This article discusses this in detail, but to summarize, the SEC is down to one of two scheduling systems:
Eight total conference games each year. One game is against a fixed opponent and is played every year. The other seven are on a rotating basis such that every team plays every other team twice every four years.
Nine total conference games each year. Three games are against fixed opponents and are played every year. The other six are on a rotating basis such that every team plays every other team twice every four years.
I personally would go with option two, though either one is fine. Both are an improvement over the current system where, as the article says, when Alabama played Florida last year it was the first match-up between them in ten years.
I don’t understand why they don’t go with “pods”.
It would really take care of itself then.
Play all three in your pod (three games).
Rotate annually to play another pod (four more games).
Play the team in the other two pods that correspond with your pod ranking the year before (two more game).
Total nine conference games.
Then a two week playoff for the Championship.
As I understand it, using pods doesn’t matter at the end of the day. The one conference that used pods many years ago had one conference championship game where the top two finishers played. Thus, the only thing the pods did was fix the games that are played annually. That would essentially be the same as the second option.
I note your comment about a two-week playoff, but I don’t think the NCAA would ever allow that. As I understand, right now the only thing allowed is one conference championship game.
Probably.
In my perfect scenario, there would be 4 Conferences of 16 teams each.
Each team has a two week playoff for the chance to go to the NCAA playoff.