Pods? **** that. Two divisions until time ends. East and West.

Quick technology update:

They have these large metal tubes that hurl through the atmosphere making actual state connections a relic of the past. Florida State is a done deal to the Big 12, with Clemson, right?

If it goes to sixteen, it's going to pods.

Pods are for other the sports dipshit.

TCU's AD is, hilariously, trying to walk back his slip.

I checked several sites to verify because I thought this was some kind of onion sports satire.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports...,1700088.story

Riiiiight. If he's telling the truth, he is a reckless dumbass. He's in a position to know whats probably going on. If there really, truly, has been no formal contact or even indirect secondary contact, if he's only going on rumors, then he risks embarrassing his new conference. For all he knew, all 3 schools could have released a statement subtly mocking the thought that they'd leave the ACC for the Big 12.

edit: This was apparently satire. A few dumb newspapers ran with it.

They will likely be used in football, too, to support the rivalries and cross-division games.

With a 16-team, 9-game conference schedule for two 8 team divisions, teams would play 7 games against their division opponents, one against a cross-division rival, and one rotating. This is not feasible.

With a 16-team, 9-game schedule for 4, 4-team pods, teams would play 3 every year against pod-mates, two against selected rivals, and four that would rotate over time.

The SEC needs to consult me if they go to sixteen because I have developed the perfect structure.

You have four pods with four teams in each. Each team is assigned a primary rival in another pod and a secondary rival from a third pod.

Each year, you play every team in your pod. That's three games. You then play every team in one of the other pods in a three year rotation. That's seven games. Finally, you play your rival. That's eight games.

However, every three years, you would be playing the pod containing your primary rival, so you need another game. That is when you would play your secondary rival.

This gives you eight conference games per year with four teams you play every year (your pod and rival), one team you play two out of every three years (your secondary rival), and ten teams that you play every three years.

Are your pods based on geography or parity? Because most pod projections I've seen are based on geography (i.e. Mizzou, Ark, A&M, LSU in one, etc), but most rivalries will also be in that pod too.

If most teams in your pod are already your rivals, then you're going to end up with a lot of lame Texas A&M-Kentucky "rivalry" games.

I think your idea works well though if they split up into pods based on evening out recruiting areas and football powers. Another idea would be to stick with regional pods, and alternate playing two teams in the other three pods every other year.
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Really in the SEC, two 8 team divisions with cross rivals and a 9 game schedule isn't that bad of a setup. Yeah would it suck not seeing say Alabama vs Florida for 7 years at a time, yes, but there is enough qualtiy games to go around.

Alabama/Tennessee
Auburn/Georgia
Arkansas/South Carolina
LSU/Florida
Mississippi/Vanderbilt
Mississippi St/North Carolina
Missouri/Kentucky
Texas A&M/Virginia Tech

The problem is that no one wants 9 game schedules unless you can do a round robin (big 12) or other issues force you to 9 (PAC 12, access to SoCal)

Not when a new tv network is coming and it needs programming.

The SEC doesn't need any help with tier 1/2. Tier 3 wont be impacted with an extra conference game because fans of those teams are still going to watch the game.

Plus, the 4th OOC game shouldn't be used on a patsy, everyone gets 2 of those anyway.

Yes, because schools and conferences never want more money. Good rebuttal!

It will be when the SEC partners with ESPN on the network, and ESPN also owns the Tier 2 inventory.

Fastest way to get full carriage in SEC country? Go to a 9 game schedule and give each team a conference game on the new network.

By "don't need much help", I mean "tier 1 is pretty much maxed out", not "eh, it'd be more money, but the SEC doesn't need more money", that would be a silly response.

That said, I probably should have lumped Tier 2 in with Tier 3, not tier 1.

Regarding Tier 3, if you want to give each team a game, just give each team a game, you don't need to go to 9 to do that.

This also doesn't address the undeniable fact that AD's and coaches are, generally, strongly against 9 conference games, and vastly prefer 8. Especially in the SEC, where even though there's 14 teams they still stuck with 8 games even though it meant a 6-year rotation (12-year rotation when counting home vs away).

BCS schools want 7 home games every year. That is very difficult to do with 9 conference games without sacrificing a lot of quality. If the SEC didn't want to go to 8 for 14, they aren't going to 8 with 16, especially since it would be easier to schedule 8 with 16 than it is with 14.

Coaches and ADs are against any increase in conference games and have been in every single conference because their jobs and bonuses often depend on making bowl games. That doesn't mean it won't happen though, especially if it is a catalyst for big money from ESPN and/or equity in a conference network.

If a 9 game conference schedule can be used as a carrot for ESPN, it will be used. The idea has been floated on a few SEC sites that are connected in the conference, particularly Mr. SEC. More SEC games = more money. It isn't difficult to understand.