VTTW Board Index

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/10849658/sec-keep-traditional-non-divisional-rivalries-tweaks-future-scheduling

All teams must now schedule at least one foe from a so-called "power conference", which I assume is one of the old BCS conferences (I don't know if whatever replaced the Big Least counts or not).

Which means....Starting in 2016, each school will have to play at least one opponent from either the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten or Pac-12

We are already meeting that rule for the forseeable future.

Interesting comment by LSU AD

"Since 2000 LSU has played Florida and Georgia 19 times and Alabama has played them eight times. That is a competitive disadvantage. There are a lot of other examples."

What's sad is that bammer playing us, should even that up a bit.  Heck, from 2000-2006 it did, in fact. 

One day soon..... ?   

This will be revisited within 5 years.  SECN is going to demand a 9 game conference schedule.  All they did today was delay the inevitable.

I'm in favor of a nine game schedule.

They could also consider division realignment.  But to keep the two current big out of division rivalries of Uga-AU and UT-bammer alive, all four of those teams would have to be in the same division.

No way!    :crazy:

And of course UF-UGa would have to stay also, so just imagine five of the six traditional powers in the same division.  Would never work.

I agree with the LSU AD. Same with us.....there is a 80% chance as it is now that we would have to play Bama twice to win the SEC.....We are the only team in the SEC that would have to do that year end and year out...Think about that!!

As it is now we have a disadvantage.

I agree also, but I think we are on the path to being much more competitive with bammer.

Its still 2-3 years away though.  This year will be a struggle again.  Next year will be better and by 2016 we might...just maybe...be all the way back (to being competitive at the highest level of the SEC...not predicting an NC or anything).   :dude:

I think Slive went to bat for us. In today's world a unique thing happened: Tradition mattered. Bryant and Neyland are pleased.


BG

Bryant and Neyland didn't have to face each other 2 times in 1 year to win the SEC either.

Remember LSU 2001?

No, but googled. Sometime that happens. Alabama played Florida twice in '99.


BG

Even though Bama has had UT's number in recent years with all that UT has had to deal with since Fulmer left,UT had their number for 7 yrs in a row back in the late 90's and early 2000's,and after that 7th victory,I remember the announcer saying that no other team had ever beaten Bama 7 yrs in a row until UT did it.
I Like the tradition of that game and if UT has to play them twice to win an SECC so be it.
If you want to be the best you have to beat the best and they have been one of the best teams in not just the SEC but the nation,as much as I hate to say it.
UT's future is bright..I think CBJ will right the ship and Bama is due for some bad times ahead.You can't stay on top forever.
I still think Lame will be Saban's down fall in some form or another before all is said and done.
Karma is a bitch and they are due..Go Vols!!!  :powert:

People will always find stuff to complain about.  One day it is tradition and rivalry games, next day it is about who hasn't faced who in so many years and who has the upper hand.  The problem with the 9 game SEC schedule is some years you are going to have 5 home conference games and some years you will have 4, so then we will always have someone has the advantage over someone else.  You could fix that by requiring a neutral site game but which game is required and where would it be played?  I think the 8 game schedule and the requirement to schedule a power game would satisfy the SECN because you will have less of a chance of showing little sister of the poor games with that format. 

At first I was surprised about the power game requirement but the more I think I about it, the more I like it.  For years, UT has played whoever....UCLA back in the 80's and 90's, Oregon, Cal (when they were good), Oklahoma, etc while other schools played no one out of conference so maybe this will make people schedule good teams again.