On the future SEC schedule 1-7 versus 3-6 debate ----------------

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#1

---------------- I am puzzled about the reported push for 3-6 from Sankey and the big dogs in the SEC versus the 1-7 option. In another post, the rumor was the vote if taken right now, would be 8 for the 1-7 (including Ark) and 6 plus Sankey for the 3-6 (including Bama & UGA). The 3-6 option creates 4 home SEC games and 5 away SEC games every other year and, if there is a neutral site game like UGA/FL, some years will be 3 SEC home games on the schedule. With 1-7, you play everybody every other year so there will be rivals each year just alternating from year to year.

Why does Sankey want the 3-6? Is this just the next step towards the SEC having its own playoff?

#2

What does TV want?

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#3

There are three home games now for Georgia and Florida every other year, and for us and A&M. Nine games allows evening that out.

#4

The only TV that matters is CBS and ESPN in the prime slots and they already move the schedule around to give them SEC games every Saturday now. I think getting bowl eligible is a big deal for a lot of teams and starting with 4 non-conference games to find two SEC wins to add to it is a lot better than only 3 non-cons and needing three SEC wins for a bunch of schools.

#5

You are contrasting 3 home conference games to 4 away games to 3 versus 5. That is quite a bit worse.

#6

In the new $3B contract Sankey signed with Disney, CBS is out altogether. I believe that contract starts in 2025 or 26. This pushes the inventory of SEC v. SEC games from mid-50s to low-70s. What TV wants is the valid question. Per school revenue from TV would move to about $68M per some estimates. What do bowl games provide in revenue HM? It’s divided among all conference schools after expenses I believe.

#7

No, you’re off base. Nine games, one in Jacksonville, and the Gators and Dawgs can play four and four EVERY YEAR.

#8

Correct.

The conference revenue distribution includes TV but it also includes bowl and CFP money. The most recent distribution announced in February worked out to $54 million per school, and included the money that bowl teams kept from their bowl checks to cover expenses. But $764 million was distributed straight from the conference office. When CBS is gone and ESPN is paying the league $240 million more PER YEAR… yeah that’s going to go up.

#9

Schedules would be worked so that neutral site games would see the “Home” team be the one that should have 5 home games in a 9-game conference season.

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#10

Egg-zackly.

Florida’s 2022 SEC schedule has Tennessee, A&M and Vandy on the road, so this is their year to be the road team in TWLOCP. Thus, in 2025, they would be the home team. So they make the 2025 schedule so that they have four games in the Swamp, four games in Baton Rouge or Lexington or wherever, and one game in Jacksonville. Problem solved. Then the same for Georgia in 2026.

#11

In 2024 only Disney will have the rights to SEC football games. All conference games and all out of conference games in which the SEC is the home team.

Disney would love for an extra conference game to be added - more games and a few more marquee matchups.

#12

Yup. Let’s say we replace A-State or Memphis with Texass in 2025. Which one does the Worldwide Leader want to show more?

Now does that get Disney to rework the contract to reflect the better inventory we’re giving them? Probably.

#13

The top 3 or 4 SEC games is all that really matters. The rest of the games are lightly watched off peak broadcasts. The SEC already moves conference games to some of the early slots in the fall, so there are “interesting” games for the prime time slots now. Everybody playing one more conference game and half of them adding an additional loss to their season means far more to the coaches and programs trying to claim a “successful” season to their fans and recruits than it provides a huge boost to the payout for each team. There is something more going on. Some future benefit for the SEC that makes it worth making it even harder to succeed in the SEC for most of the teams. We are already by far the toughest league to play in nationally and now it is going to get worse, not better! There has to be more of a benefit than just a few million more dollars each. I would like to know what it is.

#14

Here’s a possibility

The Big Ten plays 9 games plus a Power 5 NC game plus a championship game. The Pac-12 plays 9 plus a Power 5 plus a championship game. The Orphan Eight plays 9 plus a Power 5 plus a championship game. The ACC plays 8, plus four of them play Notre Dame (this year: UNC, Syracuse, Clemson, and Boston College), and on top of that UNC plays Wake Forest in a nonconference game because their division rotation is incredibly screwed up. And all of those leagues are sniping at us that we’re wimps afraid to play nine games.

