“Pat Dooley’s Football Fivesome August 6th”

The “Friday Fivesome” comes at you as I embark today on the Dooley-Palooza-Tour. Three nights in three Panhandle cities talking Gator football. I’ll try to bring back a better tan.

While we are still waiting for the next missile to be fired in the football wars, I couldn’t help but think about scheduling. Certainly, there is a lot we don’t know, but let us make some assumptions.

1.I like the idea of pods for scheduling purposes only. The ones that were revealed by the SEC Network during SEC Media Days week probably had some help from the people that will make those decisions. Obviously, these are far from being official, but they make sense.

They looked like this:

Pod A: Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina.

Pod B: Alabama, Auburn, Tennessee, Vandy.

Pod C: LSU, Ole Miss, Texas A&M Miss. State.

Pod D: Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas.

This isn’t the way divisions (if there are divisions, which seems unlikely) would be laid out but it would be the way to play each season. Each team would face the other three teams in its pod each year and two from the other pods on a rotating basis. Two this year and then the other two next year. That would allow all the teams in the SEC to see each other way more often. And it would allow the biggest rivalries to stay intact.

  1. Of course, this is predicated on the theory that the SEC will be dragged kicking and screaming into a nine-game schedule. There are schools who have fought it mainly because playing an extra SEC game diminishes their chances of getting into a bowl game. But the inclusion of Oklahoma and Texas should change that because you can’t have a legitimate schedule and only play half the teams in your conference. And I would imagine that both of the new schools want to play nine because one reason for making this jump in the first place was the fans wanted to see better games. And they are used to it. So, there are two votes.
  2. So I put together a couple of possible schedules for Florida and let’s not forget that a lot could change between now and then. In fact, I guarantee a lot will change. We still have to see if the SEC is finished adding teams. We still have to see what other schools move around and whether the Big 12 goes quietly into the night. We still have to make sure if the SEC does away with divisions and just has No. 1 play No. 2 in Atlanta. There are a lot of moving parts as we go forward over the next year.
  3. This is the schedule I put together for 2031, when Florida has already scheduled its three non-conference games and assuming it’s as nine game season. This would be brutal.

Arizona State

Missouri

At Tennessee

At Notre Dame

@ Kentucky

Alabama

Texas A&M

Georgia

@ LSU

@ South Carolina

Oklahoma

Florida State

Now, you may be asking where you sign up for season tickets for that schedule and that is part of the reason the SEC went after this. Football has been declining in attendance and a schedule like that would be a blast.

  1. But I also put together the easiest schedule using the pods and that one would be in 2025, possibly the first year that Texas and Oklahoma join the SEC. Or, I should say the latest possible.

USF

Kentucky

At Miami

At Vanderbilt

Tennessee

At Ole Miss

South Carolina

At Arkansas

Georgia

At Mississippi State

Missouri

Florida State

It would mean the game at home against Florida A&M would be out because there is no longer room and I’m sure the FAMU athletic director is already scrambling to find a replacement.

It’s not like this is an easy schedule by any means and we also know that neither one of these will probably happen, that instead it will be a mix where you don’t draw all of the best teams in a single year.

The bottom line is the schedules were already being made tougher because of the decline in attendance around the country. They will soon be NFL-like.

About Pat Dooley

Check Also

Orange & Blue Sports Network

Catch the student-led broadcasts from the College of Journalism and Communications right here.

LIVE THREAD: National Signing Day

Here’s an updated thread of all the recruits who picked the Gator hat today! RB …

AFC Divisional Round Preview: Pittsburgh Steelers

During last weekend’s NFL Wild Card round, the Steelers made a statement by handing the Dolphins a …

Houston Looking For an Upset in Foxborough

The saying has always been “it’s hard to beat a good team twice,” and in …

Blue Jackets vs. Lightning Tonight

The Columbus Blue Jackets and the Tampa Bay Lightning will be facing each other once …

Possible Additions to McElwain’s Recruiting Class Visiting this Weekend

With National Signing Day less than three weeks away, the Gators are hosting several talented …

Florida Gymnastics Prepares for Season Opener

https://vimeo.com/198372157 GAINESVILLE, FL – The Florida Gator gymnastics team will kick off their season this …

Surprised Gators Promote Randy Shannon To Defensive Coordinator? You Shouldn’t Be

Florida’s head coach, Jim McElwain, announced Friday morning that Randy Shannon would be making the …

Quarterbacks in Spotlight for NFL Wild Card Weekend

The NFL Wild Card kicks off Saturday and the quarterback situations could not be any more different. On …

College Football Playoff Shakes Up Schedule

The College Football Playoff was a success in its first year. Yet, that doesn’t stop …

Michael Jordan Speaks out about Shootings, Police Officers

NBA great Michael Jordan opened up about his thoughts about shootings of African-Americans and the …

Treon Harris to Transfer

With the college football season approaching, the Florida Gators have announced that former starting QB …

USA Basketball Wins Second Exhibition Game

Just a few short days after their big win over Argentina, team USA won its …

Charlotte Is No Longer The Home Of The 2017 NBA All-Star Game

The House Bill 2 came between Charlotte, North Carolina and the 2017 All-Star Game. The …

Tampa Bay Rays Continue Series Against Oakland

The Tampa Bay Rays are continuing their three-game winning streak. The Rays defeated the Oakland …

MLB Preview Tonight

It’s summer time—the best time to go to a baseball game and experience the atmosphere. …

Braves Begin Series With Rockies

The Atlanta Braves (33-62) open up a four-game road series with the Rockies (43-51) tonight …

Marlins To Close Out Series With The Phillies

The Miami Marlins are in the middle of a crucial ten game span against NL East …

Rays Crush Rockies 11-3, Face A’s Next

In the midst of a terrible season that has seen the Tampa Bay Rays (37-57) …

American League Second Half Outlook

The second half of the baseball season is in full swing which translates to? Pennant races. Teams …

National League Evening Preview

Tonight is a busy night for the National League in the MLB. Starting with the …

Big 12 Looks To Expand

Following a Tuesday meeting between Big 12 presidents, Oklahoma president David Boren announced that the …

LSU Looks To Capitalize On Its Opportunity

The Louisiana State University Tigers will enter the 2016 college football season with high expectations, …

Muschamp Helps Close Out SEC Media Days 2016

It wasn’t Will Muschamps first SEC Media Days experience, but 2016 marked the first time …

Phil Mickelson Leads British Open After First Day

The 145th annual 2016 British Open is underway at Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland. The …

Missouri’s Football Crisis: Rebuilding A Program

On the final day of SEC Media Days, Barry Odom took the stand as Missouri’s head …

Second Half Of MLB Season Begins

The All-Star Break is a good time for teams to rest up and reform themselves …

British Open Underway

The 145th Open Championship is already underway at the Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland. Welcome …

Newberry Ends Regular Season At 8-2 Amidst Tragedy

OCALA — Although the 2A-District 5 champion Newberry Panthers closed out the regular season with a 37-14 …