SEC Unfiltered: Too bad divisions still exist. No divisions would spice up 2022 season
Welcome to SEC Unfiltered, the USA TODAY NETWORK's newsletter on SEC sports. Look for this newsletter in your inbox every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Today, SEC columnist Blake Toppmeyer takes over:
When I first heard about the SEC's idea to eliminate divisions after Oklahoma and Texas join the conference, I had reservations. I like tradition, and the SEC has featured divisions since 1992 after growing to 12 (and later 14) teams. Splitting into divisions allowed the SEC to conduct a conference championship game.
Divisions no longer are required for a conference title game, so the SEC plans to dump the format after growing to 16 teams.
Divisions allowed for the preservation of the most important rivalries. If it ain't broken, don't fix it, I thought.
But maybe it is broken.
While pondering the 2022 season, I realized how much divisions are an anchor on the conference title race. I've since reversed my original thinking about preserving divisions. Now, I think the SEC would be better served if divisions were gone, effective immediately.
Alabama and Georgia are widely expected to roll to division titles and meet once again in the SEC Championship. If it happens, it would mark the third meeting between those teams in Atlanta in a five-year span. And, like last year, both teams could make the College Football Playoff regardless of the SEC Championship outcome.
While I can predict with confidence that Alabama and Georgia will win division titles, I feel little assurance in how to rank SEC teams Nos. 3 through 11.
Arkansas, LSU, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Kentucky each could make a case for being the SEC's third-best team.
Now, imagine if divisions didn't exist.
Georgia's position in the SEC East, along with a downcast outlook for crossover rival Auburn, offers the Bulldogs a cushy path to Atlanta. Just two teams on Georgia's schedule are ranked in the preseason Top 25.
In a no-division league, though, Georgia might draw Alabama and LSU during the regular season or Texas A&M, Arkansas and Ole Miss.
What if Georgia's schedule in a no-division format turned up Alabama and Texas A&M, a pair of top-10 teams? Would you feel as strongly about Georgia's chances to reach Atlanta then? I wouldn't.
Or, if divisions were gone, perhaps Georgia would beat Alabama in a regular-season clash, placing the Tide on precarious footing.
Without divisions, I can envision several combinations of teams that could reach the SEC Championship. Teams like Arkansas, LSU, Texas A&M and Tennessee might be heavily involved in the hunt.
As it stands, the outlook is predictable. Alabama will win the West. Georgia will win the East. They'll meet in Atlanta, and perhaps again in the CFP.
And when divisions are eliminated a few years from now, it will come as a welcome change that adds drama to the conference title race.
Blake Toppmeyer is an SEC Columnist for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer. If you enjoy Blake’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: Too bad SEC football divisions still exist for 2022 season
