SEC Baseball Coaches Wary Of Eliminating Divisions In 2025
Image credit: Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco (Photo by Eddie Kelly / ProLook Photos)
It was around this time two years ago, as the SEC’s plans to accelerate Texas and Oklahoma’s move from the Big 12 were taking shape, that the conference turned to its baseball coaches for input on how to adjust the league’s structure to accommodate its additions.
The question was simple and the responses to it quick and decisive, according to multiple sources: Do coaches want to keep the existent East-West division setup in baseball? Yes, the majority answered, citing competitive balance.
But, despite their clear preference, the SEC ultimately opted for a division-less format. It was a decision that, while unpopular among its baseball coaches, was deemed the best option for the long-term future of the conference after input from athletic directors and other key decision makers.
Asked about the main driving forces behind the move, an SEC source said plainly that football was front of mind.
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“Georgia, for example, had not gone to Texas A&M in the sport of football in like 12 years since (the Aggies) had been in (the SEC),” a conference source said. “That was identified as a weakness in the format. Especially as we’re adding Oklahoma and Texas, we needed to make sure that we’re rotating through (opponents).”
Such rotation, the conference argued, wouldn’t have been possible had it kept its divisional structure.
“In a 16-team format, it’d be you play your eight teams in your division, and you kind of maybe, on occasion, get to cross over with a couple, and then you rotate through those, and there’s some imbalances associated with that,” a source said.
Without divisions, the conference could build schedules such that players and fans have opportunities to “have visited every conference program at least once during a four-year period,” which was “really the impetus for and, again, kind of the primary motivator for that type of a format.”
According to a source who was directly familiar with the league’s decision-making process, there was belief that while the focus was on the gridiron, it would ultimately benefit baseball fans, too, considering the conference is home to several reasonably-iconic stadiums and atmospheres.
“We feel as though we can cycle through schedules much more easily now and divisions became the byproduct that went away as a result of that,” a league source said.
Several SEC coaches still argue that while the move might benefit the conference’s fans, especially in football, it stands to potentially hurt its baseball programs.
The way they see it, the elimination of divisions could muddy what is already widely accepted as the sport’s most competitive collection of colleges. Now, teams that have good or even great seasons, which could once have contended for an SEC East or West title, could be stuck in a more middling position.
One SEC head coach told Baseball America that he fears the perception of finishing 10th in a division-less conference could be damaging to a team’s chances at securing an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, whereas they might have stood a better chance with a fourth- or fifth-place finish in an eight-team pod.
Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco offered a similar sentiment.
“With 16 teams in our league you can have a really good year and be sixth or seventh in our league and be clustered in the middle,” he said Wednesday afternoon during a preseason media availability. “I think it’s great to strive to win a trophy … I think the ADs—and I don’t want to speak for them—they want [a division-less format] for football.”
Added another SEC coach who spoke on the condition of anonymity: “I think most coaches in our league right now would tell you that divisions offer the cleanest format for in-season standings and also to ensure that we (the SEC) earn as much tournament representation as we think we deserve. Our players are up against the toughest schedules in the country every year and that needs to be properly valued. One of the concerns is that it won’t be now that we’re just one big 16-team league.”
While it doesn’t nearly share the same level of worry, the SEC views the aforementioned point as potentially valid. It’s why the conference isn’t resistant to future changes should it deem them necessary.
The league over the next several years is expected to evaluate how a division-less format impacts teams’ postseason candidacy—if at all—and could look to make alterations if it’s deemed a detriment.
The same can be said for the SEC’s new 16-team, single-elimination conference tournament, a model that will debut in 2025.
“The point that was made there was if we get through that for the next few years and find out it’s not working in a way that benefits our teams and players in postseason selection or success, then we’re absolutely going to take a step back and reevaluate,” a source said. “That same principle applies in everything we do at all times. It’s never a closed book.”
As the SEC moves forward with its new division-less format, the league remains optimistic about the future—especially in light of the success its basketball programs have had since expanding to 16 teams with the majority of SEC programs on track for NCAA Tournament berths.
The conference sees a promising model for balancing competition across its athletic programs in baseball, too. And while the transition might be met with some reservations from coaches, there’s a collective sense that this new structure will allow the SEC to evolve in a way that keeps it at the forefront of college athletics.
“Last year we saw 11 of our teams reach the tournament, which was unprecedented,” an SEC source said. “That set a new standard for our league and we believe that eliminating divisions will have little impact on it. I suspect and hope that we’ll at least that many and maybe more this year. We’re looking forward to this season greatly.”
