SEC considering putting Auburn in East and Mizzou in West
- Thread starter richbrookstomato
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This could actually happen sometime in the next few years - when the SEC goes to 16 teams with 4, 4 team divisions.
Go Big Blue!
Exactly what I was thinking. The league would surely have to shuffle those permanent cross-divisional games which would piss a lot of people off. Auburn plays Georgia every year and 'bama plays Tennessee so they would have to dismantle 2 of the oldest rivalries in college football just to preserve the Iron Bowl.
That is certainly an option. But the reason Missouri is in the east was so Bama could keep the UT game and Iron Bowl. But more importantly the SEC offices are in Birmingham AL. Unless Bama and AU or ok with that plan it won't happen, its more likely Bama and AU both come to the East and Missouri moves to the West and 2 teams are added to the West. The entire West would go with that plan, UF would likely go with it because they don't like their having LSU as their crossover, Missouri would also likely vote that route. As long as the SEC office is in Alabama and the commissioner is forced to live there not much is going to pass without Bama's approval.
If by "cheaters" you're referring to the programs that have boosters helping out behind the scenes, unbeknownst to the coaching staffs, you're probably right. The boosters at every SEC school do it, but obviously some do it more than others.
The only reason I could see to do this would be to make geographical sense of division names which simply is unnecessary. What other reason is discussed?
We know the Iron Bowl is not dissolving into a once every six year event. Is UT/Bama really a nationally recognized rivalry today? More than Bama/Fl?
We know the Iron Bowl is not dissolving into a once every six year event. Is UT/Bama really a nationally recognized rivalry today? More than Bama/Fl?
For years the East was much better than the West. You don't go shaking up the divisions because one of them is down at the time
I agree but why else do this? Simple answer is the West is murderers' row right now and those coaches are probably telling the league that we are hurting our chances at a national title because the division is so tough. Even Alabama lost a game last year.
Please explain how the Au- Uga rivalry would be dismantled - since they'd now be in same division.
AU's two biggest historical rivals besides AL were GA & FL. The FL one was lost when divisions came. Net, AU would like playing FL every year again & would be happy with the change I think.
I doubt TN would mind giving up AL every year.
AU in East always made the most geographic sense with current 14 teams. MO is the one on the short end now not playing more closer schools. They accommodated SEC when they joined so they could join, but today it should be about what's best today.
I doubt TN would mind giving up AL every year.
AU in East always made the most geographic sense with current 14 teams. MO is the one on the short end now not playing more closer schools. They accommodated SEC when they joined so they could join, but today it should be about what's best today.
When SEC member schools vote on things, it's impossible for Alabama to have any more sway than others. These things aren't decided by the commissioner but by the schools themselves. Everyone would get a vote.
The Commissioner of the SEC has very specific and limited powers Grumpy. The Univ Presidents have collectively almost all of the power.
[laughing] I'm an idiot and completely forgot about the fact that they would still play each other.
sounds like they are trying to even the playing field a bit, but I recall in the 90s it was the East that had the dominate teams the West was by far the weaker. There were those that wanted to mix things up then, but eventually things evened out and changed. I think that will also be the case now. Having said that, the change would be a better geographical fit.
Would make sense. Only negative I would see anyone fighting about would be dropping the UT/Bama game in favor of Bama/Auburn.
UK should pick up Mizz as our western rival. UT could Miss St.
UK should pick up Mizz as our western rival. UT could Miss St.
The west isn't murderers row right now, there are 2 good teams, A&M is not very good, MSST will be without the best player they have hand in the last 40 years and weren't world beaters last year, AU wasn't very good nor was LSU. Once you get past Bama and OM, the west isn't special at all. Solid teams, the East happened to have several teams who were not very good last year. But the West is definitely better than the East right now, but far from a murderers row, but their 2 top teams are good and could easily be the best 2 in the conference, 3rd and 4th could be 2 teams from the East just as easily as they could be from the West, or even the next 3 could be from the East. It has never been as good as some seem to think its been, them getting drilled after the 14 season in the bowl games should have shown you that when they went something like 2-5 with the bottom teams winning.
NBD. I appreciate your honesty & self-deprecation. Several here could stand to not take things here so seriously. Thanks.
My understanding from previous issues is that the SEC pretty much works on unanimous consensus for change. It's what keeps/kept the likes of FSU & Klempsin out of the SEC - one school objecting. So AL doesn't hold more sway, just the same (near?) veto power every other school holds.
Take any team team from the West and put them in the East in most any year and they would be Top 25 on ability alone. I think the league knows Missouri is dying a swift death, Vandy and UK will almost always suck and USCe under Muschamp doesn't look too promising either. Something has to give.
Well - if AU to the east then they'd play UGA anyway. The only game it'd affect is AL and UT
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Are you really that naive Arc? The SEC is money driven, it has been for years. Right now Bama is the golden goose of the SEC, nothing is going to come to a vote they aren't ok with, UGA/AU is the oldest and longest continually played rivalry in the southeast, Bama/AU, the Ironbowl, gets more publicity than any other rivalry in the south now, UT/Bama is a huge game for both, neither will cast a vote to have it end. I don't think AU will come to the East without Bama, OR we go to a 9 game conference schedule with 2 perm. crossovers and 1 rotation. I guess we could swap Vandy and Missouri even up for Bama and AU. That would get 100% of the West support don't you think, and probably Vandy and Missouri's, almost enough to pass. I bet you are a young guy and don't really understand how things work out in the real world.
University presidents aren't going to do anything that will cost them millions of dollars, Bama losing UT or AU as every year games will do just that, even the UGA/AU game will cost several million. It isn't about competitiveness or winning to them, its about the revenue made or lost.
I bet LSU AND AU will be back to competing for the West with Bama and Ole miss next year. West will be better then east again next year IMO.
Or UK and missou go west and aub and Bama go east... add Oklahoma in West and a Virginia or Carolina in the east. Or missou and vandy. Or just let Bama and Auburn have an extra conf game against each other every year... or every team have 2 cross rival to even up the sos.
Can't add OU unless OkSt is included and same goes for Virginia and VT, state legislatures tied their conference memberships together. Swapping AU and Missouri's division makes sense, but unless we go to 9 conference games with 2 permanent crossover games and one rotation. I just don't think the SEC office allows either of those 3 rivalries, UT/Bama, AU/Bama, UGA/AU because historically they have gone a long way in deciding conference champion and lately national Champion. One thing not mentioned yet is Bama can keep the Iron Bowl, it just wouldn't be a conference game except for the year they were rotational opponents. A little different option but one that can be done.
I don't think it will happen. If it does then bowl hopes become even dimmer. However Miss State and South Carolina should be going through a rebuilding phase so that helps for the near future. Auburn has had some pretty bad teams before but normally they are a level above UK, unlike Missouri. However again I doubt this will happen.