With SEC schools expected to finally release their 2012 football schedules today, there have been plenty of leaks, rumors and reports across the internet speculating on which teams will face one another next season.

Who are we not to get involved?

Before we start tossing out guesses willy-nilly, let’s look at a few facts:


1.  Several schools have leaked information regarding which of the new teams — Missouri and Texas A&M — they’ll be facing in 2012.

2.  While the SEC has said 2012′s schedule will be a stand-alone set-up and won’t necessarily reflect a new rotation of cross-division foes, it’s likely that the league will try to keep the home-road rotation within divisions intact.  In other words, LSU shouldn’t have to travel to Alabama in two straight regular seasons. 

3.  It is believed that the SEC will try to preserve all of the current permanent cross-divisional rivalries for 2012.  But we were told by one SEC employee last week that “it may be necessary to break up one pair of rivals for 2012 only.”

4.  Moving forward, it’s likely the SEC will attempt to keep the schedule format for each team as follows: 3 home games inside the division, 3 road games inside the division, 1 home game outside the division, and 1 road game outside the division.  (We expect that format to be used as long as the SEC sticks with an eight-game schedule.  We’ve stated — and we still believe — that eventually the league will go to a nine-game schedule.)


Using the information above, we’ve put together a breakdown that we believe will be close to the official schedule. 

This list is done in alphabetical order and does not reflect when teams will meet.  We list the six divisional foes for each squad first, followed by the permanent cross-divisional opponent and then the 2012 rotating cross-divisional foe:


SEC EAST

SEC WEST

** Arkansas and Texas A&M are currently scheduled to play in Arlington, Texas with A&M being designated as the home team in 2012.  However, the payout for the game has dropped over the last two seasons and might not be the draw it once was.  For that reason, there are rumors floating around today that next year’s game will move to College Station from Cowboys Stadium.


The schedule above truly is a set of dominoes.  Knock this one over and dozens of others topple after it.  For that reason, it looks as though Mississippi State will have to travel to Kentucky in back-to-back seasons.  The permanent cross-divisional rivals played in Lexington last season and, for simplicity’s sake, many believe State will be sent back to the Bluegrass State in 2012.  That’s easier than shifting several other games.

But there are a couple of caveats to keep in mind.

First, there are rumors circulating today that suggest the league has switched the venue of this year’s Alabama-Texas A&M game.  Moving the Tide-Aggie game from College Station to Tuscaloosa would probably receive thumbs-up from both schools.  If not for that switch, Bama would be set to face Arkansas, LSU and Texas A&M all on the road in every even year.  And A&M would face Alabama, Arkansas and LSU on the road every odd year.  Here’s guessing Mal Moore and Bill Byrne aren’t thrilled with those prospects.

So, if the A&M-Bama game shifts to Tuscaloosa in 2012, each school will also have to make another switch to maintain a 3-home, 3-road schedule inside its own division.  Both schools’ games with Mississippi State make the most sense.  MSU would travel to A&M — rather than host the Aggies — and they would host Alabama.  The Tide traveled to nearby Starkville last year as well, but such a move would offset the Dogs’ back-to-back visits to Lexington.  Getting Alabama at home in back-to-back years would help at MSU’s turnstiles.  And Bama — as mentioned above — would likely be willing to agree to such a move if it meant breaking up the Arkansas/LSU/A&M trifecta.

One other possible fix would be to break up cross-divisional rivals Kentucky and MSU for 2012.  For the sake of keeping the 3-3-1-1 format, UK could drop its home game with MSU and pick up Auburn instead.  MSU could then replace Auburn on Vanderbilt’s schedule.  (Instead of MSU at UK and AU at VU, we would have AU at UK and MSU at VU.)

As we noted earlier, an SEC official told us that at least one pair of permanent cross-divisional foes might need to be split up for the upcoming season.  (The fact that the comment was tossed into our text message conversation at all stood out to us.)  Kentucky and MSU would certainly make sense as the pair to split for a year, because the two schools have less history together than most other permanent rivals.

Overall, we believe the above lay-out will be close — very close — to the league’s official schedule when it’s released.  And here’s hoping that official release comes sometime later today.

1. SEC 2012 football schedule expected to be released today.

2. Alabama – LSU II is two weeks from tonight. LSU will go 37 days between games – 44 days for Alabama.

3. “There will be a lot more purple and gold and a lot less crimson in the stands than there was the last time.”

