Texas, Oklahoma To Likely Join SEC

 What would an SEC look like with Texas and Oklahoma in it?

If the SEC kept their current division format:

EAST: Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vanderbilt

WEST: Arkansas, LSU, Mississippi State, Missouri, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Texas, Texas A&M

As you can see, both Oklahoma and Texas would join the West division, Missouri would move from the East to the West, and both Alabama and Auburn would move from the West to the East. This works both with geography and it spreads the power around. The West division has been much more powerful than the East over the last decade, so moving Alabama and Auburn over makes for an interesting dynamic. 

Of course there has been a rumor of a pod system where four teams are placed in four pods for scheduling purposes. What might that look like?

A: Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina
B: Alabama, Auburn, Tennessee, Vanderbilt
C: LSU, Mississippi State, Missouri, Ole Miss
D: Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M

It doesn't seem that perfect from a geography standpoint nor as a spread of power. For instance, do you think Arkansas wants to be in a group with Oklahoma, Texas and Texas A&M forever? Meanwhile, LSU is the only historically strong program in their group. Still, it allows for good scheduling opportunities that don't currently exist. You play the three pod teams once, then play two teams from each pod in a home and home. 

So let's look at Alabama using our pod system. They'd play Auburn, Tennessee and Vanderbilt every year. They in Year 1, they could play Florida, at Kentucky from Group A, Mississippi State and at Missouri from Group C, and Oklahoma and at Texas A&M from Group D.  In Year 2, it would be the same schedule, just switching the home and road teams. In Year 3, Alabama could play the three pod teams, then South Carolina, at Georgia, LSU, at Ole Miss, Texas and at Arkansas. Year 4 would alternate those locations.

Then every team in the SEC would get to host Alabama once every four years ... except for their fellow pod schools which hosts them every other season. Then imagine if you're Georgia, and then get to travel to a Texas school twice every four years.