What College Football Might Look Like Without Conference Divisions

[MuskogeeHogFan]

According to this, Alabama and Arkansas are the two teams that are hurt most by having divisional formats. Also, based on their win projections for 2015, it appears that they expect us to go 4-4 in conference play and then you would assume 4-0 in non-conference play, for an 8-4 regular season record.

In this article they look at the four conferences that have divisions, the SEC, ACC, Big Ten and Pac 12.

How much does a team's division impact its conference win total? ESPN Stats & Information set out to answer this question by projecting the 2015 season for the four Power 5 conferences with divisions both in their current divisional states and in a hypothetical non-divisional format.

To project the non-divisional conference win total, preseason FPI was used to calculate each team's chance of winning a home and away game against every other team in its conference. College football is built on rivalries, so each team was assigned one rivalry game that it was guaranteed to play, and the remaining conference games were filled out with a formula that accounts for each team's chances of meeting and beating every other non-rival in their conference in a home and away setting.

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/12799685/projections-show-2015-college-football-season-division

[East TN HAWG]

This is just part of football.  The same thing could be said about the Rams.  They are in the same division as the Seachickens, 49ers and Cardinals.  Once upon a time, the NFC East was king.

Division inequity cycles.  Colin Cowherd said yesterday that the mighty SEC is now down.  The west lost multiple bowls last year: Bama. Aubbie, MS State, LSU etc.   The PAC 10 had several players drafted in first round.  I wish there was an SEC PAC challenge.

[Hawghiggs]

 The SEC needs to expand in the West and push Alabama and Auburn to the east. Alabama holds up everything with having to play Tennecheat every season.  LSU would be more than happy to drop Florida.

[jbcarol]

ESPN SEC @ESPN_SEC  ·  22h 22 hours ago
How teams would fare without divisions http://es.pn/1EB541L

Teams hurt most by divisions:

Alabama   
Arkansas

Team helped most by divisions: Missouri (plus-0.6 conference wins)

[MuskogeeHogFan]

The SEC needs to expand in the West and push Alabama and Auburn to the east. Alabama holds up everything with having to play Tennecheat every season.  LSU would be more than happy to drop Florida.

In the absence of expansion, I think that dissolving the divisions would be great for a team like Arkansas. From year to year your schedule would rotate you through all of the teams in the SEC with one permanent (rival) opponent. Something like this.

Year 1-Auburn, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, Florida, Ole Miss, S. Carolina, Tennessee, Missouri
Year 2- Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, Florida, Ole Miss, S. Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Missouri
Year 3- Texas A&M, Florida, Ole Miss, S. Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Missouri
Year 4- Florida, Ole Miss, S. Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Miss State, Missouri
Year 5- Ole Miss, S. Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Miss State, Kentucky, Missouri
Year 6- S. Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Miss State, Kentucky, LSU, Missouri
Year 7- Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Miss State, Kentucky, LSU, Auburn, Missouri

The top 2 teams by W-L with head to head match up victories being the tiebreaker, would play for the SEC Championship.

[Mike Irwin]

It's not that Arkansas is in a division, it's the division itself that makes it tough on them and every other team in the SEC West.

As far as Cowherd, give me a break. The SEC is not down because Alabama and LSU aren't winning national titles. The SEC West is tougher than it's ever been and that is why a lot of its teams lost bowl games. They beat the hell out of each other physically.

Midway though the season three SEC West teams were in the top five. When has something like that ever happened before?

[MuskogeeHogFan]

It's not that Arkansas is in a division, it's the division itself that makes it tough on them and every other team in the SEC West.

As far as Cowherd, give me a break. The SEC is not down because Alabama and LSU aren't winning national titles. The SEC West is tougher than it's ever been and that is why a lot of its teams lost bowl games. They beat the hell out of each other physically.

Midway though the season three SEC West teams were in the top five. When has something like that ever happened before?

The West is a tough grind, tougher than the East, no doubt. Yet another reason I wouldn't mind seeing Divisions go away and just rotate your schedule through every single SEC team with one permanent "rival" opponent.

