What a fun show we had yesterday talking about why sports are awesome! We are blessed to be sports fans. It's easy to forget about this and get jaded to everything but I refuse to roll like that. The callers did an incredible job with the topic! If you missed yesterday's show, do yourself a favor and dial up the archives from yesterday's show and be prepared to laugh, cry, and smile a whole lot.








We will change the pace on today’s show and revisit an idea promulgated over the weekend by long time Southeastern columnist Ron Higgins. Higgs stopped me in my tracks when he proposed that the SEC should pre-emptively grab Oklahoma and Oklahoma State while the Big 12 remains in flux.


Ron Higgins SEC would look like this.

West:
Arkansas
Mizzou
Miss State
Ole Miss
LSU
Oklahoma
OK State
Texas A&M

East:
Auburn
Bama
Florida
Georgia
South Carolina
Tennessee
Kentucky
Vandy

Higgins proposal calls for 9 league games per year. This means that each team would play a two game rotator against other teams in each division. This would basically ensure that every 4 year player would get an opportunity to face each team in the conference.


Benefits of The Higgins Plan:

1. This would turn the SEC into the baddest conference in the history of western civilization.

2. The proposal would actually provide a lot of geographical integrity to a league that is currently too spread out. Look at the West! That's four Big 12/SWC/ teams grouped with the rest of the West in the SEC. I'll bet Arkansas fans would love feeling like they actually have decent drives to see games.

3. Both divisions would make for some incredible drama. Tennessee's annual divisional schedule would be lights out intense.

4. If you want Oklahoma for the next SEC expansion, you must take OK State. Those two schools will be linked politically going forward. You can't get the Sooners without the Cowboys.

5. I would love to see Auburn on Tennessee's schedule every year. This was a wonderful annual series.

6. Getting an extra SEC game per season would be a real value for paying customers. Just think of how stacked Tennessee's home schedule would be if a season ticket consisted of either Georgia/Auburn or Bama/Florida annually. That's what I call value.



Negatives:

1. Forget about winning the East Vol Fan: Be honest with me. If you put Tennessee in a division where they have to get past Bama, Auburn, Florida and Georgia, how many SEC Title games would you expect to make in a 10 year increment? Minus facing Alabama and Auburn, Tennessee was only able to make it to only 4 SEC Title games under Phillip Fulmer's 16 years. It should be pointed out that much of Fulmer's tenure could be considered the golden era in Tennessee's modern era. If the Vols were only able to get to 4 in 16 years absent of Auburn and Alabama in the 90's to the mid 2000's, how in the hell is UT going to get to the SEC Title Game under this realignment proposal.


2. East would be tougher than West in the long run. This isn't debatable. Bama is the flagship program of the SEC and they always have been. Saban or no Saban, Bama will be a Bear to compete with annually. Any division they are in automatically becomes the toughest in the league.


Conclusion:

The SEC will expand again because eventually college football will consist of 5 leagues comprised of 16 teams apiece. Ron Higgins made a great point about the SEC's past two expansions in that each time the league grew, so did the coffers. Adding Oklahoma and Oklahoma State would be a drop the mic move. If I wasn't so invested in Tennessee sports, I would love this move. It makes sense on just about every level I can consider. The only drawback (and it is my main problem) with this plan is that Tennessee fans could probably expect 1 SEC Title Game appearance in any 10 year stretch. That's not enough winning for me. Although I do think the proposal is well thought out, I'm going to have to pass.


I'm re-linking Higgins' article if you want to take a closer look. Link

August 12-14
At Webb School
Click to register!

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36 Days.....


Tony B
IGYV

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