SEC scheduling: Balance or tradition?
When it comes to college football, I’m a traditionalist. I think tradition is the bedrock on which the sport has been built. It is the thing that binds one generation of fans to the next. So if you’re going to mess with tradition, we’re going to have a problem.
But yesterday Joe wrote this on the subject of SEC scheduling:
Tony,
Speaking of scheduling, why is the SEC set up so unfairly in cross division games? Instead of playing 1 permanent & 2 rotating teams in SEC East vs. SEC West, why don’t they do the practical thing like rotating all of them & having no permanent match ups? This way everyone would play everyone the same amount of times. Please don’t give me the ol’ “SEC has to keep up its old rivalries.” Who cares? They would still play fairly often plus those teams don’t dominate the conference anymore anyway. It is time to move on & make it a level playing field.
Well, let’s look at Joe’s question and try to determine who would care if the SEC changed its scheduling format.
Currently each SEC team plays an eight-game conference schedule comprised of the five teams in its division, one permanent opponent in the other division, and two teams in the other division that rotate on and off the schedule. The permanent cross-division opponents are:
Alabama: Tennessee
Arkansas: South Carolina
Auburn: Georgia
Florida: LSU
Kentucky: Miss. State
Ole Miss: Vanderbilt
This format ensures that a school will play every conference member four times in a 10-year period. In that same period every school will make at least two visits to every SEC stadium.
What Joe wants to do is eliminate the permanent opponents in the other division and simply rotate that part of the schedule. So a team in the Eastern Division would play three teams in the Western Division home and home for two years. In the next two year cycle it would play the other three teams home and home.
That would certainly balance out the scheduling over a four-year period. But it would also eliminate three great cross-division rivalries that are now being played on an annual basis:
Alabama and Tennessee first played in 1901. Since 1928 the two teams have met every year except for 1943. This rivalry is so great that the late Al Browning wrote a book about it: “The Third Saturday in October.” This was considered the greatest rivalry in the South BEFORE the SEC was founded in 1933.
Georgia and Auburn first played in Atlanta’s Piedmont Park in 1892. Since then Georgia and Auburn have played every year except for 1893, 1897, 1917, 1918, and 1943. It is the oldest continuous rivalry in the South.
Florida and LSU didn’t start playing on an annual basis until 1971 but here lately it has been one of the best games of the year. Florida dominated last season in Gainesville (51-21) but LSU’s 28-24 comeback win in Baton Rouge in 2007 was one of the best atmospheres I’ve ever seen at a college football game. It would be a shame to lose that.
Remember that when the SEC first went to divisional play in 1992 each team had TWO permanent opponents in the other division. Eight years ago the conference adopted the 5-1-2 scheduling format. It met with some resistance because some good annual rivalries like Florida-Auburn fell by the wayside. But Commissioner Roy Kramer was able to get it pushed through because certain games, like Georgia vs. Alabama, were not happening often enough.
But balance has to be weighed against tradition, which is why the SEC did not adopt a model like the Big 12, which completely rotates opponents from the other division. That decision meant that Oklahoma (South Division) and Nebraska (North Division) would not play every season and, in retrospect, I think that was a mistake by the Big 12.
The ACC knew this when it put Miami and Florida State in separate divisions when it went to divisional play in 2005. Those teams must play every year because of the tradition and appeal to television. That’s why the ACC adopted the SEC format.
I’ve often said that what really defines a tough SEC schedule are the teams you have to play in the other division. There is no question that Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Florida, LSU, and Tennessee have tougher schedules year in and year out because they have a permanent non-division opponent that ranks among the league’s top six traditional powers.
For what it’s worth, here are non-division schedules for each team in 2009:
Alabama: Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee.
Arkansas: Georgia, Florida, South Carolina.
Auburn: Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia.
Florida: LSU, Arkansas, Mississippi State.
Georgia: Arkansas, LSU, Auburn.
Kentucky: Alabama, Auburn, Mississippi State.
LSU: Vanderbilt, Georgia, Florida.
Ole Miss: South Carolina, Vanderbilt, Tennessee.
Miss. State: Vanderbilt, Florida, Kentucky.
South Carolina: Ole Miss, Alabama, Arkansas.
Tennessee: Auburn, Alabama, Ole Miss.
Vanderbilt: LSU, Miss. State, Ole Miss.
So if you’re an SEC fan, what do you think? Would you give up those traditional rivalries on an annual basis to balance out the schedule? Or are these games so good for fans and television that you can live with what may sometimes be an unbalanced schedule?
The floor is yours.
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179 comments Add your comment
Lewis Grizzard
May 7th, 2009
8:35 am
Florida vs. LSU, kinda like two mules wrestling over a turnip, WHO CARES?
Dorsey Hill
May 7th, 2009
8:40 am
Joe is an idiot. I liked the 2 permanent with one rotator format even better. We lost uf v. Auburn, and UGA v ole miss when they went to the new format.
Mikey
May 7th, 2009
8:41 am
Leave the schedule as is.
The border wars are awesome.
Saint Nick
May 7th, 2009
8:41 am
It should stay the way it is!!! Why change it when the SEC has 3 of the last 4 NC…. For ANY fan that says the SEC has weak OOC schedules, think about this. Every school boosts there OOC schedule by playing 1 SEC team. SEC teams play 8 SEC teams. Bama/UT AU/UGA FL/LSU should be played every year, those are the 3 outside of every Bama game that are must see for me. If it’s not broke DON’T FIX IT!!!!
GeoffDawg
May 7th, 2009
8:48 am
I think Joe’s clearly in the minority on this one. Even if you took away the obvious such as the money and tv exposure that naturally follows these matchups, the fans of the respective schools are going to scream if you tinker with their valued rivalries. As a Georgia fan, playing Auburn every year towards the end of the season is as much a part of my annual routine as Thanksgiving or Halloween. Besides, if you truly wanted balance over tradition, you would have to support rotating divisional alignments as well. Throughout the 90’s when Florida and Tennessee were clearly the top two teams in the conference, we still would’ve had a much tougher conference lineup than anybody out west regardless if we were scheduled to play Auburn or Miss St.
The point is that it’s never going to be completely balanced unless you know for a certainty how good some school’s going to be year in and year out. After 2007, who would’ve known how good Alabama and Ole Miss were going to be? That’s part of the fun and what makes the debate about college football so lively and addictive.
Mark
May 7th, 2009
8:51 am
There is no question that the traditional games must be kept in place. College football and SEC football in particular is about tradition. If you prefer your game on Saturday you know this. If you prefer your game on Sunday you might think differently. However, those of us that can recall the exact spot where we watched Tony Flack fly up and horse collar Bo behind the line; or CMB heave one to the goal line with one second left; or Micheal Johnson give the defender a slight shove and go up and break the drought; would be lost without the Dawgs and Tigers each November. You might as well move Christmas to a every four year schedule.
Dink
May 7th, 2009
8:52 am
I agree Tony, the traditions are what makes college football so special. Not a Tech or AU fan but that was also a great rivalry game that I wish would continue, even though it’s a non-conference game.
Saint Nick
May 7th, 2009
9:06 am
GeoffDawg,
I agree with FLA in the 90’s But Bama won just as many NC as UT and Fla. UT only had 2 SECC and played in two SECCG , Bama played in FIVE SECCG and won TWO SECC!!!! Clearly UT was much better!!!!
