no. We want Hiwayee in our division. I bet them grass skirts burn REAL good.