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Hart, Dooley hope to retain rivalry

  • http://tennessee.247sports.com/Article/UT-Vols-Dave-Hart-Derek-Dooley-hope-to-retain-Alabama-rivalry-73154

    MEMPHIS, Tenn. — When first asked about the importance of UT and Alabama keeping their football game every year despite recent SEC expansion, Dave Hart answered directly.

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    Senior Writer, govols247 Email: wrucker@247sports.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/@wesrucker247 Facebook: www.facebook.com/wesrucker247

    Wes Rucker

  • I was under the impression that this rivalry was going to be preserved. Are they now saying that it is possible that it will not? I live in Alabama and would hate for this game to go away. Nothing pleases me better than to beat Alabama. Crimson and houndstooth make me want to vomit. Go Vols!

    acetylcholine

  • Out of all the interdivisonal "rivalry" games, the only ones that mean anything to anyone are Georgia v. Auburn and Bama v. Tennessee.

    So IMO the perfect compromise would be for the SEC to only keep playing those 2 interdivision games annually.

    So in essence nothing would change for those 4 teams, they would get to keep their rivalry game along with 2 rotating interdivisonal opponents. While the rest of the league would drop their annual interdivisonal "rivalry" games and instead of having only 2 interdivision rotating opponents, they would have 3.

    You're welcome Slive.

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    VolPett

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    Staff writer for govols247 — http://www.twitter.com/RyanCallahan247 — rcallahan@247sports.com

    Ryan Callahan ●

  • I like the FLA v LSU, the South Carolina v Ark, MO v aTm, vandy v ole miss, ky v ms state as well and then roatate between them where you can't have ky/vandy on your schedule the same year and you cant have ole miss/miss state the same year to keep it all level. jmo

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    Jdbvols1 ●

  • not sure why 9 conference games is that big of a deal.... I know it would be harder for SEC teams then schools from other leagues, but i still like the idea assuming we stay at 14 teams or add more teams.....

    Schedule 3 cup-cakes out of conference and play your conference schedule.....

    The regular season hasn't been 12 games for all that long..... When i was growing up you played 11 games per year... 8 conference games and 3 out of conference..... Since everyone is playing 12 games now, i don't see why its a bad idea to make the extra/new game a conference game...

    Currently, Tennessee usually plays one big name team out of conference every year.... Why not replace that game with a SEC West team????

    I also think its inevitable that the SEC will be 16 teams before 2020..... 14 (7 teams per division is not a sustainable #, IMO)......I don't see how we can stay at 8 conference games with that many teams..... You would rarely play the teams in the other division, and i don't like that.... One of the things that makes the SEC so great are the passionate regional rivalries that have been created.... I would hate to see that go away.....

    In closing, the SEC has been the trend-setter in recent history in college football..... If we go to 9 conference games, the other leagues will eventually switch to 9 conference games....

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    tlepage99

  • tlepage99 said...

    not sure why 9 conference games is that big of a deal.... I know it would be harder for SEC teams then schools from other leagues, but i still like the idea assuming we stay at 14 teams or add more teams.....

    Schedule 3 cup-cakes out of conference and play your conference schedule.....

    The regular season hasn't been 12 games for all that long..... When i was growing up you played 11 games per year... 8 conference games and 3 out of conference..... Since everyone is playing 12 games now, i don't see why its a bad idea to make the extra/new game a conference game...

    Currently, Tennessee usually plays one big name team out of conference every year.... Why not replace that game with a SEC West team????

    I also think its inevitable that the SEC will be 16 teams before 2020..... 14 (7 teams per division is not a sustainable #, IMO)......I don't see how we can stay at 8 conference games with that many teams..... You would rarely play the teams in the other division, and i don't like that.... One of the things that makes the SEC so great are the passionate regional rivalries that have been created.... I would hate to see that go away.....

    In closing, the SEC has been the trend-setter in recent history in college football..... If we go to 9 conference games, the other leagues will eventually switch to 9 conference games....

    I think most fans 45 or older will agree that while the SEC was a beast in the 1960s-1980s it has become a monster of a different kind in the last 25 years.

    Back in the day I remember a lot of years when it was 11 games and six SEC games in the 10-team league (some years it was more). When the conference expanded to bring in Arkansas and South Carolina we were still playing 11 games, but, as you said, eight conference games, but top to bottom, as good as the SEC was, it wan't what it has become in recent years.

    Although the SEC has produced the last five National Champions, it is hard enough to get through the league and make it to the national championship game with eight SEC games and the SEC championship game. If you add a ninth game the chances of winning a title become even more difficult.

    FWBVol

  • First off it is only a matter of time until we get to 16. I believe there will be the 4 or 5 super conferences.