It hasn’t mattered in the past, but it could – a 12-1 SEC champ is left out of the playoff because it got through the season without playing Bama or Florida or Georgia and didn’t have that 10th data point against SEC opposition or 11th data point against a Power 5 school. And if there’s one thing that has become evident, Greg Sankey is going to protect our position as the dominant league in January year in and year out.

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#15

That “lack of a 9th conference game” costing a future champ a shot at the championship is kind of blown away by the inevitable 12 or more team playoff that Sankey is pushing hard for. Maybe that might cost us a fourth team in the playoff, but no way does the top 2 or 3 SEC teams not get into a 12 team playoff every year. Our “strength of schedule” in 8 games will match up well with any of those leagues strength of schedule in their 9 games.

#16

UGA & FL play every year in Jacksonville. When that year is a 4 SEC home games and 5 SEC away games, there are actually only 3 home games for the 5 away games. THAT is the insane contrast. The fact that the next year will be 4 and 4 does not make the 3 and 5 season not crazy.

#17

Dude. You’re not listening. Georgia and Florida will continue to play in Jax with a 9 game schedule, Their other 8 SEC games will be 4 in Athens, 4 in Gainesville. EVERY DAMN YEAR. There is no “insane contrast.”

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#18

I have been known to do that sometimes but hear me out: Let’s say that we have a 9 game SEC schedule with A&M as one of the three permanent rivals. We will be playing 4 home games one year and five the next. For some insane reason we decide to take an enormous amount of money from Jerry to play that game for two years in Dallas. One of those two years for both teams will have 3 actual home conference games and 5 away conference games. Now, there may be a way with a permanent neutral site conference game to get everybody else to re-arrange their schedules to let those two teams have four home and four away conference games but I suspect that will not work well with almost everyone else having the 5 and 4 schedules. It just seems they all need to be doing the same type of schedule to make it work. I could be wrong since I do that often, but I am not sure this is one of those times, yet. Now it is your turn.

#19

OK. Let’s take the JerryWorld example and see if I can get you to understand. Let’s say we continue to play the Ags in JW every year after expansion with a 9-game schedule, and furthermore that our other permanent rivals under 3-6 are Misery and Ole Miss.

Among our three permanent rivals in that scenario, our schedule will always be one home (let’s say Misery in year 1, since they came to RRS in 2021) and one road (ditto OM, we went to Oxford in 2021). And the Aggies in the Death Star.

That leaves the six rotating games. To make it work for everyone, you’ll play three rotating games at home, and three on the road. When those teams rotate back in two years, you’ll play at the other site.

So let’s say our 2025 rotating opponents are LSU, Florida, Vandy, Bama, Texas and South Carolina, making our 2026 rotating opponents OU, Kentucky, Moo U, Tennessee, Georgia and Auburn.

The 2025 schedule might look like this:
A&M at JW, Misery, at Ole Miss, Florida, at LSU, Vandy, at Bama, Texas, at SC. Four home, four road, one neutral, nobody else gets their schedule screwed with (remember that Misery and OM are not going to be playing A&M).

2026: A&M at JW, at Misery, Ole Miss, at OU, Kentucky, at Moo U, Tennessee, at Georgia, Auburn. Still 4-4-1

2027: A&M at JW, Misery, at Ole Miss, LSU, at Florida, Bama, at Vandy, SC, at Texas.

And so on for 2028. The 2029 schedule repeats 2025.

Now if you’re talking about a one-off game in JW without having the Aggies as a permanent rival, if we’re dumb enough to agree to that in a year that the Aggies would otherwise be coming to RRS, that’s a fireable offense for an athletic director IMO.

#20

I personally do not want the 1-7 model simply because we will get stuck with Mizzu and I would prefer to have more than one permanent opponent

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