[Lake City Hog]

I have said for a long time, add 2 teams, move Auburn+ new team to the East and move Missouris+ new team to the West. Play 7 divisional games plus 1 permanant rival game from the other division. That leaves 4 OOC games and the League could require 1 Power 5 opponent per season.

Winners play in the Championship game, #2 in the West plays #2 in the East in the Cap1 Bowl, #3 W plays #3 E in Peach Bowl and so on. Only variations are NC game participation and adjusting Bowl scenarios to eliminate 2 teams from playing twice in a season.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

I have said for a long time, add 2 teams, move Auburn+ new team to the East and move Missouris+ new team to the West. Play 7 divisional games plus 1 permanant rival game from the other division. That leaves 4 OOC games and the League could require 1 Power 5 opponent per season.

Winners play in the Championship game, #2 in the West plays #2 in the East in the Cap1 Bowl, #3 W plays #3 E in Peach Bowl and so on. Only variations are NC game participation and adjusting Bowl scenarios to eliminate 2 teams from playing twice in a season.

I agree that would be ideal. But in the absence of that, why not this?

In the absence of expansion, I think that dissolving the divisions would be great for a team like Arkansas. From year to year your schedule would rotate you through all of the teams in the SEC with one permanent (rival) opponent. Something like this.

Year 1-Auburn, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, Florida, Ole Miss, S. Carolina, Tennessee, Missouri
Year 2- Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, Florida, Ole Miss, S. Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Missouri
Year 3- Texas A&M, Florida, Ole Miss, S. Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Missouri
Year 4- Florida, Ole Miss, S. Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Miss State, Missouri
Year 5- Ole Miss, S. Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Miss State, Kentucky, Missouri
Year 6- S. Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Miss State, Kentucky, LSU, Missouri
Year 7- Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Miss State, Kentucky, LSU, Auburn, Missouri

The top 2 teams by W-L with head to head match up victories being the tiebreaker, would play for the SEC Championship.

[PonderinHog]

It's not that Arkansas is in a division, it's the division itself that makes it tough on them and every other team in the SEC West.

As far as Cowherd, give me a break. The SEC is not down because Alabama and LSU aren't winning national titles. The SEC West is tougher than it's ever been and that is why a lot of its teams lost bowl games. They beat the hell out of each other physically.

Midway though the season three SEC West teams were in the top five. When has something like that ever happened before?

2011 

[LRRandy]

It's not that Arkansas is in a division, it's the division itself that makes it tough on them and every other team in the SEC West.

As far as Cowherd, give me a break. The SEC is not down because Alabama and LSU aren't winning national titles. The SEC West is tougher than it's ever been and that is why a lot of its teams lost bowl games. They beat the hell out of each other physically.

Midway though the season three SEC West teams were in the top five. When has something like that ever happened before?

i think the 3 in the top 5 is residue from the 7 years of dominance. The benefit of any doubt when it came to ranking went to an sec team, deservedly so, since the string of national championships started. Ole miss and Miss St. proved to be fools gold when the season ended. The sec west then went out to lose all major bowl games. The perch that the sec was sitting on was so high  even being down from that still leaves them the top conference. Now though, the aura of invincibility is a memory and other teams are stepping up.

[Atlhogfan1]

i think the 3 in the top 5 is residue from the 7 years of dominance. The benefit of any doubt when it came to ranking went to an sec team, deservedly so, since the string of national championships started. Ole miss and Miss St. proved to be fools gold when the season ended. The sec west then went out to lose all major bowl games. The perch that the sec was sitting on was so high  even being down from that still leaves them the top conference. Now though, the aura of invincibility is a memory and other teams are stepping up.

Trolling MMQB hard this offseason Jersey Wearer.  OM and Miss St in late Sept/Oct were very good football teams and deserved the recognition and rankings they received.  But they became beat to hell through November and were not the same teams.  They didn't have the depth to get through it.  The OM team the Hogs played in November was not the same one Bama played.  It is why I thought the Hogs had a great chance to beat them even after their Bama win. 

You wear the jersey of a program who is SEC in every way but location and affiliation.  Fortunately for you, the rest of your conference isn't.  You don't have to consider your conference schedule as far as who you play when and the condition of your team. 

