By us keeping our cross divisional game with Kentucky, and that our next rotating East opponent matchup would have been played at home, it is almost certain that we get A&M at home in 2012. Believe it was Tennessees rotation up next at home.
We played at UK, Auburn & Arkansas this year. They can't all 3 be at home next year. My guess (and hope) is at UK again. This would give us a 3-3 split of West games and a 1-1 split of East games.</p>
probably a little on the optimistic side but luckily we get LSU and Bama out of the way on the road (would likely lose to them no matter the location) but of our other games if we can pull off road wins at UK and OM then we would need to go 3-1 at home against TN, TX A&M, Aub and Ark to get 9 wins. Even splittling those 4 would put us at 8-4. Our non-conference schedule is really a joke.
I could see either of the following scenarios:
1) @LSU, @ BAMA, @Rebskidoodles, @USCe, vs ARK vs AU vs UK vs aTm
or
2) @LSU, @ BAMA, @Rebskidoodles, @aTm, vs ARK vs AU vs UK vs Tenn
I think everyone in the SEC is going to have years where the schedule isn't that balanced and I think we're all going to see years where we either host a team twice in a row or go on the road twice in a row.
Then you just flip flop Kentucky and the other east opponent...one home, one away.
The thing that makes the most sense is to play the return away game at SC this year, then either start the tn or Mizzou series at home next season. That said, I'd much prefer Ky on road again and Tn at home...
I really don't think any of the "reports" we've heard thusfar carry much weight. The home schedule that was announced for a&m was ridiculously unbalanced, IMO...
What would you do if say Missouri rotated onto our schedule and we were both scheduled to play our permanent opponent in the other division at home that year?
Much like we currently do. Half of the west plays the east home then away... The other half plays away then home... And you rotate this every 6-8 years so the order you play them reverses to match up with the other side. I think doing it this way, you would have to double up on playing a team twice in one place every 12-14 years, not sure tho...
I think that's how it will work...you bring up a good point though. Having trouble completely thinking it through over the long term...
It doesn't work when you're rotating only 1 team per year with 7 permanent opponents. Plus it appears we're going to a 1-year rotation anyway since we're keeping Tennessee and not South Carolina.
I have heard a rumor of them doing away with permanent opponents in the other division, in which case you could make it work without playing teams twice in a row on the road or at home. But I very seriously doubt that rumor is true.
...as long as all Division A(let's call it East Division) teams all have to play their Division B (e.g., West) permanent opponents at home this year while at the same time playing their rotational Division B opponents on the road.
And once you set the initial schedule and the rotation order up, it makes scheduling a snap as many years out as you want to take it. I bet that's they way they do it.</p>