Battalion sports editor Clay Koepke gives his take on the recent SEC scheduling guidelines.
On Sunday, the SEC announced a new format for football scheduling that adds a strength-of-schedule component requiring all schools to play a team from the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten or Pac-12 on a yearly basis (beginning in 2016).
KOEPKE: A strength-of-schedule component, really? As if the SEC wasn’t already grueling enough. On the outside looking in as a fan, I find the scheduling of these tougher non-conference games appealing. Considering students pay good money to attend football games, rather than watching their school wallop a mid-major as a “tune-up” game, they get the opportunity to see one more high profile game against a formidable opponent. As an Aggie holding a grudge, the first thing that came to mind when I saw this rule change was that maybe, just maybe, the t-sips in Austin would agree to rekindle the rivalry – but don’t get your hopes up. A&M has already released its non-conference schedule through the 2019 season and there is no sign of Texas. Although non-conference schedules are subject to change, the Aggies have the likes of Arizona State, UCLA and Oregon slated for the coming years.
SEC teams will continue to play the typical eight conference games per season, including six games playing division opponents and two games against non-conference opponents. One of the non-division opponents will be a permanent annual opponent and the other non-division opponent will rotate each year.
KOEPKE: Texas A&M, meet South Carolina. South Carolina, meet Texas A&M. Under the scheduling requirements, the SEC ruled in favor of the 6-1-1 format, which requires one permanent cross-division rival to be played annually. As the pairing would have it, South Carolina and A&M have been deemed rivals, and starting next year the Gamecocks will be our SEC adversaries. Other than the fact that I would have rather drawn Kentucky (which, judging purely off its football resume, might as well be a mid-major), I only have one quarrel – nobody can create a rivalry, rivalries choose you. So let’s hold off on calling South Carolina a rivalry game until we have some bad blood, because right now my bad blood lies with Alabama and LSU.