What will the SEC look like with Oklahoma and Texas?
Yesterday the SEC invited Texas and Oklahoma to the party, starting 2025. Texas and Oklahoma unanimously accepted it – probably the first time they’ve agreed on anything in 401 years.
So here we are.
And there have been various theories about how it’s going to be split:
- Pods – This was seen on the SEC Network, but goes generally like this:
North: Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, Vanderbilt,
South: Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Mississippi State
East: Auburn, Alabama, LSU, Ole Miss
West: Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M
As to whom would play in the SEC Championship Game, it would be the two teams with the best records. Although some might want a SEC semi-final and final, this wouldn’t work because the max games played is 13, and some teams (like Vanderbilt or South Carolina), wouldn’t get a semi-final spot and thus lose out of revenue.
2. Expand existing divisions
West: Arkansas, LSU, Texas A&M, Texas, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Oklahoma
East: Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vanderbilt.
We’d still have 9 games instead of eight. Alabama and Auburn would move because they are more Eastern than OU and Texas. Also rebalances the East for fun value, and keeps some existing rivalries.
3. All in play each other!
13 games. No non-conferences. Everyone plays each other. Winner given the SEC Championship. How fun would that be?
In likeliness, the SEC will do ‘pods’, but practically, expanding the two divisions makes sense from everyone’s point-of-view (and less of a headache).
What will happen to ‘Permanent Rivalries’?
One of the most annoying things about the current season is that the likes of Alabama play a permanent Eastern rival (Tennessee), as well as another on rotation. Georgia on the other hand gets Auburn every year, and LSU gets Florida. But here’s the rub: Since Texas A&M arrived into the SEC in 2012, they haven’t played Georgia at home. The whole system’s a joke.
The Texas/OU arrival will be hell-bent on keeping the big SEC/old-Big 12 rivalries.
Sankey & Co will want to keep the ‘Old School’ SEC rivalries:
- Alabama – Auburn
- LSU – Alabama
- Georgia – Florida
- Auburn – Georgia
- Ole Miss – Mississippi State
- LSU – Florida
- Alabama vs Tennessee
- Vanderbilt – Tennessee
He will also want to make sure Texas plays Oklahoma every year and Texas plays Texas A&M every year, and Oklahoma plays Texas A&M. It reignites old Big 12 , Southwestern Conferences rivalries. Again, eyeballs on seats.
How will you do that? You have to put Texas, Oklahoma and A&M in the same division as each other.
And the rest? It’s very possible that we could see the end of LSU vs Auburn (‘only played ever year since 1992’) as a permanent games at the expense of LSU vs Florida (played every game since 1972). Alabama vs LSU and Auburn vs Alabama ain’t going anywhere. Nor are Ole Miss and Mississippi State. Hell, not even Tennessee vs Vanderbilt. You can see the end of the ‘Third Saturday In October’, because Honestly, nor are those 7.
Of course, there will be arguments for Georgia and Florida, who have been having it so good in recent years (apart from the two Missouri won). There might be worries about the marquee SEC match-up LSU vs Alabama or LSU vs Auburn.
The Easiest Way to Do this is move to Alabama and Auburn to the East, and Texas A&M and Oklahoma to the West. This will also mean mouth-watering every-year games between Alabama and Georgia, Georgia and Auburn, Florida and Auburn and Florida and Alabama, and, er, Alabama vs Tennessee without needing to cause anyone any problems.
What will happen to the existing ‘We’ll only play each other 8 times”?
Nick Saban has been trying to get SEC teams to play up to 9 conference games instead of 8 since God was a boy. Recently, so did It would be great to see teams play each other more, and it would be great for bums watching TV (like me), and bums on seats at games (like a lot of people). Also better ticket sales when a smaller, crappier team isn’t scheduled. And although right now it’s something that’s voted on by the coaches and the ADs, I think that SEC Commish Greg Sankey will bash their heads together until they agree on playing 9. It might not be the schools’ choice. Will it lead to more teams in the play-off, yes. Will it lead to more teams without winning records? Probably.
What’s the best move?
The second view works the best and is less of a headache for everybody. Sure, Norman is going to be a pain-in-the-butt for LSU fans to get to (8 hrs 44), but it’s only 15 mis more of a drive than Fayetteville (8hrs 31). Georgia’s within pretty easy range of Tuscaloosa and Auburn.
And besides that, there are planes, right?