By Harry King
LITTLE ROCK — Expansion of the Southeastern Conference is a grandiose idea with some negative fallout for college football fans who appreciate and anticipate variety in scheduling.
Fill in the blanks to your heart’s desire so that the SEC adds four teams and then consider the consequences.
Instituted eight years ago, the SEC’s current 5-1-2 format will be out the window. The provider of variety, the concept includes one constant opponent from the other division and two rotating non-division opponents each year. Under the format, a school plays every conference member four times during a 10-year period and each team visits every SEC stadium twice during that period.
Because of the quick rotation, Arkansas fans had the opportunity to see Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow of Florida, No. 1 draft pick Matthew Stafford of Georgia, and No. 11 choice Jay Cutler of Vanderbilt in Fayetteville from 2005 through 2008.
Expansion to 16 teams comes with seven games against division opponents.
At this point, Arkansas’ constant opponent from the Eastern Division is South Carolina, which joined the SEC at the same time as the Razorbacks. The Razorbacks vs. the Gamecocks is not a raging rivalry; Arkansas fans could survive without it.
On the other hand, there is no way Alabama gives up its every-year game with Tennessee or Auburn its contest with nearby Georgia or LSU its battle with Florida. These are cross-division rivalries that run deep.
The SEC is not unique when it comes to must-keep rivalries. In the Big Ten alone, there is Michigan-Ohio State, Purdue-Indiana for the Old Oaken Bucket and the oldest rivalry in college football, Minnesota and Wisconsin for Paul Bunyan’s Axe.
Unless the NCAA expands the current 12-game limit on the regular-season, 16-team conferences will have limited options:
—An eight-game conference schedule with one constant opponent from the other division would mean that Arkansas fans would never see Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, and other members of the Eastern Division unless it was the league championship game. If the one opponent from the Eastern Division rotated, gerrymandering of the divisions would be necessary to maintain the rivalries. The plus is that that an eight-game conference schedule would allow for four non-conference games.
—A 7-1-2 format is more palatable except that a 10-game conference schedule limits the number of non-conference games to two. In that case, it is difficult to imagine Arkansas going outside the conference to play a Texas A&M or Texas seeking a non-conference game with Ohio State. More than likely, teams from the Sun Belt and other lesser conferences would demand and get top dollar.
—A 7-0-2 format is a compromise of sorts with one team rotating onto the schedule every two years for a home and home. In that case, a team from the Eastern Division would visit Fayetteville once a decade, but there would be room for three non-conference games. Again, divisions would have to be aligned to accommodate rivalries.
When Arkansas entered the SEC in 1992, the format was 5-2-1 with games each year against Eastern Division opponents South Carolina and Tennessee. Instead of maintaining status quo, the SEC improved the schedule. In the process, the league spoiled those of us whose job it is to watch football in Gainesville or Athens or Knoxville every few years.
If expansion comes about, fans who like a smorgasbord of opponents will suffer. Proponents will say it is a must and call it progres.
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Harry King is sports columnist for Stephens Media’s Arkansas News Bureau. His e-mail address is hking@arkansasnews.com.