[MuskogeeHogFan]

i think the 3 in the top 5 is residue from the 7 years of dominance. The benefit of any doubt when it came to ranking went to an sec team, deservedly so, since the string of national championships started. Ole miss and Miss St. proved to be fools gold when the season ended. The sec west then went out to lose all major bowl games. The perch that the sec was sitting on was so high  even being down from that still leaves them the top conference. Now though, the aura of invincibility is a memory and other teams are stepping up.

You hope.

[PonderinHog]

SECW - It is what it is.  Urban wanted no part of the weekly grind.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

SECW - It is what it is.  Urban wanted no part of the weekly grind.

It is, and that is why I would be an advocate of dissolving the divisions and giving us an opportunity to rotate games through not only what is now the West, but those that are currently the East as well. Half and half essentially, with a permanent rival team. Gives everyone a more equal chance across the entire span of the SEC.

[Atlhogfan1]

More evidence of why Mizzou has done what they have. 

8 wins seems about right based on our schedule this season.  9 maybe with some good fortune. 

We talked about this exhaustively last season and before.  The attrition of early entries to the draft was bound to cause a down cycle in the SEC.  The SEC even in a down cycle is still the deepest conference.  The elite just weren't as good as they have been last season.  It has also not helped Tenn and Florida have been down which won't last. 

I don't know that it would matter so much to us.  Where it would matter would be for those who have benefitted so much from schedule having their schedules toughened.  Balancing is needed although the SECCG has served as a check the last two seasons in ending the Mizzou nonsense as far as an SEC Ch.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

More evidence of why Mizzou has done what they have. 

8 wins seems about right based on our schedule this season.  9 maybe with some good fortune. 

We talked about this exhaustively last season and before.  The attrition of early entries to the draft was bound to cause a down cycle in the SEC.  The SEC even in a down cycle is still the deepest conference.  The elite just weren't as good as they have been last season.  It has also not helped Tenn and Florida have been down which won't last. 

I don't know that it would matter so much to us.  Where it would matter would be for those who have benefitted so much from schedule having their schedules toughened.  Balancing is needed although the SECCG has served as a check the last two seasons in ending the Mizzou nonsense as far as an SEC Ch.

How would you feel if our SEC schedule consisted of this line up in the coming year?

Kentucky, LSU, Auburn, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, Florida, Ole Miss, Missouri

[PonderinHog]

More evidence of why Mizzou has done what they have. 

8 wins seems about right based on our schedule this season.  9 maybe with some good fortune. 

We talked about this exhaustively last season and before.  The attrition of early entries to the draft was bound to cause a down cycle in the SEC.  The SEC even in a down cycle is still the deepest conference.  The elite just weren't as good as they have been last season.  It has also not helped Tenn and Florida have been down which won't last. 

I don't know that it would matter so much to us.  Where it would matter would be for those who have benefitted so much from schedule having their schedules toughened.  Balancing is needed although the SECCG has served as a check the last two seasons in ending the Mizzou nonsense as far as an SEC Ch.

And knowing our luck, we'll get Florida, Bama, LSU, Georgia, Tennessee, Auburn, Ole Miss, and Mizzou our first season - when they're all on the rise.

[Atlhogfan1]

How would you feel if our SEC schedule consisted of this line up in the coming year?

Kentucky, LSU, Auburn, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, Florida, Ole Miss, Missouri

That would be very manageable for that season.  Would get rid of the trips to Bama and Tenn and add Vandy.  May would add two wins.  Those types of schedules would give us a chance if we are cycling through a good team of our own.  Some of those other schedules you listed as examples would be brutal.  It would even out over time.  But it could give us breaks certain seasons that we aren't getting right now.

[Theolesnort]

i think the 3 in the top 5 is residue from the 7 years of dominance. The benefit of any doubt when it came to ranking went to an sec team, deservedly so, since the string of national championships started. Ole miss and Miss St. proved to be fools gold when the season ended. The sec west then went out to lose all major bowl games. The perch that the sec was sitting on was so high  even being down from that still leaves them the top conference. Now though, the aura of invincibility is a memory and other teams are stepping up.

