I think it's clear that the New SEC will start with 2 8 team divisions trading out Mizzou for Bama and Auburn. There are 4 perceived power teams in the west and 4 in the East. The pods could be used for scheduling with 2 power teams in each pod. For the first 4 years, the pods would play their 3 pod teams plus 1 big 1 small from each of the other pods..

So tu plays ou every year plus A&M, Bama and Florida in years 1 and 3 and LSU, Auburn and Georgia in years 2 and 4. Ou plays these combos in opposite years.

So every year the 4 west power teams play either Bama and Georgia or Auburn and Florida. The other teams would alternate in a similar fashion.

TAMU would be

Yr 1 LSU, Miss, Miss St, tu, Ark, Bama, Vandy, Florida, SC
Yr 2 LSU, Miss, Miss St, ou, Mizzu, Auburn, Tenn, Ga, Kentucky.
Yr 3 same as 1 in opposite locations
Yr 4 same as 2 in opposite locations

This would balance out the schedules but coul result in some ties if ou and A&M both went 8-0 in a year they didn't play. It could be adjusted each 4 years for teams getting significantly better or worse. If the sips fall off and MSU gets really good they could trade pods.

It's a 9 game schedule which could go up 10 or even 12 if the expansion isn't over.

Who is the 4th power team in the west besides A&M, LSU, and OU?

DD88 said:

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Who is the 4th power team in the west besides A&M, LSU, and OU?

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That's the best part, tu being overrated now becomes an asset wher we don't have to play Bama and Auburn every year.

Meh, may as well play tu each year

Or you could just have two 8 team divisions and two cross-over division games.

erube said:

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Meh, may as well play tu each year

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We are going to, no matter how they reorganize everything

We should want to, they need to be beat into submission in the field. No letting them rebuild for 4 years without showing how far they have fallen.

Would rather play tu and OU every year then bama and auburn. For us our schedule could actually get easier but for tu and OU it is light years ahead of playing Kansas. Should be fun.

Detmersdislocatedshoulder said:

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Would rather play tu and OU every year then bama and auburn. For us our schedule could actually get easier but for tu and OU it is light years ahead of playing Kansas. Should be fun.

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The A&M vs Alabama game had higher ratings last year than Alabama vs LSU. And you want to trade that for regional matchups. Big plus for going to SEC was to see cross region teams like Bama and Auburn at Kyle regularly.

Why can't we just call them divisions? You can have 4, 8, 16 divisions, however many you want. Why do they have to be called pods if there are more than 2 of them?

Alpha Texan said:

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Why can't we just call them divisions? You can have 4, 8, 16 divisions, however many you want. Why do they have to be called pods if there are more than 2 of them?

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It is an NCAA definition. "Divisions" or divisional play used to require a minimum of 6 teams and that allowed for CCGs. Why the B1G and the PAC went to 12 initially.

Then after the Big XII refused to go back to 12 members, they b****ed and moaned to the NCAA to change the rules just for them. Neither the PAC nor the B1G were that happy since the rules were not changed for them. But like in everything else, sips got their way and they were allowed to have a CCG without divisions.

It was the use of divisions in the NCAA rules for FCS schools that gave SEC Commisioner Kramer the idea for a conference championship game in the first place. It was nearly a disaster that first year as Spurrier's Gators almost knocked #1 Bama out of contention for a national championship. A last second interception by Bama saved the day. Kramer gave a sigh of relief and checked out the ratings. He then struck a very lucrative deal for the rights to the Sec CCG and it became permanent.

If it ultimately becomes a "pod" system, rest assured A&M will be in a pod with tu and zero u to ensure our pod is beaten up annually and no one will emerge with a record to challenge the old sec members.