Call 'em like I see 'em
May 7th, 2009
9:10 am
Saint Nick, you’re smoking something on the OOC thing. The *PAC 10* boosts their schedules by playing an extra conference game. Everyone else plays 8. Teams should have either 1 marquee matchup (LSU-Va Tech for example) or at least 2 BCS quality teams (Oregon St, TCU). No more “3 Sun Belts and a 1-AA, please”.
Bill
May 7th, 2009
9:10 am
It is why the SEC is so powerful. The rivalries keep the pressure on the conference to be the best. I love to hate UT and it would just become another game if we rotated. My UT friends would agree with me whole heartedly.
Roll Tide
KY Tiger
May 7th, 2009
9:12 am
I think they should add a 9th conference game as opposed to each team playing 1 or 2 1-AA schools each year etc. Some of these OOC schedules are a joke. The added 9th game would improve exposure via TV etc. more so than some of these weak games.
Otto
May 7th, 2009
9:13 am
I agree with Dorsey bring the back 2 team format.
GeoffDawg I would argue the Auburn game is more important than Halloween.
Dean
May 7th, 2009
9:16 am
Saint Nick,
UT was out of luck because Florida was in the same conference. It was much more difficult to win the East than the West. Not taking away anything from the 91 Bama team (one of the greatest) or the 99 team but overall I think any nonbiased SEC fan would say UF and UT were the two consistently strongest SEC members throughout the 90’s. I hate them both but what real is real.
Stanger
May 7th, 2009
9:20 am
Tradition? Ole Tony is all abot tradition today. But what about the comments of wanting a playoff? I like the tradition of NO PLAYOFF. Just like Jim Mora Sr. said. Playoff(s)? Playoff(s)? You talking about playoff(s)?
SoCal Dawg
May 7th, 2009
9:20 am
Thanks Tony. Excellent analysis.
One thing I have learned in life is that if you try to please everybody, you usually don’t please anybody. The current system is about as good (and fair) as it gets. Tradition is a wonderful thing as long as it makes sense…and most of these continue to do so.
I respect Joe’s motive for leveling the playing field but Tradition is something that needs to be preserved…because that is what made the SEC what it has become.
bigdawg01
May 7th, 2009
9:27 am
Leave it alone. How many of you love to see the great double headers on Saturday? UGA/AU, AL/TN, LSU/FL in addition to divisional rivalries. Those are the games that MAKE this conference what it is and turn those slighty cool afternoons and evenings into calendar marking holidays. I get excited just thinking about it.
How would you feel if you did not have it? You would miss it. Think of all the other conferences that dont come close to our traditions in the south and the SEC.
GeoffDawg
May 7th, 2009
9:29 am
Agree with you Dean – Bama had some good teams in the 90’s but after Stallings left, they just didn’t play at the same level. UT was much more consistent with fielding quality teams every year. The fact that they were able to go to the SECCG five times but only won two demonstrates the fact that East in the 90’s was better top to bottom. Beyond that, I’d have to look it up to verify, but I don’t think any of the other teams from the west were able to win the SEC during that time period either.
Preston
May 7th, 2009
9:31 am
Could you imagine a season without playing Auburn? Leave it alone. Alabama and Tennessee has become a big rivalry over the years too. I’d hate to see that come to an end as well.
GeoffDawg
May 7th, 2009
9:36 am
You’ve got a point Otto. Growing up and through college, I usually associated certain holidays and time periods with the football schedule. I always remember that Florida is around Halloween, tech is around Thanksgiving, and Auburn is usually around when the weather starts to turn cold.
MtnBama
May 7th, 2009
9:36 am
Why not eliminate the Division model altogether and everyone play a full SEC schedule and simply declare the winner to be the NC ?
m
May 7th, 2009
9:44 am
The Acc was stupid when it set up the Coastal and Atlantic divisions. If was based on the bullshiite idea that FSU and Miami were going to win their divisions every year. A total croc.
You can’t find anyone other than hard core ACC fans that can even tell you who is in which division.
It should have been set up as North and South. That way Miami, Fsu, Ga. Tech, Clemson, North Carolin, and Duke would have been in the South and Maryland, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Boston College, Wake Forest and NC State would have been in the North.
That would make divisions that anyone would understand. The decision to make the divisions based on who the league (wrongly) perceived as the strong teams at the time was a dumbarse decision.
No one can make sense out of the divisions as they are now. They need to be changed to a more geographic alignment and not based on the idiocy of FSU and Miami winning it every year (total bullshiite).
The ACC is very strong top to bottom. They have not had the one good team like the sec has in floriduh, but it is much stronger and more competive top to bottom than the sec was last year. The bottom 6 in the sec were truly pathetic last year…whereas the last place team in the ACC (dook) beat an sec bowl team (Vandy). And overall the ACC and sec went 6-6. The ACC was the first conference in history to put 10 teams in bowl games.
Preston
May 7th, 2009
9:45 am
In regards to the SEC teams’ OOC schedules, please laugh at fans of other conferences when they say that SEC teams play weak teams OOC. They wouldn’t know what it’s like to play 7 SEC teams a year. Pac 10, Big 10, and even Big 12 fans need to think before they speak.
Preston
May 7th, 2009
9:46 am
MtbBama, I already do!
Valdosta Tiger
May 7th, 2009
9:47 am
Leave it alone – don’t mess a good thing up!!!
Preston
May 7th, 2009
9:48 am
m, your alignment scenario made sense. But it’s the ACC…who cares?
Otto
May 7th, 2009
9:50 am
Geoff I was thinking the same thing. People asked me what did I go to any parties and did what did dress up as for Halloween? My usual response was Yes and a Georgia fan. You get a strange look, then I would tell them as I was in Jax or watching the game somewhere else.
Bama/UT, UGA/Auburn, and LSU/UF are always must see TV as well as UF/Auburn when they play.
Otto
May 7th, 2009
9:53 am
m It is the ACC everyone is just above average and you don’t take the beating of the SEC. When everyone was healed up and close to equal teams played in the bowls the ACC did not staand a chance.
JB
May 7th, 2009
10:01 am
We really need to ask Obama if the current system is fair. There are a lot of disenfranchised football fans out there ( like ACC watching all games at Saturday noon). Are all the SEC getting their fair share of a rivalry. How about people who can’t afford tickets…or never had the ” privilege ” of going to college and becoming a fan. Lot’s of questions here today…..Do we need to tax this privilege ? What about high School drop outs who have to work at fast food places on Saturday and can’t watch the games ? Are we taking advantage of African Americans while cheering them on to play and only giving them a college education for it while the University makes millions. Change is coming.
Snooze
May 7th, 2009
10:01 am
Did m mention the ACC? Snooze. Time to go back to sleep.
Gatorzone
May 7th, 2009
10:01 am
Lewis, I know UF vs. LSU is boring to you but since 4 of the last 9 national championships have been won by them some people may find it interesting.
m
May 7th, 2009
10:05 am
the sec is a bullshiite overhyped conference. The sec does have one or two decent teams…but the rest of the conference sucks.
The mighty sec went 6-6 with the lowly acc….that should put your bullshiite hype to rest.