Let's revisit this say 5 years from now. Betcha the wise man who said the more things change the more they stay the same. Five years form now the SEC will still be killing it in recruiting and they will still have a larger proportion of players going in the draft than the Big 10 and Pac 12. Cowherd is smarter than that. He is just trying to stir things up with his Pac 12 comments. One years anomaly does not make a sustainable trend.

[Atlhogfan1]

And knowing our luck, we'll get Florida, Bama, LSU, Georgia, Tennessee, Auburn, Ole Miss, and Mizzou our first season - when they're all on the rise.

Yes, we would run into that type of season.  And some other team would end up with the opposite as a result(probably A&M or Mizzou the way things have been going).  But we could get some breaks every so often too.  Right now with the way Bama, LSU, AU and A&M can recruit plus OM and MSU cycling through good teams every so often, we don't get breaks. 

And probably another discussion but we make things harder on ourselves every two seasons by giving up a home game to play A&M in Dallas.  That would be affected if we didn't play them every season.  I would guess though because of Bama-AU and Bama-Tenn and AU-UGa that we would have two permanent teams on our schedule every season even without divisions. 

[Theolesnort]

Yes, we would run into that type of season.  And some other team would end up with the opposite as a result(probably A&M or Mizzou the way things have been going).  But we could get some breaks every so often too.  Right now with the way Bama, LSU, AU and A&M can recruit plus OM and MSU cycling through good teams every so often, we don't get breaks. 

And probably another discussion but we make things harder on ourselves every two seasons by giving up a home game to play A&M in Dallas.  That would be affected if we didn't play them every season.  I would guess though because of Bama-AU and Bama-Tenn and AU-UGa that we would have two permanent teams on our schedule every season even without divisions. 

Actually Bielema is recruiting much much better than his SEC brethern are giving him credit for. 8TH to 11TH in the conference my ice!

[Atlhogfan1]

Actually Bielema is recruiting much much better than his SEC brethern are giving him credit for. 8TH to 11TH in the conference my ice!

I'm not disputing that.  It just adds to the depth of the division.  Just looking at it from an SEC perspective, our rise back up makes it that much tougher on the recent championship programs like Bama, AU and LSU.  It is what outsiders try to ignore.  While they play programs whose recruiting base is the Midwest or High Plains or have multiple small private universities in their conferences, we are competing with each other with the best athletes from the Deep South. 

As far as the doing away with divisions, perhaps a computer model could come up with a way to try and keep schedules balanced although it might would leave programs not playing certain other programs for extended periods. 

And the SEC at least has its recruiting bases strength somewhat evened out.  Texas, La, Ms, Al in the West and Fl, Ga and the Carolinas in the East.  Conferences like the Big 10 and PAC 12 are unbalanced as far as that goes especially the Big 10.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

That would be very manageable for that season.  Would get rid of the trips to Bama and Tenn and add Vandy.  May would add two wins.  Those types of schedules would give us a chance if we are cycling through a good team of our own.  Some of those other schedules you listed as examples would be brutal.  It would even out over time.  But it could give us breaks certain seasons that we aren't getting right now.

Just keep in mind that under that format everyone else would have to cycle through that same format as well. Some years when it is softer, others when it isn't so soft, but everyone would experience the same levels of variability in schedule, and once a team rotated through your schedule, it would be about 6 years before you faced them again. I would love to see Alabama rotate off our schedule for 6 years.

[Atlhogfan1]

Just keep in mind that under that format everyone else would have to cycle through that same format as well. Some years when it is softer, others when it isn't so soft, but everyone would experience the same levels of variability in schedule, and once a team rotated through your schedule, it would be about 6 years before you faced them again. I would love to see Alabama rotate off our schedule for 6 years.

In the individual season, we would still have some imbalance.  But it should even out over time and would give us a break every so often.  We know style of play of individual teams goes into how tough a schedule can be physically.  When you have to play Bama and LSU in the same season right now, your depth is going to be tested.  Dropping one or both for a season could make a big difference because playing them can have a carryover effect affecting multiple games.  Not seeing them for 6 seasons would certainly be a big difference based on their current states.  I would be good with doing away with divisions. 

