It appeared as though the Southeastern Conference had the football schedule figured out with a 6-1-1 format, but after Wednesday’s meeting in Destin, FL, it appears the SEC coaches have some different thoughts. Commissioner Mike Slive called the discussions, “vigorous.”

Slive said the group seems to have devised a format that is most universally agreed upon. However, the formats will need to be discussed further between the SEC’s athletics directors before making a recommendation to the presidents and chancellors of each institution. Slive expects to have a decision on the scheduling format by Friday.

The format that fans have heard about would include an eight-game conference schedule, with six games within Missouri’s division. The Tigers would then have one game against a West division opponent that would rotate yearly, plus a game with their permanent cross-division rival, which at this time appears to be Arkansas.

However, schools like LSU say that’s unfair because that would force them to play a school like Florida in their cross-rivalry game. The Gators, of course, figure to be a perennial conference leader.

Once a decision has been reached, the league’s presidents and chancellors would then vote on the recommended format. As of now the 6-1-1 format is still the best scenario, but Missouri Athletic Director Mike Alden told reporters after the meeting, “I think most people thought the 6-1-1 was the direction things were going in, but after visiting with our head football coaches, I think they said ‘Maybe we ought to step back and think about it.’ ”