2024+ schedule (premium)

[Versus75]

Andy Staples in The Athletic predicts (or wishes for) the three annual opponents of each SEC team in the expanded league with a 9-game conference schedule.

Nine games make sense with a 16-team conference. The only argument for 8 games is that it is easier to become bowl-eligible with 4 non-conference games.


I’ll send a couple excerpts later in the day.

Meanwhile for those of you who haven’t read his column:
See if you can guess which 3 annual opponents he suggests for Vanderbilt.

[AuricGoldfinger]

I read the column, and if it weren't for SEC money we might as well join the ACC given his proposed schedule for Vanderbilt. Zzzzzzzz

[dallasdore]

I have no clue who the guy is, so not sure who his predictions are. Are his picks a pipe dream or way out there?

My guess as to whom he picks: Bama, Auburn, Tennessee, Vandy

My guess as to what will really happen: Vandy, Kentucky, Tennessee, South Carolina

Other pods: Mizzou-OU-UTx-Ark. Bama-Auburn-Ole Miss-Miss St. Florida-UGa-LSU-aTm

[coachinwaiting]

I would expect Vanderbilt to draw Tennessee/Kentucky/South Carolina, but the South Carolina selection could wind up being anybody, really. I really miss the annual Alabama game, but I don't wish it to return because I want to see both teams do well.

Some long-standing rivalry games are going to be lost, and like everything else, money and TV ratings will be a factor. Alabama's most frequent opponent has been Mississippi State, but I expect the LSU annual matchup to push it out of the top 3 and join ut and awbarn as Alabama's permanent opponents. Tennessee will probably get Vanderbilt/Alabama/Kentucky, which will thrill that fan base since that means not playing Florida and Georgia every year.

[Versus75]

Auric gave you a clue with his "Zzzzzzzz" comment regarding Staples' prediction.

To Dallasdore: There will not be four 4-team pods. I'm quite sure that each team will play three other teams annually until the SEC decides to change the plan (could be within just a few years). However, the matchups will overlap. If Vanderbilt is Team A, we could play B, C and D. Team B could play Vanderbilt and teams E and F.

A couple Staples excerpts:

"... let’s explore a list of some of the most-played series in SEC history:
• Tennessee-Vanderbilt: These two can’t agree on whether the 1918 game happened. Tennessee claims it didn’t field a varsity team that year, but Vanderbilt dominated whatever team Tennessee did put on the field and the Commodores count it. If we go by Vandy’s math, the teams have played 118 times and Tennessee leads with a 79-34-5 record."

"Kentucky, Missouri and Vandy fans might consider their trios [of annual opponents] mostly boring, but those matchups will provide some competitive balance."

See if that helps.

[dallasdore]

Hmmmm.... it's late, but I'm taking it that Tennessee will be our permanent opponent, and we will be the permanent opponent for say.... Kentucky? Is that what he wrote?

I thought the last word was that the SEC was going to the 4 team pods with three permanent opponents?

All the same, this is fun speculation. Thank you, Versus. Maybe you will agree to be our official new-era SEC scheduling advisor? You could update the board on all the news and speculation.

[Versus75]

I suppose this isn't a Done Deal yet and anything can happen.

This Staples guy seems to think that the primary factor is popular TV matchups that will draw nationwide audiences ... and Vanderbilt apparently isn't attractive to anyone outside of our own circle.

This is the Staples option: Vanderbilt plays OLE MISS, MISSISSIPPI STATE and SOUTH CAROLINA every year. And then in a two-year cycle will play each of the other 12 teams Home and Away.

I cannot see Vanderbilt-Tennessee being split; after all they are in the same state. If I were asked, I would suggest Kentucky, Tennessee and one of those other three.

But then they don't ask me.

[FayetteDore]

FWIW, previous speculation (there's another thread on it) has been that VU's permanent (annual) opponents would be Tennessee, Kentucky and Missouri.

As I and others said in the other thread, I think Mizzou would be a more winnable game, over time, than say Ole Miss or South Carolina.

[Versus75]

FWIW, previous speculation (there's another thread on it) has been that VU's permanent (annual) opponents would be Tennessee, Kentucky and Missouri.

I would be okay with that. I've had enough of Ole Miss. We seem to have equal talent some years but still manage to lose to the Rebel Black Bears. Well, I guess the same could be said for South Carolina and Missouri.

Columbia MO is almost exactly the same distance from Vanderbilt as Columbia SC.

And Missouri has a (short) border with Tennessee. I cut through Mizzou on the way from Louisville to my in-laws home in northeast Arkansas.