AU would probably get screwed though with having Bama and UGa as permanent opponents. 

[MuskogeeHogFan]

In the individual season, we would still have some imbalance.  But it should even out over time and would give us a break every so often.  We know style of play of individual teams goes into how tough a schedule can be physically.  When you have to play Bama and LSU in the same season right now, your depth is going to be tested.  Dropping one or both for a season could make a big difference because playing them can have a carryover effect affecting multiple games.  Not seeing them for 6 seasons would certainly be a big difference based on their current states.  I would be good with doing away with divisions. 

AU would probably get screwed though with having Bama and UGa as permanent opponents. 

Auburn would only have one permanent (rival) opponent and that would likely be Alabama. For Georgia, that would likely be Florida.

But here is another example of running the schedule out further. You can see that the level of difficulty (if laid out like this) would ebb and flow. This would be the full cycle.

Year 1-Auburn, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, Florida, Ole Miss, S. Carolina, Tennessee, Missouri

Year 2- Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, Florida, Ole Miss, S. Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Missouri

Year 3- Texas A&M, Florida, Ole Miss, S. Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Missouri

Year 4- Florida, Ole Miss, S. Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Miss State, Missouri

Year 5- Ole Miss, S. Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Miss State, Kentucky, Missouri

Year 6- S. Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Miss State, Kentucky, LSU, Missouri

Year 7- Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Miss State, Kentucky, LSU, Auburn, Missouri

Year 8- Alabama, Georgia, Miss State, Kentucky, LSU, Auburn, Vanderbilt, Missouri

Year 9-Georgia, Miss State, Kentucky, LSU, Auburn, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, Missouri

Year 10- Miss State, Kentucky, LSU, Auburn, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, Florida, Missouri

Year 11- Kentucky, LSU, Auburn, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, Florida, Ole Miss, Missouri

Year 12- LSU, Auburn, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, Florida, Ole Miss, S. Carolina, Missouri

Year 13- Auburn, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, Florida, Ole Miss, S. Carolina, Tennessee, Missouri

[Atlhogfan1]

So in this scenario, Bama - Tenn and AU - UGa wouldn't happen every season?

[MuskogeeHogFan]

So in this scenario, Bama - Tenn and AU - UGa wouldn't happen every season?

The SEC would make the schedule for conference games every season but you are correct, in true rotation, those games wouldn't exist every year. May tick some people off but this true rotation of games would bring greater parity of schedule to the SEC. You get one permanent "rivalry" game for each team. We were "assigned" Missouri as our permanent rivalry so I don't feel badly if other programs have to give up some of their "other" traditional rivalry games and have to rotate in and out of their previous rivalry games. Arkansas would have a 6 year hiatus from playing LSU. Play them 7 years in a row and then 6 years off until they came up in the rotation again.

[Theolesnort]

As Ark becomes more physical I would think most schools would love to see Ark rotate off their schedule even more than Ark would appreciate Bama and LSU rotate off their own schedule. You have to look at things from all angles.

[Atlhogfan1]

As Ark becomes more physical I would think most schools would love to see Ark rotate off their schedule even more than Ark would appreciate Bama and LSU rotate off their own schedule. You have to look at things from all angles.

Yes they will.  From our angle since we don't play ourselves, we would look at LSU and Bama as others may look at us. 

[DLUXHOG]

2011 

I believe you are correct...

1. Alabama
2. LSU
3. Arkansas

I believe this was for at least 2 weeks.................

[OneTuskOverTheLine™]

It's not that Arkansas is in a division, it's the division itself that makes it tough on them and every other team in the SEC West.

As far as Cowherd, give me a break. The SEC is not down because Alabama and LSU aren't winning national titles. The SEC West is tougher than it's ever been and that is why a lot of its teams lost bowl games. They beat the hell out of each other physically.

Midway though the season three SEC West teams were in the top five. When has something like that ever happened before?