The mighty sec west champions alabammer got their arses handed to them by a little ole mountain west team utah….that should put you bullshiite hype to rest.
The reason the sec plays such a weak non conference schedule is because every time they play someone decent out of conference they get their arses handed to them. Like last year…..a pitiful ucla team beats might tenn-uh-C and then gets stomped by BYU 59-0 the next week. Also pifitul wyoming comes into knoxville and beats the crap out of tenn-uh-c. floriduh gets there arses handed to them by ole miss….a team that had lost to wake forest the week before. Ugag the #1 team in the history of the world last year gets their arses handed to them by a lowly ga tech team running a high school offense…and on and on.
The sec is the most bullshiite overhyped conference in history.
moultrieboy
May 7th, 2009
10:06 am
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Bruce
May 7th, 2009
10:08 am
The only change that needs to be madae is in UGAs schedule. They need to play Tech on the third Saturday of September and get it out of the way. Like it is now, it’s a distraction before playing for the SEC Crown, or a disappointing consolation game. I think Dawgs would be better served playing the conference schedule from start to finish.
GeoffDawg
May 7th, 2009
10:09 am
m – do you ever read back through your posts and think “that’s it! that’s why I’m still a virgin!”
Tide rising
May 7th, 2009
10:12 am
m,
What was the ACC bowl record 4-5? Even though my boys got Utah’d what was the sec bowl record 6-2? And the sec was 7-2 last year and has won 4 of the last 9 bcs titles. Overhyped? Not according the facts.
JB
May 7th, 2009
10:13 am
m, you are very alone with that argument…..don’t see many prime time national TV shown games at 3:30 on CBS. It’s 90% SEC……look at TV ratings of ACC vs SEC. You will be enlightened. Bottom line, The NATION doesn’t watch Duke vs Wake, They watch Bama/LSU, Ga/ FLA. , TENN/ FLA etc.
ACC is a yawner.
rocksteadyfreddie
May 7th, 2009
10:18 am
I want the 5-2-1 back. UF Auburn was a great game. I’d rather have Auburn every year than Arky or the Ms schools.
Tide rising
May 7th, 2009
10:18 am
I can’t imagine an Auburn or dawg fan willing to give up the south’s oldest rivalry and likewise I don’t know one Bama or UT fan that would want to give up the Bama-UT series. Even if you are not a fan of any of these 4 teams these are historically close, competitive series. I think the Auburn-UGA series is so tight that Auburn leads something like 45-43 although I’m not really sure. I just know its close. Same thing with Bama-UT. We lead a very close series something like 46-38.
Kid Ray
May 7th, 2009
10:22 am
SEC fans wake up! Take it from a college football fan who lives in the Northeast. KEEP YOUR TRADITION. PERIOD!
thats what makes the sec the SEC.
JB
May 7th, 2009
10:26 am
Oh come on kid ray, There’s nothing like walking up to the Duke/ Wake game ticket window 20 minutes before kick off, buying a ticket ( $12.00) and try to order some eggs inside ( it is 11:00 Am you know) and scream you head off with the other 28,000 football fans….
GeoffDawg
May 7th, 2009
10:32 am
There was a time recently when the Georgia – Auburn rivalry was so close that I believe Auburn was one game up in the won/loss column but Georgia was up by something like 5 in the all time total points scored. That my friends, is an extremely competitive series.
Bub
May 7th, 2009
10:32 am
Tony, does your e-mail address (tbarnhart@ajc.com) not work anymore? Do you have a new one? Thanks.
UT96
May 7th, 2009
10:33 am
The only fair thing to do is for every SEC team to play every other SEC team. Keep the divisions and the conference championship game. Conference games are much better than playing out of conference opponents, IMO.
Bamafan
May 7th, 2009
10:35 am
Playing and beating UcheaT is like winning the lottery to me!! Don’t mess with the schedule!!
GO BAMA ROLL TIDE!!
Tide rising
May 7th, 2009
10:36 am
The other great thing about the current format as Tony mentioned is more marquee interdivisional matchups between the big 6 in the 2 divisions. For example from a Bama perspective playing UGA or Florida only 2 out of every 10 years is way too few times. 4 out of 10 is much better. These are games the fans want to see and I’m certain the dawg fans would agree and would much rather play us and LSU 4 out of 10 years as opposed to only twice a decade. Florida and Auburn may have lost their annual series but at least they still get to play 4 out of 10 years.
Saint Nick
May 7th, 2009
10:36 am
Your arguement about Tenn being better than Bama in the 90’s is ridiqulous. 4-5-1. That is not dominating anyone.
Tide rising
May 7th, 2009
10:38 am
JB,
Aren’t you being a little generous when you state that 28,000 fans would show up for a Duke-Wake game? I
Smile when you say that
May 7th, 2009
10:40 am
Preston, give it a rest with the “7 SEC teams” garbage (PS, you play 8 conference games). Every conference is tough. Granted, teams that get 4-5 of the big 6 have a rough year, but La-Monroe, Kentucky and Vanderbilt IN MOST YEARS is not a tougher slate than Eastern Michigan, Kansas St, and Nebraska as an example, or Fresno St, Cal and Arizona. Congrats to Georgia for pulling a top notch OOC this year. Don’t make it a one time deal.
Georgia Gator
May 7th, 2009
10:43 am
Hey Lewis Grizzard:
The UF/LSU game may well decide the SEC champion this year.
Sorry you will miss it.
Miles
May 7th, 2009
10:49 am
Mr. Barnhart, you broke with tradition when you criticized your fellow Republicans, Orrin Hatch and Joe Barton. As for the SEC schedule, it’s fine as it is.
Saint Nick
May 7th, 2009
10:51 am
Tide Rising,
Does Duke’s stadium hold more than Cameron Indoor????LOL
Ross
May 7th, 2009
10:51 am
Tony I am NOT an SEC fan but this is good stuff!
Otto
May 7th, 2009
10:54 am
Tide:
UGA/Aubun 51-53-8 Auburn leads. Points Scored 1747 to 1698 UGA leads
Bama vs UT 46-38-7 Bama leads. Points scored 1523 to 1267 Bama leads
UF/LSU 29-23-3 UF leads. Points scored 1082 to 906 UF leads
m, Call us when the ACC gets a BCS at large invite.
Lewis Grizzard, Lewis was a diehard UGA fan and as such, I have no doubt he would watch that game with great interest pulling for LSU if for no other reason that any UGA fan likes to see UF loose in conf play and a UF loss helps UGA in the SEC standings.
Gator Growl
May 7th, 2009
10:54 am
Tradition is the very foundation of college football! Keep the traditions!
Urban Warfare
May 7th, 2009
10:59 am
Hey m(oron)…did you say something??
AltamahaDawg
May 7th, 2009
10:59 am
Not that it matters, but the problem is more of logistics than tradition. The format described of playing three for 2 years, then the other three could end up LESS balanced than now. I mean who gets to play AU, AL, LSU for 2 years, then MSU, OL’MIss, ARK for 2 years? Or TN, GA, FL the other way. I assume they would try to control that, but there are only so many combinations. Somebody is going to feel the full brunt of really bad combo every few years. As it stand now, the permanants seem to be pretty failry matched top to bottom to “cushion” the rotation.
