With an 8 game conference slate, most will play one other P5 team OOC. With a 9 gamer, most may not.I don't think Georgia, Florida, or South Carolina would likely drop their annual OOC P5 rivalry games. And I'm pretty sure Texas will continue to play a marquee P5 OOC game. Can't speak for anyone else though.
I predict they get the additional monies and go to a 9-game schedule, consisting of 3+6. Bama will drop LSU for an easier 3rd "rival," after Auburn and Tennessee.
I hope not, but one way or the other, we're going to lose either Bama or Auburn, neither of which sits well with me. My guess is Bama would be our pick (not that we'll get a pick), which makes a lot of sense, but man, has the LSU/AU series offered a lot of crazy entertainment over the years.I think an annual Texas-LSU game would be awesome.
I actually will miss the Florida game, since most models I've seen have that dropping off the permanent schedule. I know it's not a "traditional" rivalry, but.....I mean, at this point it's been going since I was 13 years old and a ton of LSU fans don't know a world where LSU and Florida don't have a midseason showdown. This year is already weird with how late we're playing Florida.
But we're going to get Ole Miss, A&M, and one of the Alabama schools, probably Bama, but that's just a guess. I sort of see the point of A&M, that was an ooc rivalry for a long time, but it was ooc, and we have more history with MSU than any other school and for that reason I'd prefer to keep it, so the cowbells are another one I'll be sad to lose.
I guess I should just be happy that the powers that be don't seem interested so far in trying to fabricate another rivalry with the newcomers, like they did with us and Arkansas, then with A&M.
I think an annual Texas-LSU game would be awesome.
But for obvious reasons, it's unlikely.
| Sat, Sep 15 | Wake Forest | Athens, Ga. | 21 - 22 (L) | |
| Sat, Sep 22 | Clemson | at Clemson, S.C. | 7 - 12 (L) | |
| Sat, Sep 29 | South Carolina | Athens, Ga. | 20 - 27 (L) | |
| Sat, Oct 06 | Mississippi | at Oxford, Miss. | 24 - 21 (W) | |
| Sat, Oct 13 | LSU | Athens, Ga. | 21 - 14 (W) | |
| Sat, Oct 20 | Vanderbilt | at Nashville, Tenn. | 31 - 10 (W) | |
| Sat, Oct 27 | Kentucky | Athens, Ga. | 20 - 6 (W) | |
| Sat, Nov 03 | Virginia | Athens, Ga. | 0 - 31 (L) | |
| Sat, Nov 10 | Florida | at Jacksonville, Fla. | 33 - 10 (W) | ABC |
| Sat, Nov 17 | Auburn | Athens, Ga. | 13 - 33 (L) | |
| Sat, Nov 24 | Georgia Tech | at Atlanta, Ga. | 16 - 33 (W) |
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This is a 1979 schedule, which is pretty weird:
Sat, Sep 15 Wake Forest Athens, Ga. 21 - 22 (L) Sat, Sep 22 Clemson at Clemson, S.C. 7 - 12 (L) Sat, Sep 29 South Carolina Athens, Ga. 20 - 27 (L) Sat, Oct 06 Mississippi at Oxford, Miss. 24 - 21 (W) Sat, Oct 13 LSU Athens, Ga. 21 - 14 (W) Sat, Oct 20 Vanderbilt at Nashville, Tenn. 31 - 10 (W) Sat, Oct 27 Kentucky Athens, Ga. 20 - 6 (W) Sat, Nov 03 Virginia Athens, Ga. 0 - 31 (L) Sat, Nov 10 Florida at Jacksonville, Fla. 33 - 10 (W) ABC Sat, Nov 17 Auburn Athens, Ga. 13 - 33 (L) Sat, Nov 24 Georgia Tech at Atlanta, Ga. 16 - 33 (W)
The Dawgs lost to four ACC opponents OOC, but won every SEC game before Auburn (where they lead early in the game). Had they beaten Auburn, they would have "won" the conference and gone to the SB, with a 6-5 record if they lost to Tech too. They had six conference games.
Seemed like more of a "loose scheduling agreement amongst teams" than a conference, which makes sense back when, because the money coming from conference pooling television rights was zero before 1984, and still pretty minimal until the early 90s..in 1974 sec adopted a uniform scheduling format, requiring 6 games. 5 were permanent opponents. in 1988, went to a 7 game schedule, stuck with 5 permanent. in 1992, split into divisions, bumped to 8 conference games, and you plays all 5 in your division, 2 in the other division were locked opponents, and remaining was on rotation. in 2003, the 2 locked cross-division opponents were reduced to 1.
And I could be wrong, just going off memory here, but as I recall, the early 90s is about when the SEC started tightening up the schedules.