[AUsouthpaw2013]

I think most fans would prefer the nine game schedule, if only for more good games and fewer cupcake games. I do understand why the conference bigwigs would want to stay at eight though, it all comes back to $$$. Staying at eight conference games means the conference can erase potentially seven losses from its members every year (if you assume one less conference game means one more cupcake). This means more teams can go to bowl games and the conference can get those bowl game payouts, not to mention the prestige of being able to say, "Hey, we sent 11 of our 14 members to a bowl last year."

Personally, I'm all in favor of a nine game conference schedule. We play K-State, San Jose State, Louisiana Tech, and Samford out of conference. Aside from the fact that Pat Sullivan coaches Samford, there is no reason for Auburn to be playing them. If people are worried about the fatigue of playing five or six conference games in a row, then space out the conference games so that you can play your two easy games throughout your schedule instead of right at the beginning or the end. Have everyone play at least one conference game in the first two weeks to avoid stacking them from the end of September to the middle of November.

From a rivalry standpoint, I hate not being able to play Florida or Tennessee regularly. Before the last expansion, you used to see the rotating teams four times every ten years, now it's twice every twelve years. Auburn just played Tennessee, it's going to be forever before we play them again. And after 2014, Florida and Auburn will have seen each other once since 2007. That's criminal for a huge rivalry that was held every year until 2002.