At the very least the rotation would be less subtle. A 2 yr cycle for a 3 team staggered rotation just doesn’t work, at least not that I can draw out on my napkin. You would have wholesale changes to the inter-divisional schedule every 2 yrs. or swap 2 one year one the next. Just not an orderly matrix any way you look at it.
The one permanant team allows the staggared rotation to work more smoothly.
Tide rising
May 7th, 2009
11:01 am
Saint Nick,
Either JB was just being nice to the ACC fans or perhaps he was thinking about basketball. JB is a good guy so I’ll just assume he was nice to suggest that 28,000 would show up to Duke-Wake.
Otton, Thanks for the stats. I knew the Auburn-UGA series was especially tight and I do remember several years ago when they played something like the 100th game that the 2 teams were within 5 pts of each other or something like that, which is amazing after 100 games. Who would want to lose a series like that?
joe
May 7th, 2009
11:05 am
Thanks Tony for taking time to look at this issue a little deeper from my opinions yesterday.
I appreciate your respectful comments as well as the comments from the readers except whoever that “Dorsey Hill” Tool is for calling me an idiot. Anonymity allows Napoleons like him to feel better about themselves.
Looking forward to the 2009 season.
Bobby Fenton
May 7th, 2009
11:06 am
What they really ought to do is simply play a 9-game conference shcedule. You maintain all traditions, get to renew other ones (like Florida-Auburn being annual again), and the best part of the whole thing is that college football fans would get more bang for their buck.
When your team only plays a home game on 7 days out of the whole year, it is a shame when three of those games are Troy, Appalachian State, Charleston Southern, and the like.
SEC games are more fun, more exciting, more passion inducing, and more competitive.
I understand there will be a counter argument about making it even harder for SEC teams to come out of the conference with national title worthy records. It’s a valid point.
murfdawg
May 7th, 2009
11:13 am
This is the 21st century and all anybody cares about is the MNC. In order for UGA to get to the MNC, they need to drop fl and AU from the schedule every year.Go to a rotating schedule, fill in with Chas Southern,Troy and FAU. Score a lot of points and impress the voters and get voted into the top two and play Ohio State for the MNC. That is the way you can do it and if all you care about is the BCS MNC, then you will be happy.
Southern football is special. Just read TB’s book and you can get an idea. I have experienced the grandeur of SEC football for over 40 years and I like the tradition. I cannot imagine UGA not playing fl, AU and GT at the end of the season every year. Yes it has cost us some wins and possibly a couple of championships. But when we have a championship team, we can beat all three and that is the true mark of a champion. And that is the tradition I would like to see continue.
If we were to lose to fl and AU but won the MNC, who would be happy?
Saint Nick
May 7th, 2009
11:15 am
Techies like M come on here just about everyday talking about they beat 3 SEC teams last year. TRY PLAYING 8 EVERY YEAR ACC LOSERS!!!!!
Otto
May 7th, 2009
11:17 am
AltamahaDawg good points. I agree and as Tide pointed out the pairings are very even, long standing rivals.
Tide, I agree and the 3rd weekend in Oct is a classic. Wade or Thomas vs Neyland, Fulmer being accused of putting Bama under probation. The Bama vs UT game is as historic as any in CFB with 2 historic powerhouses. 3 current SEC teams have played in the Rose UGA, UT, and Bama. It is only a matter of time until this game is back on stage at the national level like UF/LSU.
Kris
May 7th, 2009
11:19 am
Fairness should be the #1 priority when scheduling.
LSU plays both UGA and Florida from the East this year.
Alabama and Ole Miss play NEITHER UGA or Florida from the East this year.
LSU is starting out at a huge disadvantage in the SEC West race, and that is a travesty.
If the two teams are good enough for a traditional rivalry to be historically relevant, then they will meet in the SEC Championship Game.
Morning Newspaper for May 7th, 2009 | MrSEC.com
May 7th, 2009
11:21 am
[...] answers about SEC football schedule [...]
RAMBLE ON!!!
May 7th, 2009
11:22 am
JB, CBS has an exclusive with the SEC Football. This could explain a 3:30pm game every Sat., and that would be 100% not 90%.
You maybe nice, just not very smart.
Saint Nick
May 7th, 2009
11:34 am
CBS had games with SEC VS ACC last year, Wasn’t Tech and UGA on Cbs. That would be less than 100%
Saint Nick
May 7th, 2009
11:38 am
Kris,
It would be impossible to predict when teams from each division will be good, great, terrible etc. That is why the SEC set up this format. Play 11 SEC games and 1 cupcake. That would leave more money in the conference.
Otto
May 7th, 2009
11:40 am
Kris, LSU played UGA in Saban’s 1st MNC and Miles lost to the East team on rotation Kentucky during his MC season. The schedule will work out as nobody in the SEC is easy just ask BC after Vandy and there is no way 6 teams can meet in 1 conf title game. CFB and sports in general is tradition. Can you see MLB without the Red Sox vs. the Yankees?
will
May 7th, 2009
11:41 am
What if we added an extra conference date and went to a 5-2-2 format? We could bring back some of those old rivalries AND the irregular inter-division opponents would see one another more often. What’s the downside there?
Gatorzone
May 7th, 2009
11:42 am
Is that the real Bobby Fenton?
Aubies love Corndogs
May 7th, 2009
11:45 am
From a ‘tradition’ perspective, Tony is right. But from a ‘fair’ perspective, Joe is right.
How can you compare the schedules of the two teams expected to battle for the SEC West: Ole Miss and LSU. Hmmm…. Would you rather play South Carolina and Tennessee or Georgia and Florida? Nobody in the SEC is a gimme, but I think I’d rather take my chances against SC and UT…
Gatorzone
May 7th, 2009
11:51 am
Scheduling has NEVER been fair and it never will be. There is no way to make it fair. The bottom line is that if you take care of your games, you should be in line for an SEC and possibly National Championship. If not, then do not complain.
LSUONE
May 7th, 2009
11:56 am
My problem with SEC scheduling is this. I think that the western and eastern division champs should be decided on games within the division.
If LSU beats all the teams in the west then they should be the division champs. What they do against the eastern division should only be used in a tiebreaker situation.
Saint Nick
May 7th, 2009
12:03 pm
Gatorzone,
Usually the fans who complain are fans of the teams who have a terible season. UF had one of the toughest schedules I have ever seen when they one the first NC under Meyer. I know they played Bama and LSU, I don’t remember the third.
Kris
May 7th, 2009
12:03 pm
Agree that you can’t predict when a team will be good and when it won’t. But let’s be honest. Florida and UGA are going to be more difficult opponents than Vandy and Kentucky 99% of the time. That’s just the way it is and probably always will be.
Why not keep the rivalries and determine the East and West champion based on a team’s division record only?
Dean
May 7th, 2009
12:03 pm
I agree with you Gatorzone but you have to also realize that it cuts both ways when you start looking out of the conference and analyzing who goes to the NC. Do you think a one loss USC team deserves it any less than a 1 loss Gator team? When it comes down to it I typically say to myself, “who has proven more with their schedule”. Is it fair that a team that played nobody has a shot at blocking a team like Florida had proven by winning big games?
DawgGirl32
May 7th, 2009
12:06 pm
m – do you ever read back through your posts and think “that’s it! that’s why I’m still a virgin!”
