Are 3 loss teams getting into the playoff?

Quote:

---

More people give AF about A&M/Ark than Ark/Mizzou

---

That differential does not move the numbers NEARLY as much as you think it does.

You'd probably be surprised to know, btw.

1.8M people watched us play Arky.
3.3M watched us play Mizzou.
5.1M watched us play LSU.
And 5.6M watched us play South Carolina.

Digest that. You can't simply use fan preferences and "history" to assess who watches what. That's why you aren't a television executive. In addition to the politics involved.

I guarantee you would never have guessed that's how the numbers stacked.

The 7-1 or 6-2 is archaic thinking based on divisions. Now, they COULD go to 7-1 based on divisions, 6-2 would not work as if they went back to divisions it would only make sense to play every team in the division (two 8 team divisions, you play the other 7 + 1 rotating).

However, the 7-1 model will never pass muster w/ the old guard SEC of Bama, UT, UGA, Auburn, and FL. Too many of the traditional SEC rivalries would be lost.

Mouse/ESPN/ABC is not going to pay more $$ for the SEC to move to 9 games.

So I think / hope the SEC will stick at 8 conference games with a 3-5 model, not pods, but 3 permanent opponents, and rotate the other 5. That protects all the traditional SEC rivalries (as well as new ones) and allows teams to play all SEC teams home and away in a 4 year period. I think this is the most logical and realistic scenario.

For aTm I am good with cow, lsu, and State or Pig.
Bama would have Auburn, UT, maybe USC.
Auburn would have Bama, UGA, maybe Ole Miss
UGA would have Auburn, FL, UT,
UT would have UGA, FL, Vandy
Pig would have cow, Mizzou, maybe Kentucky
Cow would have OU, aTm, maybe Pig

the 3 permanent opponents don't have to match but there will be some overlap. Hopefull this is what the SEC figures out is best.

But I have been on record that I am not opposed to 9 games and a 7-2 model which protects all rivalries, moving Bama and Auburn to SEC East w/ cow and OU in SEC West, but I just think divisions are dead never to return.

FYI Saban was advocating for a 9 game SEC schedule even before the recent expansion, leave him out of it, you don't know what you are talking about.

Your math is slightly off. 3/5 doesn't get you around the league in four years. It would have if we had stayed at 14, but not with 16.

Jarrin' Jay said:

---

FYI Saban was advocating for a 9 game SEC schedule even before the recent expansion, leave him out of it, you don't know what you are talking about.

---

He was advocating for the 6/3 schedule until he saw that they SEC officials was proposing Auburn, UT, and LSU as their 3. That's a fact.

Quote:

---

Mouse/ESPN/ABC is not going to pay more $$ for the SEC to move to 9 game

---

You haven't seen the numbers the the intra-conference games, vs the cupcakes in September, then.

Whatever scheduling model leads to the SEC maximizing its number of playoff teams, is the one it should adopt.

9 game schedule just means 50% of the sec teams pickup another loss.

It hurts the sec in both rankings and placing teams in the playoffs.

It's a dumbass move so the sec will totally do it.

20ag07 said:

---

Quote:

---

Mouse/ESPN/ABC is not going to pay more $$ for the SEC to move to 9 game

---

You haven't seen the numbers the the intra-conference games, vs the cupcakes in September, then.

---

The problem is the 10yr contract inked in 2020 with the SEC, which provided for the addition of teams at equal shares (in this case OU and Texas), while the Big Ten's contract ended just as they added 4 such teams allowing for the conference to monetize them. Texas and OU might as well be Vandy as far as the ABC/ESPN contract, while the 4 teams added to the Big Ten played a integral role to the new deal with Fox.

Pretty slick for the Mouse.

On the other hand the funny kick in the junk for the Mouse was the contract with the ACC which provided for the addition of teams at equal shares, and then the ACC added Cal, Stanford, and SMU instead of Notre Dame with the understanding that most of the Tv money would go to all the other have nots. BC, Wake, Syracuse, et al. got to divy up the extra TV plunder for letting in similarly unprofitable teams at ESPN's expense.

20ag07 said:

---

Quote:

---

Mouse/ESPN/ABC is not going to pay more $$ for the SEC to move to 9 game

---

You haven't seen the numbers the the intra-conference games, vs the cupcakes in September, then.

---

Have you seen the fall in Disney's ESPN operating income for 2024? Didn't think so.

