Don't like my idea of Pittsburgh to the SEC? Well, you might like my 20-team format, at least
Welcome to SEC Unfiltered, the USA TODAY NETWORK's newsletter on SEC sports. Today, SEC columnist Blake Toppmeyer takes over:
If my idea for a 20-team SEC came to fruition, Luke Combs would need to insert a lyric about Pittsburgh into his “South on Ya” song that is an SEC anthem. Maybe a line about French fries and coleslaw on a sandwich? Or some rhyme linking the steel industry of Pittsburgh to Birmingham?
Last week, I uncorked a plan for the SEC, Big Ten and Big 12 to expand into 20-team super-conferences. For the SEC, that would mean the addition of four teams. I proposed Clemson, Florida State, North Carolina and Pittsburgh.
Judging by my email inbox, some of y’all don’t like my Pitt idea.
Suggestions for that fourth team included Virginia Tech, Miami and North Carolina State.
I would submit that the SEC wouldn’t need NC State if it nabbed UNC. Plus, I can never remember whether it’s Wolfpack or Wolf Pack.
I’ve gone back and forth on Miami. My latest thought is this: Miami doesn't fit the SEC's well-crafted identity. Miami has its own vibe. It's not the South. It's south of the South. And it's not a college town. Plus, if UF and FSU are in the SEC, you've got most of the state's college sports audience. I don’t know that you’d need Miami.
Of course, Pittsburgh is neither the South nor a college town. But it would transport the SEC into a new region, and I think Pittsburgh shares more of an identity with places like Birmingham or Knoxville than Miami does. Plus, Pittsburgh is a football-crazed city, even if it leans pro football. I’d enjoy the road trips to Miami, though.
I'm not tied to the idea of Pitt. I think Virginia Tech could work as the fourth addition alongside UNC, FSU and Clemson.
The next question is how to format a 20-team SEC. How's this?
Division I: Alabama, Auburn, Pittsburgh, Tennessee, Vanderbilt
Division II: Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina
Division III: Clemson, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, South Carolina
Division IV: Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M
Each team would play all four division opponents annually, plus all five teams from another division for a total of nine conference games.
Interdivision opponents would rotate each year, meaning interdivision teams would play once every three years. Divisions would preserve primary rivalries like the Iron Bowl, Egg Bowl, Oklahoma-Texas and Clemson-South Carolina.
The sacrifice of secondary rivalries like Auburn-Georgia and Alabama-LSU would be the downside of this model. Those games, though, already are in jeopardy with the SEC moving away from divisions in 2024, combined with its refusal, so far, to increase from eight to nine conference games.
Another pitfall to my plan: How do you conduct a conference championship from a four-division model?
One option: The four divisions are used for scheduling only, and teams are placed into a 1 through 20 standing. Another option: Place each division winner into a two-round, four-team SEC mini-playoff to determine a conference champion. Coaches would balk, though, at cramming in another game to determine the SEC champion before the College Football Playoff.
So here’s a final idea: 20 teams. No divisions. Ten conference games.
Each team is assigned one rival it plays annually. It plays an additional nine conference games against opponents that rotate annually, so all SEC teams would meet at least once every two years.
I might like that idea best. Any plan that increases the number of conference games to 10 is a winning idea in my book.
Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network's SEC Columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer. Also, check out his podcast, SEC Football Unfiltered.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Don't like idea of Pitt to the SEC? Well, you might like my 20-team format