GeoffDawg, that gets the award for best comment of the day.
Jack
May 7th, 2009
12:11 pm
The biggest problem with the current scheduling structure is not the equitability. The biggest problem is that not one kid who signs a scholarship offer to play football in the SEC has the opportunity to play on the road at every SEC stadium (barring a rate 6th year of eligibility). I think that is a crime. I think that is poor form for any traditionalist.
Tony, your description of “Two visits in a 10 year period” is lipstick on a pig. If you are a traditionalist and a purist, how can you tell a kid that he will not play in every SEC stadium? “Hey kid, too bad you didn’t sign with Florida next year, we would have had a chance to play in Bryant-Denny”.
Stadiums that will be missed by a kid signing this past February (if they redshirt, they will miss a different stadium):
Alabama – will not play at UGA
Arkansas – will not play at Kentucky
Auburn – will not play at Vandy
LSU – will not play at S. Carolina
Ole Miss – will not play at Florida
Miss State – will not play at Tenn
Florida – will not play at Arkansas
Georgia – will not play at LSU
Kentucky – will not play at Bama
S. Carolina – will not play at Ole Miss
Tennessee – will not play at Auburn
Vanderbilt – will not play at Miss State
So, lets assume you are a Bama fan, but you absolutely love SEC Football. You die for games at Bryant Denny, but you love to see the best players come through and play Bama – the All SEC players, the All Americans. Well, sorry, but if the wrong school has a great player who happens to graduate from high school in a given year, you are not going to see them.
Now that is an insult to tradition and purity Tony!
Otto
May 7th, 2009
12:15 pm
Does a USC 1 loss team deserve it less than a 1 loss UF team? Without a doubt Yes same goes for the Big 10 or ACC champ. IMO the Big 12 is the only conf. that is close to the SEC.
The SEC standing should go off of their season long conf. record. It encourages every team to play every game and a conf. champ should be the team best positioned to win a BCS title. If you win your games chances are you have better chances of winning the BCS title game.
AltamahaDawg
May 7th, 2009
12:18 pm
Bobby are you saying play a 9 game total rotation? Where there are some years that UGA and UF do not play? And eliminate the SECCG?
Or leave the Divisions alone and just add an extra inter-division game to the schedule?
AltamahaDawg
May 7th, 2009
12:19 pm
Jack, your solution would be?
Otto
May 7th, 2009
12:24 pm
Jack, UGA plays Bama more often under the current system than ever before. The current system is best of all compromises between tradition which creates TV audience and money vs fairness. The SEC has had the greatest success generating money and MNC.
The ACC did a bad job creating division. The Big 12 did not keep rivalaries, OU not playing Nebraska… Tx. not playing Ark…. The Big 12 should have tried to keep Ark. The Big 12 lost some great games and alot of money. The SEC has the biggest TV contracts and the highest paying nonBCS bowl.
The schedule will never be fair and I argue that Kentucky and SC can be tougher than UF and UGA if the scheduling does not allow by weeks to recover. LSU vs Kentucky during Miles MNC is an example.
Jack
May 7th, 2009
12:30 pm
Big 12 rotation I guess. I don’t think it is realistic to play 11 conference games. I know it sucks to lose the traditional rivalries, but with the equity thing and what I described, I would like to see it change. I could see going to some sort of a 9 game rotation, hadn’t given that very much thought.
Dean
May 7th, 2009
12:31 pm
What does ‘m’ say about UGA football players scoring 19 points higher on the academic scale than GT players. There goes that, “We are so much smarter and have a high commitment to academics” argument.
alsim
May 7th, 2009
12:32 pm
I am not sure what “Joe” is complaining about. These match-ups look pretty balanced to me:
Untouchable, great traditions: Alabama-Tennessee and Auburn-Georgia
Newbies: Arkansas-South Carolina are newest members of the conference so it makes sense to pair them off, especially when their biggest rivals are in other conferences (Texas, Clemson).
The rest of these teams play at pretty much the same level since the format was instituted (sorry, but it’s true).
Florida and LSU have won the last three National Championships. Is that not balance?
If you want to change anything, swap up Kentucky-Miss. State and Ole Miss-Vanderbilt.
.
staff fan now
May 7th, 2009
12:41 pm
To sAint nick…the duke football sta (site of the rose bowl in WWII) can hold more than cam…but usually does not!
You can ask dog fans about the importance of quantity of fans….Tech beat dogs in Athens on dooley day….all of those fans went home wimping!
Otto
May 7th, 2009
12:41 pm
Jack, the system may not be fair but when you play the best it prepares you for the best. SEC has 3 of the last 4 BCS titles, the only 2 time BCS title winners with 2 of them, and the only conf to be undefeated in the BCS title game. THe Big 12 is the only conf with more than 1 BCS title. If it is producing more money and more championship IMO nothing needs to be fixed. Also 8 out of 12 teams have made it to the SECCG. Ole Miss may make it 9 out of 12 soon.
m
May 7th, 2009
12:43 pm
The academic scale is bullshiite. Another media bias towards the SEC. You guys are even overhyped in academics. The true geniuses play in the ACC….such as Reggie ‘123..what comes next?’ Ball and Stephon “GTU’ Marbury!
AltamahaDawg
May 7th, 2009
12:44 pm
Either you rotate, in which case there is always going to be some luck of the draw, and it is unavoidable that a player is not going to visit every campus in 4 yrs. 9 games doesnt fix that, and the 3 and 3 model doesn’t either. Or you play an 11 game SEC regular season, no CG, best record wins (going to tie breakers quite often).
uga_b
May 7th, 2009
12:47 pm
This is easy kick out the ACC and SWC teams Arkansas and So. Car. Then move to a 9-game in conference schedule. LSU would pick up arkansas as one of their OOC games. Dont know if we would miss So. Car as much as UGA misses Clemson.
Kevin Cone
May 7th, 2009
12:49 pm
Joe must not be from around here.
AltamahaDawg
May 7th, 2009
12:51 pm
I remember a couple of quarters back in the day when I too was convinced that the whole “academic scale” was very bias and didn’t fully appreciate my efforts to enjoy the college experience.
bank walker
May 7th, 2009
12:56 pm
Please let it be…
Otto
May 7th, 2009
12:59 pm
The 9 game schedule is not working as well for the PAC10 as the current format is working for the SEC.
Drew-G-A
May 7th, 2009
1:15 pm
Whoever Joe is, he’s an idiot, and obviously one of those new college football fans that just got in to he sport and thinks it should be more “fair” like college basketball. It’s blasphemy to even think of Georgia not playing Auburn every year. Oldest Rivalry in the South, not just the deep south. look it up UGA/AU predates that other rivalry claiming to be the oldest by some months.
Otto
May 7th, 2009
1:19 pm
The Big 12 keep the tie breaker rules the same good news. Tony if this is Firday’s article please explain why Texas Tech should be excluded from the debate. Yes they were one play away from loosing to Tx. However OU could have kept Tx to one score if Stoops had not gone for it on 4th down.
Saint Nick
May 7th, 2009
1:29 pm
M,
What the hell are you slapping your gums together about?? M you make NO sense usually, but now you sound like a 3 yr old girl, whining and screaming to get some attention!!!!
