The SEC Forum at College Football Fan Site, CFB51!!!

The thing about rematches is that they explicitly contradict what was the big mantra of all the playoff advocates--"Settle it on the field!  Settle it on the field!"

Well, if you've already played, it's already been settled on the field.

If Team A beat Team B on the field, thus "settling" it, then why should Team A have to beat Team B again to advance?

If Team B wins the rematch and wins the championship, they only had go .500 "on the field," whereas Team A is left out for doing the same thing.

But the "settle it on the field" rhetoric was dropped as soon as the CFP was implemented, so I guess it was nothing but a talking point all along, as opposed to something that anyone actually took seriously.

Anyway, I don't like rematches.  I don't like CCGs.  I don't like the playoff.  I'd rather go back to bowls and polls and smoke filled rooms full of old guys in funny-colored blazers.

And then an off-season full of great arguments about who should have been voted the MNC!

I know about Alabama-Tennessee, what other SEC rivalries would look to be preserved?  I'd assume:

Florida-Georgia
Ole Miss-MSU
Auburn-Alabama
Tennessee - Vanderbilt

is LSU-Ole Miss still one that the schools care about?  Any others that are currently protected x-div games?

Auburn-UGA is the ONLY one that is an absolute must. They have played EVERY year in which both fielded a football team. EVER since both started playing football. IOW, using an old Danny Ford triple negative, they ain't never not played.

I respectfully disagree about the Auburn-Georgia game being a rivalry game. The only characteristic it has for rivalry is they have played the game every year for well over a hundred years. I believe a rivalry game requires a great deal of animosity, emotion and even hate. Other than it being an important yearly game between the teams, the two teams and bases couldn't care less about the other one except one week per year. That's not a rivalry. It might as well be a tea party.

FWIW I have resided in Georgia for over 40 years, am the son of a Georgian, and my oldest son is a graduate and is an avid fan of Georgia.

why couldnt you use pods to schedule reg season games but at the end of the season pick the two top teams from their record using tie breaker rules if needed

and yes that might mean the two top teams are from the same pod so what

I've been repeatedly told that the best 2 teams can't be from the same division, much less the same pod.  
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All of this was born when Alabama and LSU had a rematch for the NC in 2011.
I said be careful what you wish for when we got a 4-team playoff:  more rematches.
You can bet your bottom dollar a 12-team playoff will offer even more rematches AND more SEC-SEC-SEC teams.

I used to feel the same way.  I am still uneasy that a team can get a 2nd bite at the apple.  I was very opposed the CFP.  Then I realized that I'm really enjoying the football and I don't miss arguing about who is #1.

I get your point.
But I dislike using one line of rhetoric to achieve one's goal, and then a completely contradictory line of rhetoric to achieve one's next goal.  "Settle it on the field! Settle it on the field!"  Then, "Well, my team is obviously one of the best x number of teams, so it should get a second chance!"
It's like medical marijuana.  "Oh, no, this isn't about legalizing recreational marijuana!  We just want to have it available to treat cancer patients."  Then, that objective met,  and marijuana "dispensaries" having sprung up on every street corner, "So, now we need to do the commonsense thing and legalize it!"
(I'm open to the arguments about legalizing it, BTW, I just wish the advocates would show their cards up front.)

But if Auburn was in the East and Florida wasn't, the Tigers would draw your ire.

LSU would push to be in a pod with Texas A&M. 

Which is almost a sure sign something like the LSU/OleMiss/MSU/Mizzou pod is what you'd actually get.  Adjust other pods accordingly.