Texas A&M and Missouri are two quality programs which will take on a new direction in fall 2012 as they become members of the Southeastern Conference. Both schools will benefit immensely because of the move, but in turn will make other schools suffer.

Before 2012, the Southeastern Conference has brought us some of the best in-conference rivalries in all of college football. Divisional rivalries like Alabama vs. Auburn and Florida vs. Georgia won't be impacted as much by the addition of the new schools.

However, when Texas A&M and Missouri join the SEC in the fall and rescheduling begins to take place, we may lose some of the best inter-divisional rivalry games in the Southeastern Conference.

The SEC athletic directors will meet near the end of the month to discuss future football scheduling. With Texas A&M and Missouri in the mix, two questions stand out. Will the SEC go to a nine-game conference schedule? Will expansion force for the end of the SEC’s annual East vs. West rivalry games?

As of now, there is no definite answer to either of these questions. However, it is unlikely that the conference will expand into a nine-game conference schedule. If it does, we could possibly say goodbye to the interstate rivalries such as Clemson vs. South Carolina, Kentucky vs. Louisville, Florida vs. Florida State and others.

The other question is still up for grabs. What would we do without the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry Game between Auburn and Georgia? This is a rivalry that has been played almost every year since 1898. The only time these schools haven't played each other were in 1917, 1918 and 1943 due to World Wars I and II.

What about "The Third Saturday in October" between Alabama and Tennessee? Other SEC West vs. East locked-in rivalries would be Vanderbilt vs. Ole Miss and Kentucky vs. Mississippi State. I know there are others left out, but that's the point.

If the SEC decides to keep an eight-game conference schedule, how could the conference keep these rivalries intact? Expansion will lead to schools playing six games against division opponents and two against the opposite division. The end result would be to rotate the two games played on the opposite division, which would hurt some of these nice rivalries in the SEC.