Cuz
May 7th, 2009
1:36 pm
Georgia not playing Auburn. Heaven forbid. That would be like American Idol without Simon, The Apprentice without Donald Trump, a blog devoted to UGA sports without the idiotic, juvenile comments of m. Spare me this travesty.
Preston
May 7th, 2009
1:51 pm
Smile, I definitely meant to hit the “8″ but thanks for noticing. All SEC teams have plenty of IC games to justify claiming as tough a schedule as anyone regardless of the OOC schedule. UGA is making a huge effort to schedule better teams from other conferences and I’m proud of them for it. Now watch some smarta$$ come on here and mention NMS in 11′. ALL teams have a couple of patsies on their schedule and I dare someone to disprove that!
Gen Neyland
May 7th, 2009
1:55 pm
m : …and a pitiful LSU team waxed the bee…let’s not even mention Vandy-BC.
Keep the traditions alive. Keep them on their scheduled weekends. This way, those that are working know in advance when to plan a sick day or two.
Preston
May 7th, 2009
1:59 pm
Otto, didn’t Arkansas come to the SEC when the Southwest Conference dissolved?
Gatorzone
May 7th, 2009
2:02 pm
I think the most recent post by m is someone making fun of his idiocy! Jack, and Joe cannot be true SEC lifer fans like most of us. Otherwise, they would NEVER suggest to stop the rivalries by some lame rotation. See the Pac 10 and how well that works? USC’s weak rotation last year kept them from the championship game.
Got 12?
May 7th, 2009
2:04 pm
In the interest of fairness and equity, let’s move all SEC games to a neutral site equidistant from each school and divide the tickets 50-50. Plus, all conference games must be played at the same time of day and the entire conference must have the same open week. Also, your record will determine who you play the following week as it would be unfair for your schedule to be harder than any other team’s.
Let’s stop whining and keep enjoying SEC football. Scheduling can never be fair. There are too many variables.
jumbo
May 7th, 2009
2:06 pm
I am all for the current system. What has not been mentioned is on the 3rd Saturday of September LSU/Auburn & FL/UT play. I am a LSU fan and there have been numerous times I have listened to the Auburn/UGa game after we have traveled to Ole Miss. I fondly recall several years ago how we were screaming after UGa made a TD on the last play from the 30 yard line at Auburn. LSU needed UGa to win that game that day and they pulled it out. Don’t mess with tradition as it doesn’t get better than Bama/UT, UGA/Aub and LSU/FL as well as the other games that are always the same Saturday each year.
Jack
May 7th, 2009
2:12 pm
Otto,
Not sure I made any case for what is fair and what is not. I know fairness varies tremendsouly from year to year. My original post was about the fact that the current schedule does not allow a SEC football player to play in every opponent’s stadium. Do you know agree that sucks?
Hardcoretiger
May 7th, 2009
2:14 pm
I would be nice for every recruit to have the opportunity to play at every stadium in the conference during their four year stay.
Otto
May 7th, 2009
2:19 pm
Yes Arkansas came in as the SWC was falling and was the first to leave. I didn’t realize Ark. left 3 years before the conf. was dissolved. It certainly hurt the Big 12 IMO.
G8R GRAD
May 7th, 2009
2:37 pm
Dear Lewis G.:
Q: “Florida vs. LSU, kinda like two mules wrestling over a turnip, WHO CARES?”
A: Since 2006 the winner of the Florida-LSU game has won the national championship. No pressure, then, for quarterback Jordan Jefferson on Oct. 10 at Death Valley.
GO GATORS!
Mike
May 7th, 2009
2:37 pm
This is a bit off topic, but Florida has won 3 National Titles since the advent of the SEC Division format. In that time, Florida’s strength of schedule was the nation’s toughest (in 96 and 06) or the second toughest (08).
Florida, or any other SEC team, does not need a tougher schedule.
LSUwiggz
May 7th, 2009
3:01 pm
As an LSU fan, I like playing Florida every year… but that is completely besides the point.
Every four year player deserves to have had the chance to play in every SEC stadium. They are owed that at the very least for all they give to this great conference – did you know that Peyton Manning never got the chance to set foot in Tiger Stadium? There are countless other greats who have similar omissions in their SEC resumes and both they and the fans have suffered for it.
Of course fairness and parity should rule the day. Of course we should adopt a 5-3-3 rotating schedule to balance the conference… but as long as the SEC offices are within the borders of the state of Alabama, Auburn and Alabama’s ‘traditional-enough-to-screw-the-rest-of-the-conference-but-not-enough-to-schedule-OOC’ special priviledges will continue.
Cuz
May 7th, 2009
3:02 pm
I think that recruits to an SEC school sign with the school not with the SEC. Now I admit I never played SEC football. But reading Jeff Owens blog makes it sound like the players get more fired up playing in front of the home crowd than playing in a hostile stadium. Where are the statistics that prove that an overwhelming majority of football players at SEC schools are distraught that they never got to play in every SEC stadium?
Take away UGA vs Auburn, sacrilege.
LSUwiggz
May 7th, 2009
3:09 pm
This year LSU plays Florida AND Georgia in the very top-heavy SEC East… our competition for the Western division is Alabama and Ole Miss who have to play NEITHER. Oh – and just for kicks, we play those two on the road as well. If we win the title this year, we will have certainly earned it.
azcat225
May 7th, 2009
3:09 pm
Drew-G-A and Dorsey Hill: Joe posed a legitimate and thought-provoking question. Obviously Tony thought enough of the question to respond in yesterday’s blog and to make it the topic for today. I would suggest you look in your respective mirrors to find the idiots.
Otto, I agree with you to a certain extent on the PAC10 schedule hurting rather than helping. They have seemed to be able to trip each other up over the past few years (see USC more than once…). But I can also understand Commissioner Hansen’s reason for decreeing that the additional game, when the NCAA went to the 12 game season, become the final game of an annual 9 game round-robin amongst the conference members. No more byes on a rotating basis.
As to the topic at hand, keep it the way it is. Traditions really do mean something.
LSUwiggz
May 7th, 2009
3:11 pm
Clearly the only fans who are supporting keeping these rivalries intact – conference be damned – are those of the schools involved. To them I have a question:
If its important enough for the entire conference to have to schedule around you, is it important enough to schedule the game OOC on the off-years when a more balanced 5-3-3 rotation was implemented?
Otto
May 7th, 2009
3:15 pm
As a player I’d rather play in the very special games rather than play in every stadium. People tell stories for decades about the classic matchups. Don’t you want to grow to catch a pass in the corner of the endzone against Auburn in OT if you’re a UGA fan or be a part of a goal line stand against UT if you’re a Bama fan. The game is not perfect but I had rather play in the games I watched as a kid.
LSUwiggz
May 7th, 2009
3:23 pm
Bottom line: The desires of a third of the conference should not dictate the scheduling of the other two-thirds. Especially when another, perfectly equitable solution presents itself (OOC scheduling).
robodawg
May 7th, 2009
3:33 pm
Totally agree Tony. Tennessee-Bama and Georgia-Auburn HAVE to happen every year. There would be mass protests otherwise. Nebraska-Oklahoma not playing every year was a huge mistake and has hurt the Huskers program.