"Q4 operating income also fell, from $981 million to $929 million, with ESPN only generating $896 million during that period as opposed to $953 million the prior year"

No money, no pay

Sparkie said:

---

20ag07 said:

---

Quote:

---

Mouse/ESPN/ABC is not going to pay more $$ for the SEC to move to 9 game

---

You haven't seen the numbers the the intra-conference games, vs the cupcakes in September, then.

---

Have you seen the fall in Disney's ESPN operating income for 2024? Didn't think so.

"Q4 operating income also fell, from $981 million to $929 million, with ESPN only generating $896 million during that period as opposed to $953 million the prior year"

No money, no pay

---

Single media revenue stream another great move by Greg.

Quote:

---

Have you seen the fall in Disney's ESPN operating income for 2024? Didn't think so.

"Q4 operating income also fell, from $981 million to $929 million, with ESPN only generating $896 million during that period as opposed to $953 million the prior year"

---

Have you looked at Fox's or NBC's financials? I have.

Do you think they have $90M to pull out of their ass to bring A&M in to play Rutgers and Minnesota?

(No, they don't).

But idiots around here think money grows on trees and can just be magically generated. So why would you bother looking at financials?

(Also, your big ticket items, which is what replacing ignored Sept games with marquee matchups is how ESPN increases their revenue).

"Wgaf what dumbass sankey does w the schedule

Let's go to the B1G & get paid"

Exactly SEC has turned into a bush league.

Quote:

---

Exactly SEC has turned into a bush league.

---

Just the most watched league in the country. Which was driven by both A&M and Texas games.

But go on.

How about thinking about it from a fan perspective. When SEC teams play Bumblef&^K University in week 12 while all the other major conferences are playing meaningful conference games, the SEC loses viewers, and fans are treated to a crappy game. Regarding the in-person experience, every other year the Band will do their most complicated and impressive maneuver, the Four-Way Cross- during a game against the likes of Abilene Christian. ESPN would be idiotic to not offer more money for more meaningful conference games. Time for the SEC to go to a 9 game conference schedule.

Quote:

---

But idiots around here think money grows on trees and can just be magically generated.

---

We had a government and electorate that thought that for the last 4 years

Yeah yeah I know…….back to F16

jmfshr said:

---

LETTUCE PRAY said:

---

I'm just wondering. I'm not the one who proposed the model.

Surely this isn't the first time you've heard of it.

Personally? Id want a 9 game SEC schedule with 3 permanent opponents (tu, swamptards, ark)

---

Except Arkansas would want tu, OU, and Mizzou. I think there should be 2 geographic rivals and 1 from the newbys/old guard: in our case, tu, OU, and South Carolina.

---

Do you really want tu as a permanent rival?

Quote:

---

How about thinking about it from a fan perspective

---

Bless your heart.

Quote:

---

Do you really want tu as a permanent rival?

---

It was a top 10 most watched game of the season. It's not going away, as much as you might want it to.

20ag07 said:

---

Quote:

---

Exactly SEC has turned into a bush league.

---

Just the most watched league in the country. Which was driven by both A&M and Texas games.

But go on.

---

Most watched league but the teams aren't getting paid like it

Sec teams are getting paid second tier while the big10 teams get paid first tier

Sankey undersold the league by going all in with espn

How would Sankey know what networks were going to pay a year later?

Why would Sankey make a new deal with CBS, who Mike Slive negotiated the most underpaying deal in history? Then, expect CBS to overreact to the loss of their cheap SEC deal by overpaying to get 3rd pick of week in the B1G in a deal they certainly won't renew under the same terms.

You're looking at numbers in hindsight, without paying attention to what the market looked like at the time deals were struck. And are just made somebody else got a different deal at a different time.

You're always negotiating your next deal. And having the biggest viewership numbers is how you get it.

Those are interesting numbers, especially the South Carolina one. Wouldn't have guessed that for sure.

Look, I'm a selfish fan and would much rather watch A&M play Arkansas than Mississippi State. I was looking forward to the game returning to campus. The matchup would become much more interesting than it has been in Jerry World.

That said, if there was to be a cut of one of the three (tu,lsu,ark) I would rather it be Ark.

Maybe Scar could be one of the perms. There's historical precedent with them already (cross divisional rival)

I don't care who we play as much as beating the teams we play.

My only concern with the 9-game schedule is the number of potential additional losses a team could suffer. Alabama got an unexpected second loss (OU) after suffering its first unexpected loss (Vandy), ending as a 3-loss team and missing the playoffs. That could happen to A&M at some point as well.