4. Meet Alabama first-year offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland.  ”(W)ithout question, he has head coach written all over him.”

5. Auburn is a three-point favorite as game-week practice gets underway.

6. Mississippi State arrives in Nashville today with bowl week practice starting this afternoon.

7. After two years under center, just how good is Florida quarterback John Brantley?

8. Gator offensive lineman Matt Patchan carries on a family tradition – his dad was a lineman at the University of Miami.

9. Doesn’t sound like Ohio State fans have much enthusiasm for traveling to Florida and playing the Gators.

10. Top priority for the Georgia Bulldogs?  Fixing the special teams.

11. Does Derek Dooley need to start selling Tennessee football to the fan base?

12. Both Dooley and former Tennessee AD Mike Hamilton make this writer’s list of Christmas returns.

13. Tennessee has received input from Arkansas on merging separate male and female athletic programs.

14. The future of the Arkansas – Texas A&M neutral site game at Cowboys Stadium could be in jeopardy.

15. Coach James Franklin and intense workouts have Vanderbilt in a bowl game for only the fifth time in school history.

16. Vandy linebacker Chris Marve will finish his college career in front of a hometown crowd.

17. Nebraska alumni have spread their wings in Gamecocks country.

18. UTEP 83 – Auburn 76.  Coach Tony Barbee loses to his former team.

19. Ole Miss looks to rebound at Dayton this week after a disappointing double-digit loss to Middle Tennessee State.

20. John Calipari spent a lot of time this past week checking out high school recruits.

1. The 2011 Sportsman of the Year? Alabama lineman Barrett Jones – says  The Commercial Appeal in Memphis.

2. This Christmas won’t be the same for LSU running back Alfred Blue.  The family’s familiar gathering place – his grandmother’s house – burned to the ground in September.

3. Alabama center William Vlachos is a finalist for the Rimington Award and one tough dude.

4. Nick Saban celebrates Christmas, an anniversary and two kids’ birthdays - all in the month of December.

5. Georgia kicker Blair Walsh is just six points away from setting the SEC career points record.

6. The Bulldogs’ Bruce Figgins counts his blessings this Christmas  - he’s graduated from college and his mom is recovering from breast cancer.

7. Expect Vanderbilt’s slot receivers to have an impact against Cincinnati in the Liberty Bowl.

8. Can former Arkansas State defensive coaches – including a Kiffin - bring the same magic to Ole Miss?

9. Almost $1.5 million in coaching bonuses (all sports)  at Florida this year.

10. Florida’s Sharif Floyd is headed back to defensive tackle.

11. Five seniors who could have a big impact on Tennessee’s 2012 football season.

12. Two top signees in Auburn’s class of 2011 spent the season watching and waiting  - as redshirts.

13. SEC consensus All-Americans: two on offense, seven on defense and one on special teams.

14. Two Vanderbilt basketball players will celebrate Christmas with their coach  - just the way Kevin Stallings wants it.

15. Assuming the rankings hold, this will the first time since the 1993-1994 season that Kentucky and Louisville will meet on the basketball court both ranked in the Top 10.

16. A revamped Rupp Arena would have a different look – both inside and out.

17. Despite shooting just 40% from the floor,  Tennessee’s Trae Golden still leads the team in scoring.

18. Auburn goes for a third-place finish in the Diamondhead Classic tonight.

19. Jon Solomon: “We’ve reached American sports’ Catholic Church moment.”

SEC/NFL Extras

20. Cam Newton breaks Peyton Manning’s rookie passing record.

21. Get ready for a Tebow-Orton showdown.

22. The Detroit Lions are playoff bound and Matthew Stafford is a big reason why.

23. Sorting out the playoff picture.

1. 2012 SEC football schedules start to leak.  Also here. Full schedule “expected” on Monday.

2. Injured when Alabama beat Texas for a national championship, defensive lineman Damion Square knows this time around is his chance to shine.

3. LSU kicker Drew Alleman and Alabama punter Cody Mandell were high school teammates.

4. It will cost about a million dollars to get both the LSU and Alabama marching bands to New Orleans.

5. The tab for Florida’s Gator Bowl expenses will come to right around $1.5 million.

6. Auburn’s Devaunte Siglar “looks like a different guy” after moving to defensive end.

7. Arkansas wide receiver Greg Childs doesn’t think a diminished senior season will dim his NFL prospects.

8. Cincinnati’s dual-threat quarterbacks present a challenge for the Vanderbilt defense.

9. Mark Richt: “I think it would be interesting to rotate some of the BCS (bowl) games…”

10. Georgia 64 – Furman 50.  Game-high 17 points for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope - eighth time he’s lead the team in scoring this year.