BAMA STAN
May 7th, 2009
3:34 pm
12 National Titles – 21 SEC Titles!!!
TONY – Excellent article
SUGGESTIONS:
With 12 game schedules coming into play – how about a 5-2-2 format?
UGA could pick up their game with their permanent game with Ole Miss again – then be able to play Bama, Miss STATE – home & home – then rotate LSU and ARk home and home – then back to Bama/MS State.
If you want to play EVERY SEC team in two years:
Rotate Bama and Miss State Home and Home every other year (say even years) and LSU and ARK home and home odd years.
One thing I respect about the Pac 10 – is that they play 9 game conference schedule. A school will play each conference member – every year! Best team wins!!!!
As far as the B10 – they play an 8 game schedule – you could have a team not play Ohio State and Michigan. They have figured out that it is best to have as many CO-CHAMPIONS by not having to play each other and no Title game so they can FEEL good about themselves – WUSSIES!!!!!
As far as tradition – we need GT back in the conference!!!!!! Would love to see AUB/GT – Bama/GT – TN/GT rotate in and out of ATL.
ROLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL TIDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Got 12?
May 7th, 2009
3:41 pm
Bama v. GT is back on the schedule for a home-and-home starting in 2013 in Tuscaloosa.
SimpleDawg
May 7th, 2009
3:46 pm
The Dawgs have the most conference rivals…I mean REAL RIVALS, on their schedule each year…Auburn, UT, UF, USC, GT. The Auburn game is always an important game, regardless of the records. I hate we had to drop the Ole Miss game. I’d say that both divisions have 3-4 teams that are really good each year, so you get plenty of quality competition. Some years there are surprise teams which add to the difficulty of the schedules. Leave it alone….at least let us hold onto some traditions…no need to be completely structured and regimented.
LSUwiggz
May 7th, 2009
3:50 pm
“Totally agree Tony. Tennessee-Bama and Georgia-Auburn HAVE to happen every year. There would be mass protests otherwise.”
Any reason why they HAVE to happen at the expense of the other schools in the confernce? Let them schedule one another OOC and let the conference play itself out fairly.
Or is ‘tradition’ not THAT important after all?
Crawford
May 7th, 2009
4:00 pm
Find me one person who would say ‘who cares’ about the traditional rivalries that have been saved.
dan anders
May 7th, 2009
4:09 pm
When the ACC, SEC, Big 12 and Big 10 conferences added new members, they should have added another conference game. When the college schedule was expanded to 12 games they should have a second conference game. It just seems 8 conference games are not enough with a 12 game schedule. Kind of like the old NFL, with 6 preseason games and a 12 regular season. Every team in these conferences has at least 2 “mismatches” in their non-conference schedules. And spare us the nonsense about how the SEC is so tough that 10 conference games would be excessive. Think any fans (or players) care to see Utah State, Lousiana-Lafayette or Western Michigan on their schedule?
StAugDawg
May 7th, 2009
4:16 pm
First, LSUwiggz…
Let me preface this by saying this blog format is not conducive to fully fleshing out my thoughts (and probably yours also) but I believe playing a conference team and trying to say it is non-conference would create what some of my army buddies call a clusterf*$k… Let me explain, you would have to create a set of rules that spell out what counts as a conference game and what does not, doable, yes, but I believe it’d create unintended consequences. Using your idea let’s think back a few years ago when UGA had it handed to them by TN and lost to SC but we’ll say UGA played Auburn in a “non-conference” game and beat a different West team “in conference” and still finished w/ 2 losses in the SEC East and tied w/ UT for losses “in-conference”.
People complain about UGA fans being whiny (some of it justified I might add…) all hell would break lose under that fact pattern, the rules say it doesn’t count but fans would scream bloody murder and there would be the argument that they won 1 more game than UT. The arguments then would be more bi*chy than this current thread. Yes the rules would state that UT still would be the SEC east representative b/c the AU game was “out-of-conference” but I don’t think the Commissioner would really want to step in that argument…
Also, Jack I am trying to understand your statement about not playing every stadium “sucking” but I have to say I disagree. I’ve had several friends who were recruited by and played for various SEC schools (AU/UF/UGA/Vandy/UA) and not one of them ever cared that they didn’t get to play at a certain stadium. Their only goal was to make it to the SECCG. I think it might suck more for a fan not getting to go to to a certain stadium but I’m not sure that the players feel the same way, but who knows I’ve been wrong before…
GeoffDawg
May 7th, 2009
4:17 pm
dan – I think a lot of players and fans would care that you’re putting yourself through a thresher week after week if it costs you a shot at a MNC in favor of a team from the Pac 10 or Big 10 which may only have 3 or 4 quality teams in any given year.
It’s a valid and practical concern but if your goal is to to spared nonsense, avoiding college football blogs would be a step in the right direction.
Got 12?
May 7th, 2009
4:40 pm
So we’ve gone from complaining about schedules to bemoaning that fact that every player doesn’t get to play in every stadium? How about the fact that is rainy or cold for some games and not for others. Let’s complain about that too.
Also, did anyone notice that not all players get to play every game! Oh no! For a home game, about 120 players (85 scholarship players + walk ons) dress out but less than 50 actually get to play. Let’s write letters to each coach, AD, school president, conference commissioner, and congressman. These injustices must be addressed immediately!
Saint Simons
May 7th, 2009
4:43 pm
Did troy state start playing in the SEC? everbody in sec plays them!!!
Otto
May 7th, 2009
4:45 pm
I don’t wnat the 9 team conf. schedule. 8 games in the SEC is tough plus trying to playing a decent OOC and a game or 2 of easier OOC games to stay healthy.
USC has some much easier teams for their 9 conf. games but those teams going into the season gunning for them. It has cost USC keeping their focus after playing the 9 dwarfs who can make a season with one win over USC. The PAC10 teams may stay healthier if they dropped to 8 games and added a New Mexico St in addition to a strong OOC game.
BILLY JACK
May 7th, 2009
4:46 pm
M GET BACK IN YOUR MOTHERS BASEMENT,YOU CAN COME BACK OUT WHEN THE GAY PRIDE PARADE COMES TO TOWN.
Jack
May 7th, 2009
4:47 pm
Man, what a hot topic.
Otto, my proposal does not inhibit players from playing in “special” games. Those teams would still be on the schedule. And, who is to say that there would not be a “special” game with a team other than the rival? Are the only “special” SEC games in history b/w UT/Bama and Auburn/GA? Hell no.
LSUWiggZ, dude stop whining. You are giving LSU fans a bad name.
St. Aug Dawg, you are pretty much proving my point. Not sure how you can suggest that my thought of playing in all stadiums is actually for the fans and not suggest that the rivalries are for the fans. The rivalries are very much for the fans. Do you think some kid born in 1990 who plays for UGA give a crap about Lindsay Scott’s catch against UF 30 years ago? Using a rivalry to motivate a player/team is very dangerous – relying too much on emotions will get you beat every time.
Rivalries are definitely for the fans. I know tons of football players and most of them play the game, but aren’t fans of the game. Listen to the quotes about what they do in the off weeks…..most of them try to get away from the game.
Someone mentioned above that Archie Manning played at LSU. I know that was under different circumstances, but that sucks for him and the fans. Just like Tebow is not going to play in some school’s stadium, Stafford will be two b/c he left early (can’t control that).