    When this happens there will probably be 4 divisions, 4 in each division. (Clay Travis actually wrote a good article on this last year)

    But I am in favor of the 9 game SEC schedule "As a fan." Is it better for Tennessee, I don't know. But as a fan I love competition. College Football is 3 months and a bowl game, that is it. I live in the North so I don't get the daily exposure you guys get. I HATE playing cupcake games out of conference. It is a wasted week of Tennessee Football, (Unless your playing Wyoming). I want to see as many competitive games as possible.

    I think College Football should be a little bit like College Basketball where they reward teams for playing a tough Out of Conference Schedule. Now I know this will never happen, I am smart enough to realize we need to play our 2 cupcakes, but 3 is to much IMO. Troy, Ga St, and Akron. That is pathetic in my mind, I want to go up against the best in other conferences and prove that even though we are a low-middle of the pack team in the SEC at the moment, we could beat the crap out of almost all the Big10, Big12, and ACC teams.

    This post was edited by hdrizzle21 on 5/9/2012 at 12:53 PM

    hdrizzle21 ●

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    VolPett

  • hdrizzle21 said...

    When this happens there will probably be 4 divisions, 4 in each division. (Clay Travis actually wrote a good article on this last year)

    not sure what clay travis wrote..... But here is my format for a 16 team league with 9 conference games....

    - Four 4-team divisions
    - play 3 games against your remaining division opponents
    - 1 permanent cross-division rival game from the other 3 divisions (3 total games)
    - Play one rotating game in each other division per year (that way you would play the other 9 teams in the league that you don't play annually 2 out of every 6 years)......

    If i did not write this clear enough, please let me know and i can elaborate.....

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    tlepage99

  • tlepage99 said...

    not sure what clay travis wrote..... But here is my format for a 16 team league with 9 conference games....

    - Four 4-team divisions - play 3 games against your remaining division opponents - 1 permanent cross-division rival game from the other 3 divisions (3 total games) - Play one rotating game in each other division per year (that way you would play the other 9 teams in the league that you don't play annually 2 out of every 6 years)......

    If i did not write this clear enough, please let me know and i can elaborate.....

    Love it. 4 division winners play, 1 vs 4 and 2 vs 3 and winners compete for SEC Champ. Would be pretty awesome. Someday we will get here. I'd say in the next 3 years is likely.

    hdrizzle21 ●

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    mikeltn ●

  • tlepage99 said...

    not sure why 9 conference games is that big of a deal.... I know it would be harder for SEC teams then schools from other leagues, but i still like the idea assuming we stay at 14 teams or add more teams.....

    Schedule 3 cup-cakes out of conference and play your conference schedule.....

    The regular season hasn't been 12 games for all that long..... When i was growing up you played 11 games per year... 8 conference games and 3 out of conference..... Since everyone is playing 12 games now, i don't see why its a bad idea to make the extra/new game a conference game...

    Currently, Tennessee usually plays one big name team out of conference every year.... Why not replace that game with a SEC West team????

    I also think its inevitable that the SEC will be 16 teams before 2020..... 14 (7 teams per division is not a sustainable #, IMO)......I don't see how we can stay at 8 conference games with that many teams..... You would rarely play the teams in the other division, and i don't like that.... One of the things that makes the SEC so great are the passionate regional rivalries that have been created.... I would hate to see that go away.....

    In closing, the SEC has been the trend-setter in recent history in college football..... If we go to 9 conference games, the other leagues will eventually switch to 9 conference games....

    The SEC is normally the trend setter but they wouldnt be with the 9 game conf schedule..the PAC 10/12 has been doing the 9 game schedule since 2006 and the Big 12 had 9 this past season. I dont see where it would hurt to add the extra game it would definitely help the SOS...

    Says The Wizard of Oz!

    UTOsby ●

  • UTOsby said...

    The SEC is normally the trend setter but they wouldnt be with the 9 game conf schedule..the PAC 10/12 has been doing the 9 game schedule since 2006 and the Big 12 had 9 this past season.

    good point... my bad....

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    tlepage99

  • I don't care how they do it, just don't make us lose this rivalry.

    ol dad

  • What can I say? The rivalry is the reason I hate the tide all my life!Those Vol fans at the first game are my kind of fans!lol!

    Roll tide roll ,round n round ,down the toilet bowl!

    lifetimebamahtr

  • Then you haven't been pleased in about 5 years sorry about ur luck buddy.

    bamab55

  • Interesting article on going to 9 conference games.... Jim delay and the big 10 are a bunch or cry-babies....

    Homepage | MrSEC

    Despite the fact that he's overseen the greatest, richest run in SEC history and negotiated two television contracts that changed the way all conferences do

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    tlepage99

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