Will we ever see an 8-game SWAC schedule?

[Journalist]

We wont go to 12 games because the powers-that-be know it will be the end of college football as we know it. It wont happen. Plus, the playoffs are now expanded so going to 12 is not in the best interest of playoff conferences.

IF it goes to 12 games, we should just go back to the 9 game mandate and then we will still have the 3 OOC games you are advocating now. So it makes sense to YOU that we play 8 games with 3 OOC games now but play 8 games with FOUR out of conference games if they go to 12? make it make sense. If 4 OOC games is too much for you now, whats going to change with a 12 game schedule?

All of the 8-game schedule stuff hinges on still playing the SCG. If there's no SCG ... then going full round-robin is back on the table

 

[Fiyah]

Me being an SU person doesn't blind me to the health of the conference. I think people are overcomplicating the 8-game schedule, along with annual rotation. It's not like Valley would be without Southern or Grambling on its schedule every year. Ideally, a 10-year cycle means Valley would play everyone in the West eight times each (four home/four away) in 10 years, with a school dropping off once every five years.

I look at it like simple math: would you rather fill four OOC slots in a 12-game season or five? Would you rather fill three OOC slots in an 11-game season or four?

Personally, I would give the schools the 8-game schedule in 2021, since that's four years from now and it gives the schools enough breathing room to work around and line up their OOC dates with the conference.

But you wanna know something I've noticed: I've been given more about why this would fail than why would this succeed ...

Yep....Preach...

The 8-game schedule I envisioned will only work when there's NO permanent opponent from the opposing division. Doing the permanent opponent option will muck up with works because naturally Southern/Grambling will chose JSU/Alcorn, leaving the Texas and Alabama schools out in that water.

That's the part of the equitable scheduling I look for.

That's the problem with this 7 game schedule. You got certain schools claiming a permanent opponent when there is no true permanent opponent for all the teams in opposite divisions. That's where the fair and balance 8 game schedule would come in and provide. You get 4 home games and 4 away games, what you do with your 3 or 4 OOC games is on you. You could basically schedule them as all home games but I would suggest you get a home and home with another FCs school, get you a money game and then get you a home low cost bait game (D2/NAIA).

 

[2kool]

Dude, the SEC got 12 teams. I bet if they only had 10, they would play all 9 of their opponents.

9 games would benefit the SEC either way because they're the top 2 Power 5 conference on any given year.

However, the SWAC is no where close to even the top half of FCS, so 9 games is basically telling recruits they wont get a chance to play against anyone but HBCUs

 

[2kool]

Folks, its not that complicated. Each SEC team has permanent cross divisional games.

• Alabama vs. Tennessee
• Arkansas vs. Missouri
• Auburn vs.Georgia
• LSU vs. Florida
• Mississippi State vs. Kentucky
• Ole Miss vs. Vanderbilt
• Texas A&M vs. South Carolina

Using that same model, the SWAC could do the same. The key is that everybody only gets one permanent cross divisional game, and the trick is that every game will not and cannot be a rivalry.

Just off the top of my head:
AAMU/GSU
Alcorn/PV
JSU/SU
Valley/PB
ASU/TXSU

 

[Fiyah]

Using that same model, the SWAC could do the same. The key is that everybody only gets one permanent cross divisional game, and the trick is that every game will not and cannot be a rivalry.

Just off the top of my head:
AAMU/GSU
Alcorn/PV
JSU/SU
Valley/PB
ASU/TXSU

Why do you need a permanent cross division game?

To tell the truth there are only 2 schools advocating this crap, the other 8 don't need it.

 

[SUjagTILLiDIE]

I think the four schools can live without two games in 10 years.

You don’t take away what works. Those games are the SWAC. No offense to no one else but I loved it when we had 7 teams .

 

[Bighead]

Dude they played 8 games when they had TWELVE teams! They got 14 now.

Ya'll not gonna win this argument because it wont make sense. Find a 10 team league going thru the trouble of rotating ONE team. Just play all 9. Otherwise, 7 is the only number that makes any common sense.

Some of ya'll slow as hell talking to about 8 games... smh

What you say about the Missouri Valley Conference. They have 10 teams and the play 8
conference games


My point is that this is a 10 team conference and they play 8 divisional games. I couldn't care less who is the permanent opponent on the other side and who falls off.

I'm concern about the 8 vs 9 format.

http://www.mvc.org/football/stats/confsked.htm

 

[Journalist]

You don’t take away what works for your particular school. Those games are the SWAC in the opinion of certain fanbases. No offense to no one else but I loved it when we had 7 teams .

No offense taken at all. IMO, we have to stop looking at what's best for particular fanbases and look at what's best for the whole of the conference.

As long as the SWAC remains FCS, we've got to band together. The money game spigot is going to start to run dry sooner rather than later.

The 8-game conference schedule in an 11- or 12-game FCS season would be the best of both worlds. It would allow some stability for home games for our members while still allowing opportunities to get money-making games on the schedule.

 

[Journalist]

Why do you need a permanent cross division game?

To tell the truth there are only 2 schools advocating this crap, the other 8 don't need it.

I think this is all a case of not seeing the bigger picture at play here. Sooner or later, that money game stuff from playing up is gonna end. I'd rather our schools do things to take care of home while providing opportunities to get revenue.

 

[2kool]

Personally, if you have to rely on money games, you just have lazy administrators that dont know how to properly raise funds.

I'd be perfectly fine with an 8 game schedule, one D2 homecoming and two FCS home and homes.

 

[Journalist]

Personally, if you have to rely on money games, you just have lazy administrators that dont know how to properly raise funds.

I'd be perfectly fine with an 8 game schedule, one D2 homecoming and two FCS home and homes.

That’s what I’m getting at. Would love to have home and homes against FAMU, Tennessee State and bring in an HBCU D2 for homecoming

 

[2kool]

That’s what I’m getting at. Would love to have home and homes against FAMU, Tennessee State and bring in an HBCU D2 for homecoming

See that's the thing...when an entire schedule is HBCUs, you're basically telling recruits to choose other schools with a broader schedule.

Look at A&Ts schedule this year. Season opener is against an FCS playoff team. If A&T wins, it boosts the entire MEAC. Same would the case if Gram did the same.

If Gram beats JMU and 3 or 4 other SWAC teams makes Gram sweat in competitive games, nobody can say that the SWAC is the weakest FCS conference anymore.

 

[Journalist]

See that's the thing...when an entire schedule is HBCUs, you're basically telling recruits to choose other schools with a broader schedule.

Look at A&Ts schedule this year. Season opener is against an FCS playoff team. If A&T wins, it boosts the entire MEAC. Same would the case if Gram did the same.

If Gram beats JMU and 3 or 4 other SWAC teams makes Gram sweat in competitive games, nobody can say that the SWAC is the weakest FCS conference anymore.

I feel you. I should’ve corrected that post to say home and home against FAMU/Tennessee State, another FCS OOC game and a body bag for homecoming. Or schedule a Group of Five FBS game, and the rest FCS