If the league goes with the 9-game schedule, with each team set with 3 "permanent" rivals, we know for A&M that one will be tu. The others should definitely be LSU and some one like Mississippi State. NO to South Carolina. Yes, we have a brief history with them, but prior to 2014, we had never met them on the gridiron. I'd be good with Piggy given our long history with them, but NO to OU despite their geographic proximity and the years with them in the Big 12.

But I'd prefer a schedule with 1 "permanent" rival, that being LSU, with tu showing up on occasion along with the rest of the league.

We don't exactly have history with the Mississippi schools either.

Though I'd like to bring back the neural site home and home idea vs ole miss in Jackson & Beaumont.

A&M is going to play tu every year. Content is what matters now for more network money.

Jarrin' Jay said:

---

So I think / hope the SEC will stick at 8 conference games with a 3-5 model, not pods, but 3 permanent opponents, and rotate the other 5. That protects all the traditional SEC rivalries (as well as new ones) and allows teams to play all SEC teams home and away in a 4 year period. I think this is the most logical and realistic scenario.

For aTm I am good with cow, lsu, and State or Pig.
Bama would have Auburn, UT, maybe USC.
Auburn would have Bama, UGA, maybe Ole Miss
UGA would have Auburn, FL, UT,
UT would have UGA, FL, Vandy
Pig would have cow, Mizzou, maybe Kentucky
Cow would have OU, aTm, maybe Pig

the 3 permanent opponents don't have to match but there will be some overlap. Hopefull this is what the SEC figures out is best.

---

How is this different than pods?

Hi, Im Brett said:

---

Jarrin' Jay said:

---

So I think / hope the SEC will stick at 8 conference games with a 3-5 model, not pods, but 3 permanent opponents, and rotate the other 5. That protects all the traditional SEC rivalries (as well as new ones) and allows teams to play all SEC teams home and away in a 4 year period. I think this is the most logical and realistic scenario.

For aTm I am good with cow, lsu, and State or Pig.
Bama would have Auburn, UT, maybe USC.
Auburn would have Bama, UGA, maybe Ole Miss
UGA would have Auburn, FL, UT,
UT would have UGA, FL, Vandy
Pig would have cow, Mizzou, maybe Kentucky
Cow would have OU, aTm, maybe Pig

the 3 permanent opponents don't have to match but there will be some overlap. Hopefull this is what the SEC figures out is best.

---

How is this different than pods?

---

In pods, your pod mates are your permanent opponents, so you have commonality among that group. In the 6/3 scenario, they are different for every school. Pods are used when you want to create rotating divisions.

twk said:

---

Your math is slightly off. 3/5 doesn't get you around the league in four years. It would have if we had stayed at 14, but not with 16.

---

Completing a full circuit every 4 years is probably the least important goal from the SEC Hq pov.

If it was important the Ags after 10+ years in would have completed a circuit by now iirc still no game at KY & UGa yet to visit Kyle

Maybe it goes 3/5 after 2025 for a couple years there would not be a complete circuit but it would be closer than the years of 7-1 where it would take 12 years to do a full circuit
Please no USCe on the schede

20ag07 said:

---

Quote:

---

Have you seen the fall in Disney's ESPN operating income for 2024? Didn't think so.

"Q4 operating income also fell, from $981 million to $929 million, with ESPN only generating $896 million during that period as opposed to $953 million the prior year"

---

Have you looked at Fox's or NBC's financials? I have.

Do you think they have $90M to pull out of their ass to bring A&M in to play Rutgers and Minnesota?

(No, they don't).

But idiots around here think money grows on trees and can just be magically generated. So why would you bother looking at financials?

(Also, your big ticket items, which is what replacing ignored Sept games with marquee matchups is how ESPN increases their revenue).

---

they still lost their ass with both tu and ou added to the conference. If you think a few more "marquee" games makes any difference your are unrealistic.

espn is hemorrhaging money. and the mouse stock has rebounded some but is still in the toilet.

No money, no pay

The conferences are getting too easily determine a true champion. We need more conferences and more playoff teams. Fcs and D2 do this and it works.

Quote:

---

they still lost their ass with both tu and ou added to the conference. If you think a few more "marquee" games makes any difference your are unrealistic.

espn is hemorrhaging money. and the mouse stock has rebounded some but is still in the toilet.

No money, no pay

---

Lolol. No they didn't.

This is exactly where your bread is buttered.

And when Week 2 looks like this- they will find some money.

You have no clue. Espn is already being dragged down by college football.

ESPN's profit fell 6% "due in part to higher programming costs associated with U.S. college football rights."

No money, no pay

The playoff committee didn't value strength of record this year. If I'm the SEC I stay at 8. It's a business.