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The football world turned on its head in July of 2021. That’s when it was revealed that the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns would be leaving the Big 12 for the SEC.
While the move upset the apple cart in the Big 12 and had the SEC looking ahead with smooth seas on the horizon, choppy waters have approached as the league still hasn’t decided on a schedule format for the 16-team conference.
The nine-game conference schedule has long been the favorite format. SEC teams would play three permanent opponents and then six other conference opponents in a home-and-home schedule. Every four years, each SEC team would play everyone else in the conference.
But in recent weeks, the nine-game SEC schedule has fallen out of favor among certain administrators and coaches.
Alabama is on the verge of a surprising endorsement for eight conference games after Nick Saban voiced frustration with the SEC’s three proposed permanent rivals for the Tide (Auburn, LSU and Tennessee) should the league expand to nine games. Should the program follow Saban’s battle cry, the Tide would join forces with at least four schools in opposition to the proposal for a nine-game schedule beginning in 2024, sources tell 247Sports. Administrators from 16 SEC schools, including future members Oklahoma and Texas, gather Tuesday through Friday to discuss two models. An eight-game format with one permanent rival and seven rotating opponents (or) a nine-game format with three permanent rivals and six rotating opponents. – Brandon Marcello, 247Sports
According to Marcello, Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi State, and South Carolina oppose a nine-game conference schedule. Given the value programs place on earning bowl eligibility, it’s not that surprising. If you’re a team that hangs in the six to eight win range, you’d probably like more flexibility…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/conference-schedule-format-big-topic-215258241.html?src=rss
Author : Sooners Wire
Publish date : 2023-05-29 21:52:58
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