The more things change the more they stay the same. It does show just how much influence LSU has on the political structure of the SEC. Not much at all. http://www.nola.com/lsu/index.ssf/2014/04/sec_sticking_with_eight_game_f.html
Honestly it does suck that Alabama gets a free ride every year but the only year we have a right to complain was 2011. All the other years we should have beat them, then the argument is valid. It's ok for Alleva to bitch because that's his job, but we as fanbase just need to accept the fact that Alabama is going to get preferential treatment in every aspect. They always have, they always will. And hell, maybe Tennessee one day will start challenging them.
I don't see why the SEC can't do the same thing as the PAC 12. USC and UCLA are in the South Divison and Stanford and California are in the North. The California teams play each other as permanent opponents every year while the rest of the conference plays a rotating schedule. Maybe that makes too much sense.
And maybe LSU can join the Big 10 (14) in ice hockey. Get real. There is too much money being a member of the SEC that only an idiot would quit to join another conference. I'll bet Tulane is still regretting the day back in the 60's when they dropped out of the SEC. How much money are they going to get being in the AAF? Peanuts compared to the SEC with the SEC Network starting up this year. They could have been another Vanderbilt: Take your beatings and get a nice check every year.
LSU was valued that high mostly because of being in the SEC, so we know LSU isn't going elsewhere. As to the voting, the real problem isn't Bama, UT, AU or UGA. It is MOO U, UK, ARKANSAS, VU, UM, OM. They love playing perennial weaker teams from the other division. They could have voted to let UA/UT & AUBURN/UGA keep their rivalries and alternate all others but they don't want the big guys from the other division rotating on their schedule more often.
Here's the solution. The creation of the "New and Improved" Southwest Conference. L.S.U., Arkansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma. State and ALL the Texas schools. That would be one hell of a football conference with a potential record TV contract. Saturday afternoon and prime-time Saturday night game every week. As part of the contract, NO L.S.U. HOME games would be moved to afternoon for TV. Some individual/individuals out there with means, influence and vision would be wise to take the initial steps to make this happen.
Well it is at least nice to see that the SEC are not total hypocrites: Under the influence of SEC Commissioner Mike Slive, ESPN networks have given “assurances” to LSU that the Tigers will have more night games in the future, and CBS has promised to limit its number of day-game selections. Alleva told The Advocate on Monday night that he expects all seven home games in 2014 to kick off at night. “When going through the process, there was a lot of the talk was about tradition, and I told him that our tradition at LSU is playing night games,” Alleva said. “If we’re going to be stuck with permanent partners and Mississippi State has cowbells, it’d be nice if we can play night games at Tiger Stadium.”