11. Long Beach State 64 – Auburn 43.  Tigers drop to 8-2 following a semifinal loss at the Diamondhead Classic in Honolulu.

12. Tennessee 66 – ETSU 63.  Late run gives the Vols their first back-to-back victories since opening the season 2-0.

13. The Vols will add a prized recruit to their roster in January.

14. Mike Strange: “UT wasn’t supposed to win this recruiting battle in Martin’s first year.”

Extras

15. Penn State would love to get Boise State coach Chris Peterson.

16. Penn State fans send hate mail to Bobby Bowden.

17. Sign of the times – college players take to Twitter to announce their departures for the NFL.

18. A Christmas Eve Saturday full of NFL games.

Offensive lineman Alphonse Taylor from Davidson High School in Mobile, Ala., has committed to Alabama.

Multiple media outlets, including TiderInsider.com and BamaOnline.com, have reported the news. Taylor was originally committed to Florida State.

Taylor is the 24th commitment for Alabama’s class of 2012 and the third pledge from an offensive line prospect.

The financial magazine Forbes has put together it’s latest list of college football’s most valuable teams and — not surprisingly — the SEC is well represented.

The magazine used a four-pronged scoring system based on:


1.  The value of a team to its university
2.  The value to its athletic department
3.  The value to its conference
and 4. The value to its surrounding community


Like any list of this type, there’s plenty of room or debate (which is exactly what the good folks at Forbes want in the first place).

This year’s list?  Here goes…


1.  Texas — current value: $129 million
2.  Notre Dame — $112 million
3.  Penn State — $100 million (here’s guessing that’s drop a bit next year)
4.  LSU — $96 million
5.  Michigan — $94 million
6.  Alabama — $93 million
7.  Georgia — $90 million
8.  Arkansas — $89 million
9.  Auburn — $88 million
10.  Oklahoma — $87 million
11.  Florida — $86 million
12.  Tennessee — $82 million
13.  Ohio State — $78 million
14.  Nebraska — $77 million
15.  Wisconsin — $67 million
16.  South Carolina — $64 million
17.  Texas A&M — $63 million
18.  Southern Cal — $62 million
19.  Michigan State — $59 million
20.  Iowa — $48 million


Five of the top nine, seven of the top 12, and nine of the top 17 most “valuable” college football programs call the SEC home.  Impressive.

Here are several headlines before you head into the holiday weekend.

1. Running back Imani Cross has “no hard feelings” toward Tennessee and other notes from Michael Carvell of the AJC.

2. Here’s a full list of the SEC’s early signees from the junior college ranks.

3. Linebacker Kent Turene won’t play at Georgia because of academic shortcomings.

4. Here are five of Georgia’s top recruiting targets for 2012.

5. Auburn coach Gene Chizik says the Tigers are “in a great place” with their 2012 recruiting class.

6. Kentucky coach Joker Phillips updates recruiting for the Wildcats.

7. Here’s a recruiting mailbag from the Gainesville Sun.

8. South Carolina has offered a scholarship to junior running back Marquez Grayson.

9. Are you looking for tons of updates on Arkansas’ recruiting? This should do it.

10. Top quarterback Gunner Kiel is still considering LSU, Vanderbilt and Notre Dame.

1.  A Rob Chubb dunk with 3.9 seconds to play gave Auburn a 65-62 win over Hawaii last night in Honolulu.

2.  Nick Saban told reporters that he was scared of Santa Claus as a boy, but Tide D-lineman Damion Square thinks his coach got it backwards.  “I think Santa Claus was scared of him.”

3.  Through film study, Alabama and LSU know each other quite well.

4.  Rickey Scott awoke from his slump to lead Arkansas past Louisiana Tech 77-63.

5.  The SEC’s scheduling issues are wearing on Arkansas AD Jeff Long.

6.  With a road victory at North Texas last night, LSU has run its win streak to six games.

7.  The Tiger football team weathered off-field drama this year thanks to its “unity council.”

8.  Arnett Moultrie — a transfer from UTEP — registered his seventh double-double of the season as Mississippi State downed Northwestern State 82-67 last night.