It's cyclical... Name ONE time prior to 2011 that Arkansas had a "good team" and the SEC wasn't supposedly down. Every time Arkansas has a shot at making a run for the title this argument arises (SEC is down this year) prior to us even playing the first game.. Watch us creep our way up the top 25 after beating the stew out of Auburn, then marvel at the slow speed at which it happens... Someone write this post down...

[PonderinHog]

I believe you are correct...

1. Alabama
2. LSU
3. Arkansas

I believe this was for at least 2 weeks.................

Except LSU beat Alabama in the regular season and then lost to them in the NCG.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

As Ark becomes more physical I would think most schools would love to see Ark rotate off their schedule even more than Ark would appreciate Bama and LSU rotate off their own schedule. You have to look at things from all angles.

It has more to do than with just us. All teams would in most years, face a more reasonable schedule within the SEC, certainly more equal in terms of SOS overall if you are currently a West school. The SEC would still be tough but in some years and you wouldn't always face a team that is trending higher like most West schools. Half of each season you would face an East team, which might offer a greater opportunity for success, right now anyway.

[SkeeterHawg]

Auburn would only have one permanent (rival) opponent and that would likely be Alabama. For Georgia, that would likely be Florida.

But here is another example of running the schedule out further. You can see that the level of difficulty (if laid out like this) would ebb and flow. This would be the full cycle.

Year 1-Auburn, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, Florida, Ole Miss, S. Carolina, Tennessee, Missouri

Year 2- Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, Florida, Ole Miss, S. Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Missouri

Year 3- Texas A&M, Florida, Ole Miss, S. Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Missouri

Year 4- Florida, Ole Miss, S. Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Miss State, Missouri

Year 5- Ole Miss, S. Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Miss State, Kentucky, Missouri

Year 6- S. Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Miss State, Kentucky, LSU, Missouri

Year 7- Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Miss State, Kentucky, LSU, Auburn, Missouri

Year 8- Alabama, Georgia, Miss State, Kentucky, LSU, Auburn, Vanderbilt, Missouri

Year 9-Georgia, Miss State, Kentucky, LSU, Auburn, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, Missouri

Year 10- Miss State, Kentucky, LSU, Auburn, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, Florida, Missouri

Year 11- Kentucky, LSU, Auburn, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, Florida, Ole Miss, Missouri

Year 12- LSU, Auburn, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, Florida, Ole Miss, S. Carolina, Missouri

Year 13- Auburn, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, Florida, Ole Miss, S. Carolina, Tennessee, Missouri

I do not like rotating one opponent per year.  It takes too long to get back around to the opponent rotating out.  Going 5 years with out playing someone is too much.  Its already bad in the current configuration.  I would be more receptive to a 9 game conference schedule with one permanent opponent, while rotating four teams out every year.  In this configuration you would play every team in the conference with much more regularity with only 1 year off every third year.

   

[MuskogeeHogFan]

I do not like rotating one opponent per year.  It takes too long to get back around to the opponent rotating out.  Going 5 years with out playing someone is too much.  Its already bad in the current configuration.  I would be more receptive to a 9 game conference schedule with one permanent opponent, while rotating four teams out every year.  In this configuration you would play every team in the conference with much more regularity with only 1 year off every third year.

   

Who says and why?

[GoHogs1091]

i think the 3 in the top 5 is residue from the 7 years of dominance. The benefit of any doubt when it came to ranking went to an sec team, deservedly so, since the string of national championships started. Ole miss and Miss St. proved to be fools gold when the season ended. The sec west then went out to lose all major bowl games. The perch that the sec was sitting on was so high  even being down from that still leaves them the top conference. Now though, the aura of invincibility is a memory and other teams are stepping up.

The Little 9/Big 1 (Ohio State) Conference is garbage.  Jim Harbaugh should make it tougher for Ohio State because he is most likely a top 5 in the nation Head Coach.  Then Urban Meyer will have to start relying on padding his yearly win totals against the bottom tier of the Conference (Purdue, Minnesota, Indiana, and Illinois).  I digress though regarding that last sentence because Coach Bielema padded his career win total against those low tier Div. 1 football imposters, and it translated into him obtaining a job in the SEC at a football program that has been mired in mediocrity since Coach Hatfield.

