Drop Florida, drop Bama and save Tennessee football fans the gas | Mike Strange

The SEC is at a watershed moment for football scheduling, and everyone has an opinion on which direction the future should go.

Me, too.

To accommodate the eventual arrival of Texas and Oklahoma, the eight-game, two-division schedule will likely go away. Me, I wish Texas and Oklahoma would go away and leave things as is, but expansion to a bloated 16 teams is a done deal.

My vote goes to the nine-game schedule, including three annual opponents for each school, over the eight-game schedule with one annual opponent.

Preserving traditional rivalries is an oft-cited factor to be considered. This despite the conference continuing to expand into un-traditional, un-Southeastern territory for the sake of the mighty dollar.

I never miss a chance to point out that Tennessee’s traditional rivalry with Alabama is, for the Vols, an annual penalty in the standings. And the same is true with UT’s expansion-era (since 1992) rivalry with Florida.

Dating to 2007, Tennessee’s most recent appearance in the SEC championship game, the Vols are a combined 1-27 against the Tide and Gators. Hail, hail the 2016 win over Florida.

So I’m thinking Tennessee should be looking for a loophole to at least avoid the annual Alabama penalty. Here sits one, and it involves the mighty dollar.

Only it’s not the conference’s TV-revenue dollar I care about. It’s the dollar in your billfold.

As I type these words, the price of gas is $4.59 a gallon. Yikes.

Like traveling to an SEC away game didn’t already cost an arm and part of a leg.

Thus, as a solution for our times, I offer the logical and economical three annual opponents for Tennessee.

Kentucky. Kroger Field is 174 miles from Knoxville, the closest drive to an SEC stadium. A gas-pump no-brainer.

Vanderbilt. Just 184 miles to our west. And centrally located for Big Orange fans around the state. Another no-brainer.

The third choice gets a little tricky.

Georgia’s Sanford Stadium is a mere 147 miles from Knoxville as the crow flies. But you’re not flying a crow to see the Vols play between the hedges.

You’re driving 276 miles if you take the Chattanooga-Atlanta route, which most do. That’s 276 miles at $4.59 a gallon.

The alternative is South Carolina. Williams-Brice Stadium is only 268 miles from Knoxville. And you avoid stop-and-go (mostly stop) Atlanta traffic.

But what about the cherished Third Saturday in October?

It’s 318 miles from Knoxville to Bryant-Denny Stadium. And that Tuscaloosa-to-Birmingham stretch after the game is a gas-burning parking lot.

Don’t even think about Florida making the Gas Gouge cut. It’s 547 miles from Knoxville to The Swamp.

How are these economical options from a competitive standpoint?

Again, I refer to 2007, Tennessee’s last East Division title. The 14 seasons since comprise the era of struggle that currently defines the program.

The Vols are 11-3 against Kentucky. UT’s past two wins have been squeakers, so it’s not as one-sided as the bottom line suggests.

Tennessee is 9-5 against Vandy — thanks to a current three-game win streak to offset a three-game loss streak.

Tennessee and South Carolina are 7-7, games down to the wire more often than not.

The Vols are 3-11 against Georgia, with no wins since the 2016 Hail Mary.

So, Kentucky and Vanderbilt for sure. South Carolina and Georgia are debatable for the third spot. I give the Gamecocks the slight nod to avoid Atlanta.

This is a future Tennessee fans could live with. In the standings and at the pump.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee football SEC schedule Florida Alabama rivalries