I didn't want to derail the other schedule thread about this year's schedule (or really, this year's non-conference schedule), but it got me thinking about what's going to happen to the baseball schedule when the sips and sooners join the league. I suspect that we are going to do something like basketball (and like football is rumored to be doing), where we get rid of divisions, have a certain number of permanent opponents, and rotate the rest.

With sixteen team league, we could retain a 10 series schedule by going to five permanent opponents, and rotating the other 10 teams every other year (you'd play five one year, then the other five the next), so that we play a complete round robin in a four year cycle. In a way, this would greatly simply our scheduling, because with the current schedule, I never know which East division teams we are going to play from one year to the next. But, determining who our permanent opponents would be could be a little bit contentious. Texas, OU, Arkansas and LSU would seem to be obvious based on geography. Would we get stuck with Missouri as our fifth, or perhaps we get Mississippi State (as we are rumored to be getting in football)? Maybe they mix it up a bit and we don't get the four closest schools?

Maybe some sort of 4 team pod system? Play your pod and 2 from each of the other pod, then play the other 2 next year. It would mean 9 conference series though instead.

I don't want to derail this thread, but every time I read about mega conferences and non-revenue sports I become more convinced that we're headed to a system where schools are going to be in one conference for football/basketball and another, more localized conference for everything else. Who knows, maybe baseball/softball will stay football/basketball in the big conference?

Assuming baseball stays in the 16 team SEC, I also like the idea of 4 four team pods. I hadn't realized the idea had faded in popularity, but it makes complete sense to me. Our pod would be Arky/TAMU/tu/OU.

twk said:

---

cj774 said:

---

One word: Paragraphs. Use them

---

There. Paragraphs. Happy?

---

Lol yes!


But back to the topic at hand. I also like your idea and it makes sense. Certainly would help with traveling fans as far fewer fans probably travel for college baseball as opposed to college football or college basketball.

dabo man said:

---

I don't want to derail this thread, but every time I read about mega conferences and non-revenue sports I become more convinced that we're headed to a system where schools are going to be in one conference for football/basketball and another, more localized conference for everything else. Who knows, maybe baseball/softball will stay football/basketball in the big conference?

Assuming baseball stays in the 16 team SEC, I also like the idea of 4 four team pods. I hadn't realized the idea had faded in popularity, but it makes complete sense to me. Our pod would be Arky/TAMU/tu/OU.

---

If I was in charge of making the pods, I think this would make more sense:

1. Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Georgia
2. Alabama, Auburn, Florida, South Carolina
3. Mississippi State, Ole Miss, LSU, Texas A&M
4. Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas

To me, that grouping would work well for football, M&W basketball, and baseball. Volleyball and softball get tricky because Vandy doesn't play those sports. Maybe they could do three 5-team pods for VB and SB.

You don't really need pods for baseball. They were suggested for football because of the old rule (not intended for big time football) that Roy Kramer exploited in order to stage an SEC championship game, which required your league to be split into two divisions that played a complete round robin. Pods were suggested as a way to create rotating divisions, whose membership would change every year, as opposed to static divisions.

There's really no need for divisions at all in baseball, so I don't think pods will be the way we go, especially since the numbers don't work out neatly with our current schedule. If there was some support for playing only nine series, then maybe pods would be the answer, but I don't think that's the case. 30 conference games seems like a good number.

Looks like three words used

twk said:

---

Would we get stuck with Missouri as our fifth, or perhaps we get Mississippi State (as we are rumored to be getting in football)? Maybe they mix it up a bit and we don't get the four closest schools?

---

If they go to that system, I think they will basically pick the 4 most logical ones for each school and keep the schools happy with those picks. Then the 5th team is often going to be someone random just to make the numbers works. My guess is we would get t.u., OU, Ark, LSU, and then whatever makes the numbers work with what is left over.

Here are my personal 16 team SEC pods:

1. Arky, OU, TAMU, tu
2. LSU, Miss St, Mizzou, Ole Miss
3. Tenn, UK, USCe, Vandy
4. Auburn, Bama, Florida, UGA

Somewhat in jest, somewhat seriously lets have a 15 week conference schedule. Doable IMO if they cut the SEC Tournament and a few midweek contests in order to allow two weekends to prepare for SEC play. , It would be brutal but the fairest way to determine a champion.

