June 4, 2012
The Southeastern Conference Spring Meetings concluded on Friday in Destin, Fla. From the meetings, there were a number of announcements made by Commissioner Mike Slive that impact the Commodores.
Below is a brief rundown of some of the announcements made at the annual meetings.
Record Revenue Distribution
The SEC announced that it will distribute approximately $241.5 million to the 12 league members in the revenue sharing plan for the 2011-12 fiscal year, which ends Aug. 31, 2012.
The distribution is the highest total in league history and is a 9.8 percent increase from the 2010-11 total. The revenue sharing plans include money from football television, bowl games, the SEC Football Championship, basketball television, the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament and NCAA Championships.
The average amount distributed to each school was $20.1 million.
Zeppos Selected as Vice President
Vanderbilt Chancellor Nicholas Zeppos was elected as vice president of the 2012-13 Southeastern Conference Executive Committee. The president is Dr. Jay Gogue of Auburn.
Football Scheduling to Use 6-1-1 Format
The SEC will continue to use the 6-1-1 scheduling format that is currently in place for the 2012 football season. The format includes teams from each division – East and West – playing all six teams in their division, plus one permanent and one rotating opponent from the opposite division.
Vanderbilt’s permanent opponent from the SEC West will remain Ole Miss. Permanent opponents were also announced for the SEC’s two new schools – Missouri and Texas A&M. Missouri will play Arkansas annually and Texas A&M will play South Carolina each year. Arkansas and South Carolina will no longer meet annually.
MBB Goes to 18-Game Schedule
The SEC will have an 18-game conference schedule next season. The league previously had a 16-game schedule, but will add an additional two games with Missouri and Texas A&M joining the league. The schedule will feature home and away games with one permanent rival, four sets of home and away games against opponents that will rotate each year and single games against the remaining eight SEC opponents. Vanderbilt’s permanent opponent will be Tennessee.
WBB Sticks with 16-Game Schedule
The women’s basketball schedule will remain at 16 games, despite the addition of two new programs. Every team will play a 16-game schedule, which includes home and away games against a permanent rival, two home and away series against rotating opponents and single games agains the rest of the league. Vanderbilt’s permanent opponent will remain Tennessee.
SEC Basketball Tournaments Expanded
The men’s and women’s SEC Basketball Tournaments will be one day longer than previous years with the bottom four teams playing each other on Day 1. The top four seeds will also receive double byes to the quarterfinals.
Day 1 – 12 vs. 13; 11 vs. 14
Day 2 – 8 vs. 9; 12/13 winner vs. 5; 7 vs. 10/ 11/14 winner vs. 6
Day 3 – 1 vs. 8/9 winner; 4 vs. 12/13/5 winner; 2 vs. 7/10 winner; 3 vs. 11/14/6 winner
Day 4 – Semifinals
Day 5 – Finals
SEC Supports College FB Playoff Format Consisting of Top Four Teams
Commissioner Mike Slive announced the conference’s support for the nation’s top four teams being involved in a college football playoff format, not just conference champions.
Working Group to Study Concussions
The SEC has created a working group to research and evaluate sports-related concussions as it relates to the SEC. University of Mississippi Chancellor Dr. Dan Jones will chair the group that will examine all sports.