9.  That’s 11 wins in a row for the 12-1 Bulldogs.

10.  Ole Miss forward Murphy Holloway is dealing with a high ankle sprain, not a break.

11.  Hugh Freeze will be taking a page out of Ed Orgeron’s recruiting book in Oxford.  (Hopefully that doesn’t mean a 50% wash-out rate.)

12.  Florida routed Florida State 82-64 last night thanks to the Gators’ defense.

13.  It looks like six true sophomores will start for UF in the Gator Bowl.

14.  Former Georgia tailback Jasper Sanks can relate to Isaiah Crowell and he hopes he can bounce back from a rough season off the field.

15.  Mark Fox’s basketball team will be looking or its third win in a row when the Dawgs host Furman tonight.

16.  Freshman Kyle Wiltjer led a slow-to-wake Kentucky team to an 87-63 win over Loyola (MD) yesterday.

17.  This writer believes Michael Kidd-Gilchrist has been UK’s pre-Christmas MVP.

18.  As South Carolina wraps up the pre-Christmas portion of bowl practice, the Cocks got word that safety DJ Swearinger will return for his senior season.

19.  Left tackle Kyle Nunn might be healthy enough to play in the Capital One Bowl… but if he does he won’t be eligible for a medical hardship waiver.

20.  Five-star forward Jarnell Stokes — who committed to Tennessee yesterday — could start playing for the Vols next month if cleared by the NCAA.

21.  Cuonzo Martin wants his current Volunteers to handle ETSU’s “funky” zone tonight.

22.  Meanwhile, a UCLA commit made national news yesterday when he said ex-UT coach Bruce Pearl sent a beautiful “groupie” to recruit him to Knoxville.

23.  A pair of Vandy football players will feel right at home at next week’s Liberty Bowl.

24.  Mike Slive talks expansion, scheduling and plus-one plans for football with Jon Solomon of The Birmingham News.

Tennessee basketball coach Cuonzo Martin landed his first elite recruit on Thursday when Memphis, Tenn., forward Jarnell Stokes committed to the Vols.

Stokes, who’s considered a five-star prospect and the nation’s 11th-best player by Rivals.com, chose Tennessee over Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Kentucky and Memphis.

“I have spent a lot of time in prayer about what to do and I believe that the University of Tennessee is the right place for me,” Stokes said, according to ESPN.com. “I am excited about the future at Tennessee. I am going to work as hard as I can to fit in with my teammates and learn the system as quickly as I can to help the team.”

And Stokes plans to help Tennessee right away. He’s eligible to enroll in college next month and will be available to play for the Vols when the spring semester begins on Jan. 11.

“I’m ready to play,” he told the Memphis Commercial Appeal. “I’m not going to lie. I’m going to be pushing to play.”

How significant is Stokes’ commitment for Tennessee? Mike Griffith of the Knoxville News Sentinel explains.

Memphis was considered at a time to be a favorite to land Stokes, but the Tigers were at a disadvantage because they don’t have an athletic scholarship available this season. Gary Parrish of CBSSports.com wrote this week that NCAA rules would not allow Stokes to play this season as a “recruited walk-on.”

Sad news from the state of Texas as we head into the holidays – senior Texas A&M offensive lineman Joseph Villavisencio was killed in car accident yesterday.  Witnesses say the player swerved to avoid hitting a buzzard in the road ahead of him and his car went directly into the path of an oncoming 18-wheeler.

“The world lost a very special person today,” former Aggie coach Mike Sherman said.  “My heart aches for his mom, dad and sister, all of whom were so dear to him.  His teammates, coaches and fellow students will remember him as someone who would do anything for anybody.  I will always remember his as offering me a smile whenever we talked and would always answer my questions with a simple, ‘yes, coach’ or ‘no, coach.’  He was one of the most respectful and high character players I have ever coached.  It was an honor and privilege to have known him, and to have coached him.  Although his life on this earth was way too short, his impact on the people he me will be everlasting.  I will never forget him.”

Before the accident, Villavisencio had participated with his A&M teammates in presenting gifts that were purchased by the team for youngsters and families at a nearby mission.

From all of us at MrSEC.com, our thoughts and prayers go out to the young man’s family and to the Texas A&M football program.