It won't even be considered because the SEC Tournament brings in money and will and possibly lower the number teams making NCAAs much like what happened with the B1G when they limited their schedule to conference in '20 because of COVID and way back in the old SWC when it went to home and home conference schedule for the '92 season after the piggies left for the SEC.

jkag89 said:

---

Somewhat in jest, somewhat seriously lets have a 15 week conference schedule. Doable IMO if they cut the SEC Tournament and a few midweek contests in order to allow two weekends to prepare for SEC play. , It would be brutal but the fairest way to determine a champion.

It won't even be considered because the SEC Tournament brings in money and will and possibly lower the number teams making NCAAs much like what happened with the B1G when they limited their schedule to conference in '20 because of COVID and way back in the old SWC when it went to home and home conference schedule for the '92 season after the piggies left for the SEC.

---

Besides the money, the problem with not having a conference tournament is that, without the prospect of making a miracle run at the tournament, teams that are out of contention well before the end of the season may decide to play young guys, rather than playing to win, which can skew the outcome of the championship race. Having the prospect of making the tournament keeps the also rans honest.

Wish they would go to twelve conference series and drop two non-conference series.

jkag89 said:

---

Somewhat in jest, somewhat seriously lets have a 15 week conference schedule.

---

My blood pressure would greatly appreciate it if this doesn't happen. Ten weekends a year is doing enough as is, I can't imagine 50% more of that.

Oh come on, you know you would love it.

Don't worry, it won't ever happen.

dabo man said:

---

I don't want to derail this thread, but every time I read about mega conferences and non-revenue sports I become more convinced that we're headed to a system where schools are going to be in one conference for football/basketball and another, more localized conference for everything else. Who knows, maybe baseball/softball will stay football/basketball in the big conference?

---

When you look at the CA schools leaving to join the B1G you can understand where this is coming from because that makes no sense for those schools non-revenue sports. It also doesn't seems to make as much sense for some of the smaller conferences like the American, Conference USA, etc.

But the SEC feels different and I wouldn't want to leave the SEC and go back to the SWC with our non-revenue sports.

The 16 team SEC is less geographically ridiculous than most of the other realigned conferences, and it has a lot of schools with big AD budgets. Maybe we would be different and remain a conference up and down the sports?!?

I obviously don't know exactly what's going to happen, but I've got a hunch that in ten years, for things like tennis, track and field, swimming, etc, you'll see some kind of resurrected SWC in place. I don't think that A&M or tu will be a part of it (at least for the time being), but I'll be interested to watch it all play out.

Unfortunately sippie for all their arrogant and overbearing ways does not have the balls to risk going out on their own.

My problem with Bevo was always first with DeLoss Dodds (most arrogant whorn ever?) and then Bill Powers (tu president who proposed taking the Big 12 South to the Pac 10).

We have history with tu and Arky going back forever, and I have a lot of respect for that. OU is nothing in baseball (do have a championship though), but I don't see them not being put in the same pod as tu.

And this is all assuming a pod format, which apparently isn't looking likely. It's just the one that I prefer.

And when I say "proposed taking the Big 12 South to the Pac 10," the story was he worked out all of the finer details of the move and then told the other 5 schools about it. Imagine the arrogance of an employee of one state to think that he's going to determine the future of two public schools in a different state. Dodds in a nutshell.

This is when Bowtie bolted to the SEC, and I applaud him for it. But that isn't to say that I don't miss the history we've lost.

dabo man said:

---

My problem with Bevo was always first with DeLoss Dodds (most arrogant whorn ever?) and then Bill Powers (tu president who proposed taking the Big 12 South to the Pac 10).

We have history with tu and Arky going back forever, and I have a lot of respect for that. OU is nothing in baseball (do have a championship though), but I don't see them not being put in the same pod as tu.

And this is all assuming a pod format, which apparently isn't looking likely. It's just the one that I prefer.

---

Are you talking about the same OU that beat us twice in Omaha last year?

And, if it's possible, I think Chris del Conte is every more arrogant than Dodds. Seriously.

OU has committed very few resources to baseball. I don't see them remaining at the top (or anywhere near it) until they do. Just my two cents.

Play all other teams as frequently as possible.

You have 15 other teams in the conference

You play 10 year one

You play 10 year two

You play 10 year three

once you play a team at home one season you have off one season and on road one season

(it doesnt have to be in that specific order..it can be away, home off OR home off away, OR off away home etc

it is crazy to think...that fairly soon the burnt orange will play its first 3-game series at Olsen / BBP since 1992

it better not be a Thur-Fri-Sat series

W said:

---

it is crazy to think...that fairly soon the burnt orange will play its first 3-game series at Olsen / BBP since 1992

it better not be a Thur-Fri-Sat series

---

Or any sort of split series…