[FayetteDore]

Speaking of scheduling, there's some social media chatter today, including the SEC's Chuck Dunlap, indicating that the SEC is working on requiring the TV networks to announce kickoff times for MOST SEC football games in the summer, rather than waiting until 12 days prior to game day as has been the case for the last several years. The tweets say there will be some "flex games" that can be moved from afternoon to evening or evening to afternoon but most game times are to be announced in the summer. (We do usually get the first two game times announced several weeks before the season starts.)

If it happens, that's welcome news to me. How many times have I waited for those Monday announcements of game times to make plans.

[dallasdore]

I agree with Auric on the game time announcements.

I have a feeling that we don't draw Mizzou, because they have a budding rivalry with Arkansas, plus OK and TX make sense as annual opponents for them geographically speaking. I think we get Mizzou only if they raise a stink about those being permanent opponents.

I thought it was already established that each team gets 2-3 annual opponents (hence the "pod" scheduling)? Did I miss something?

[coachinwaiting]

I think this question is moot, because 9 games is going to be unpopular with many schools, but would anyone be open to 10 SEC games to keep a balanced schedule (5 home/5 away)?

[commadore]

I think this question is moot, because 9 games is going to be unpopular with many schools, but would anyone be open to 10 SEC games to keep a balanced schedule (5 home/5 away)?

And totally end any hope of us EVER going to a bowl again.
No.

[coachinwaiting]

I think this question is moot, because 9 games is going to be unpopular with many schools, but would anyone be open to 10 SEC games to keep a balanced schedule (5 home/5 away)?

And totally end any hope of us EVER going to a bowl again.
No.

I understand that’s always going to be the argument against it. But in a 10-game scheduling scenario, the opportunity would be to play 5 permanent opponents and to rotate the other 10 teams over 4 years, home and away.

If Vandy drew a permanent slate of UK, SC, Mizzou, ut, and one of the Mississippi schools, those combined with a couple of OOC directional schools ought not to create an insurmountable obstacle to 6 wins.

[commadore]

I think this question is moot, because 9 games is going to be unpopular with many schools, but would anyone be open to 10 SEC games to keep a balanced schedule (5 home/5 away)?

And totally end any hope of us EVER going to a bowl again.
No.

I understand that’s always going to be the argument against it. But in a 10-game scheduling scenario, the opportunity would be to play 5 permanent opponents and to rotate the other 10 teams over 4 years, home and away.

If Vandy drew a permanent slate of UK, SC, Mizzou, ut, and one of the Mississippi schools, those combined with a couple of OOC directional schools ought not to create an insurmountable obstacle to 6 wins.

True, but it would be more like the SEC to put us with Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, and SC.

[coachinwaiting]

And totally end any hope of us EVER going to a bowl again.
No.

I understand that’s always going to be the argument against it. But in a 10-game scheduling scenario, the opportunity would be to play 5 permanent opponents and to rotate the other 10 teams over 4 years, home and away.

If Vandy drew a permanent slate of UK, SC, Mizzou, ut, and one of the Mississippi schools, those combined with a couple of OOC directional schools ought not to create an insurmountable obstacle to 6 wins.

True, but it would be more like the SEC to put us with Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, and SC.

Alas, you're probably right. I wish I had more confidence in the foresight of the SEC office, but I don't.

I just feel that the unbalanced home/away aspect of the 9-game schedule is more detrimental to VU than many other schools, unless the SEC did saddle them with a 5-blue blood permanent slate.

[AuricGoldfinger]

I feel pretty confident we're going to see a 9-game, 3 permanent/6 rotating schedule approved later this spring. The money associated with such a move will put it over the top.

What I wonder more about is whether the league will then drop the requirement that every member has to play at least one P5 opponent every season. Seems unlikely given that Florida will still play FSU, South Carolina will still play Clemson, etc., but I wouldn't be surprised to see it considered.

[coachinwaiting]

I feel pretty confident we're going to see a 9-game, 3 permanent/6 rotating schedule approved later this spring. The money associated with such a move will put it over the top.

What I wonder more about is whether the league will then drop the requirement that every member has to play at least one P5 opponent every season. Seems unlikely given that Florida will still play FSU, South Carolina will still play Clemson, etc., but I wouldn't be surprised to see it considered.

Those schools with OOC rivalries will vociferously object to dropping the requirement I'm sure, since it sort of "levels the field" for them. But absent the natural rivalry aspect, it is probably not easy for everyone to schedule simply by edict. It would seem to me that it would behoove the other SEC schools to develop such a annual rivalry type game going forward. Vanderbilt's on/off series with Wake Forest seemed to work decently for both schools for awhile, but there may be better fits. I've long believed that Memphis was a natural rival for Vanderbilt, but they don't fulfill the "P5" requirement at this time. The Big XII has flirted with the possibility of an invitation, and it has been alluded to that in the future, everyone will be a member of the Big XII for 15 minutes.