SEC to remain at 8 in conference games

[Swamp Swagger]

http://m.espn.go.com/ncf/story?story...58&src=desktop

I'm glad they stayed with the 8 game schedule but keeping the permanent cross-division rival is STOOOOOOPID! Mike S says they did this because "Tradition matters in the SEC". There are only 2 of those 7 games that you can really call a rivalry or that have any "tradition": AL/UT and Auburn/UGA. The rest of us just play the same school from the other division every year. Does any Florida fan really consider LSU a rival? Yea, we've played them in many meaningful games, but our rivalry card was already full long before the series started. Heck, USC/aTm and Arky/Mizzou are brand new "rivalries".

I'm not saying this because I think LSU makes our schedule too hard. I'm all for strength of schedule. I'm saying this because I want to play the other teams a lot more. I'd rather get to play Auburn, AL, and aTm more. So now we get Auburn at home every 12 years, so an entire generation will pass between their visits. What a crock! They've essentially split the SEC into 2 conferences that meet for a championship game.

They should have made the permanent cross division rival optional for each set of schools to decide upon by mutual consent. Otherwise everybody get a fresh new home and away divisional opponent each year. Anyone agree or have a opinion?

[p_rushing]

so UF gets to stay in Florida all year still?

[AUsouthpaw2013]

I think most fans would prefer the nine game schedule, if only for more good games and fewer cupcake games. I do understand why the conference bigwigs would want to stay at eight though, it all comes back to $$$. Staying at eight conference games means the conference can erase potentially seven losses from its members every year (if you assume one less conference game means one more cupcake). This means more teams can go to bowl games and the conference can get those bowl game payouts, not to mention the prestige of being able to say, "Hey, we sent 11 of our 14 members to a bowl last year."

Personally, I'm all in favor of a nine game conference schedule. We play K-State, San Jose State, Louisiana Tech, and Samford out of conference. Aside from the fact that Pat Sullivan coaches Samford, there is no reason for Auburn to be playing them. If people are worried about the fatigue of playing five or six conference games in a row, then space out the conference games so that you can play your two easy games throughout your schedule instead of right at the beginning or the end. Have everyone play at least one conference game in the first two weeks to avoid stacking them from the end of September to the middle of November.

From a rivalry standpoint, I hate not being able to play Florida or Tennessee regularly. Before the last expansion, you used to see the rotating teams four times every ten years, now it's twice every twelve years. Auburn just played Tennessee, it's going to be forever before we play them again. And after 2014, Florida and Auburn will have seen each other once since 2007. That's criminal for a huge rivalry that was held every year until 2002.

[Swamp Swagger]

Yup I agree that's my main thing about the whole thing, It takes over a decade to play the other teams.

8 or 9 games why did they have to keep the permanent opponent

[LowerWolf]

They should have gone to nine games.

Thank goodness they kept the permanent rival. I'd have been pissed if we didn't play Alabama every year.

[aukevin]

I wanted 9 games as well.

[Watson]

Quote: Originally Posted by LowerWolf

They should have gone to nine games. Thank goodness they kept the permanent rival. I'd have been pissed if we didn't play Alabama every year.

I'm sure Bama would have been pissed off that they had to play Florida or Georgia instead of beating up on Tennessee every year, but as someone who enjoys the LSU-Florida games, I'm ok with it.

[jyoung]

It should be 9 conference games, but as we all know:

Spoiler