The SEC dominance was primarily brought about by only Alabama, Florida, and LSU.  Auburn did win a flukey (flukey for Auburn) NC in 2010 resulting from their probable illegal obtainment of Cam Newton, but the question going forward is whether Nick Saban and Les Miles can get good enough QB play in the future to curb the tide of the really only non-SEC Conference football programs in the nation who are good enough to consistently be successful against Alabama and LSU (those two being Florida State and Clemson).

[LRRandy]

The Little 9/Big 1 (Ohio State) Conference is garbage. 

Conference of reigning National Champion ( even without venables) and another team that has finished in the top 5 two years in a row. Not even chopped liver, much less garbage.

[SkeeterHawg]

Who says and why?

Just my opinion.  It just makes more sense to me to play people more often, it's hard to develop a rivalry with some of the East teams because we see them so rarely.  We hear things like "Finally getting to play TN and of course they are on the way back up.  Would have been nice to play them during the down years."  Well, if there is only a year off you are more likely to play them while they are down..and conversely while they are up.  Would it help recruiting to go to Florida and tell a recruit that we could possibly play in his home state twice during his tenure at AR, instead of saying we will get to play once during his senior year.. if you stay until your senior year.. and you will have to redshirt your freshman year.  Some will say a 9 game SEC schedule is too much and it may be, but if the SEC scheduled is tempered with some of the weaker teams normally found in the East, it might not be so bad.  Pick any 4 years and you will play Vandy and Kentucky at least once each.

[hogcard1964]

ESPN SEC @ESPN_SEC  ·  22h 22 hours ago
How teams would fare without divisions http://es.pn/1EB541L

Teams hurt most by divisions:

Alabama   
Arkansas

Team helped most by divisions: Missouri (plus-0.6 conference wins)

Shouldn't Bieber be moved to the east as well?

[ChicoHog]

Just my opinion.  It just makes more sense to me to play people more often, it's hard to develop a rivalry with some of the East teams because we see them so rarely.  We hear things like "Finally getting to play TN and of course they are on the way back up.  Would have been nice to play them during the down years."  Well, if there is only a year off you are more likely to play them while they are down..and conversely while they are up.  Would it help recruiting to go to Florida and tell a recruit that we could possibly play in his home state twice during his tenure at AR, instead of saying we will get to play once during his senior year.. if you stay until your senior year.. and you will have to redshirt your freshman year.  Some will say a 9 game SEC schedule is too much and it may be, but if the SEC scheduled is tempered with some of the weaker teams normally found in the East, it might not be so bad.  Pick any 4 years and you will play Vandy and Kentucky at least once each.

I think that is a great idea.  My first preference is to go to 10 team leagues so everyone plays each other but i know that will never happen as conferences are getting bigger, not smaller.  But your idea is good.  At least play 9 conference games, 2 cupcakes and a Power 5 team.  And no FCS schools.  Make it about competition and not home games vs Southwestern A&M Technical College just for the payday.   

[Locutus_of_Boar]

There is no practical way the SEC limits teams to one fixed opponent.  I may it a minimum of 4 will need to be fixed with the other 9 rotating.

For example:

Alabama -   Auburn, Tennessee, A&M, MSU
Arkansas - Missouri, LSU, Ole Miss, A&M
Auburn - Alabama, Georgia, Vandy, MSU
Florida - LSU, Georgia,Tennessee, USC
Georgia - Auburn, Florida, USC, Kentucky
Kentucky -   Tennessee, MSU,Georgia
LSU - Florida, Ole Miss,A&M, Arkansas
Ole Miss - MSU, LSU, Vandy, Arkansas
MSU   - Ole Miss, Kentucky,Auburn, Alabama
Missouri - Arkansas, A&M, Vanderbilt, USC
South Carolina - Georgia, Florida, Missouri, Vandy
Tennessee   - Alabama, Vandy, Florida, Kentucky
Texas A&M - LSU, Arkansas, Alabama, Missouri
Vanderbilt   - Tennessee, Missouri, Auburn, USC

Cycle through the other 9 home & away in 6 years under a 8 game schedule or 4  years under a 9 game cof schedule.