Otto
May 7th, 2009
5:01 pm
Jack even under the Big 12 rotation I don’t think they get to play every team and as said I don’t think it is that great of a concern.
Are Bama/UT and UGA/Auburn the only special games? No
Are they circled on the calendar by many CFB even outside of fans for those 2 schools? Yes.
Was LSU vs Kentucky circled on anyone’s calendar? most likely not and Kentucky beat LSU in OT the same season they won the MNC.
Would the Big 12 get more exposure and money with OU playing Nebraska every year? Most likely
Most of the players want to get out of it on their off day. It is all just about a career for them with alot of pressure. Were the kids fans before they played? Most likely. I am relatively sure David Greene grew up wanting to beat Auburn and UF. Would he trade a win (even 4 wins) aginst UF for playing in another team’s stadium I doubt it.
m wannabe
May 7th, 2009
5:09 pm
Billy Jack:
Where ya been, man?
That one movie in the 70’s and you’ve been MIA since!
m wannabe
May 7th, 2009
5:14 pm
Oh yeah, and the sequel:
“The Trial of Billy Jack”
What a classic!
Sid Hill
May 7th, 2009
5:16 pm
“Joe” must be a Tech geek. Alabama-Tennessee and Auburn-Georgia are two of the greatest rivalries (and games) in college football. Anyone who would propose to give up either of them doesn’t know his a$$ from a hole in the ground.
LMAO at LSUwiggz
May 7th, 2009
5:20 pm
LSUwiggz
“Let them schedule one another OOC and let the conference play itself out fairly.”
YOU ARE THE REASON I READ THIS BLOG!!!!
Leland
May 7th, 2009
5:30 pm
Mr. CF–Joe didn’t write nothing. He don’t know how. Your pal, Leland
AltamahaDawg
May 7th, 2009
5:42 pm
Jack, not trying to pile on, but you didn’t answer my question, How would you guarantee a player to get to play in every stadium? What is the scheduling format that would do that?
I’m not judging if that sux or not, or even if they care about it. I’m just asking how.
GT
May 7th, 2009
6:02 pm
ACC gets that way in basketball. Tech has to go to Chapel Hill every other year with no return visit. We get waxed up there pure and simple. We beat them occasionally here but up there they have a circus when we come to town and we are the clowns.
Bo Williams
May 7th, 2009
6:32 pm
I’ve been to most of the large football venues throughout the nation (Shoe, Big House, Beaver, Coliseum, LSU, Washington, Pasadena, Clemson, SC, UGa, Texas, Stanford, and on and on). I had rather watch a game in Kennan Stadium than in any of the others. Sporting News said Kennan (under the pines) was the best place in American to watch a football game. Big don’t mean nothing when it comes to sports venues.
BDV
May 7th, 2009
6:35 pm
I love the tradition but hate the fact that Ole Miss and Alabama both miss Florida AND Georgia this year unless one of them make it to the SECCG. That is a HUGE advantage over my beloved Bayou Bengals for the West title. But, hey, if you want to be the best, you have to beat the best, so it is all good. Also, proof is in the pudding that the SEC gets the benefit of the doubt come BCS selection time. These big time matchups are part of the reason.
joe
May 7th, 2009
6:42 pm
Joe is a moron…I can’t stand that the AJC lets duplicate usernames run on here. I’m the original joe (an SEC alumus) and the fake one who drummed up this topic and obviously knows nothing about good football should be banned. Keep the rivalries intact as that is another reason SEC football is the best variety around. If you disagree with that, your team must play in the almost competitive conference.
GT_engineer
May 7th, 2009
7:26 pm
Its seems like Mr. College Football should change his name to Mr SEC Football. Just a thought
Tide rising
May 7th, 2009
8:22 pm
LSU fans,
Quit complaining about having to play UGA and UF in the same year. We just got through playing those 2 the last 4 years and we have UT as our regular rival and in most years UT has been a strong conference power. It all evens out over the long haul.
And LSUwiggz,
where did you come up with this idea that every sec player deserves to play in every sec stadium and that they are “owed” this opportunity. Is this part of the rights explosion we see in society where someone like you just arbitrarily decides someone is owed something and deserves something just cause you think it should be so? As a Bama fan do you think our players are “owed” the right to play in Vandy or Kentucky’s stadium before they leave? I can assure you they probably don’t care and if they are going to be given the right to deserve to play somewhere they will choose the Rose Bowl as opposed to Vandy stadium. Do you think Dawg fans feel they are owed the misery of spending a weekend in Starkville, MS? Having been there I can tell you UF and UGA fans better hope they never get this deserved right to play in Starkville.
mcdavid
May 7th, 2009
8:35 pm
the SEC needs to paly an additional game which would resolve a lot of the problem and we’d have one less high school game to attend in Athens.
War Eagle
May 7th, 2009
8:43 pm
Tradition games is SEC football. Do we need to think about changing the SEC or improve on what SEC is doing now?
Tony , are you leaning left or do I read your blog wrong?
SEC fans, who would you rather see play on a Fall PM, UGA vs Auburn or UGA vs Bama?
Michael
May 7th, 2009
9:04 pm
Bruce, you said UGA needs to get GT out of the way early or else its just a “distraction” or “consolation”? I venture to say with CPJ and the Flexbone, it will be a little more important to the arrogant doggies. I also would bet, straight up, that CPJ wins more than he loses to UGA in his GT coaching career, however long it lasts. No more playing down the GT game, save for ignorant doggie fans. The real fans are and will be worried every time they play a CPJ coached Yellow Jacket team.
There, no more distraction or consolation, problem solved, get ready for the game or most certainly lose, pretty simple.
Brandon
May 7th, 2009
9:47 pm
I think UF has the easiest schedule in the SEC this year. Their out of conference schedule is laughable.
Andrew
May 7th, 2009
10:03 pm
Add a 9th Conference game, with either 2 permanent opponents and 2 rotating on and off or 1 permanent opponent and 3 rotating on and off. This will still leave room for 2 should be guarantied wins and one maybe.
PTC DAWG
May 7th, 2009
10:25 pm
To keep it simple..the schedule is FINE AS IS.
Boss Hogg
May 7th, 2009
10:44 pm
Tony: You are so right about “Third Saturday in October”. Al Browning gets great insight from the players of the past that played in the game. These permanent opponents that each team has had legendary games over the years.
Dobbins
May 7th, 2009
10:46 pm
Joe is an idiot, along with the Big 12. Keep the scheduling the way it is. Those rivalries are what make the SEC so great.
SamoanDawg
May 7th, 2009
10:54 pm
ain’t a darn thing wrong with the way it is.. don’t mess with it.
SEC rules and others drool!
Titus
May 7th, 2009
11:16 pm
Tony, love your blog but sorry that you are flat wrong on one thing. The oldest continuous rivalry in the South is UVa versus UNC. Two of the finest public institutions in the world I might add.
Gen Neyland
May 7th, 2009
11:23 pm
TB : You have Mama Cox’s ear, so tell her we’re waiting for Chip Towers return. Love you like a brother, but we need the Chip slant..thx
Gator Nation
May 7th, 2009
11:37 pm
Keep the schedule the way it is. The heavy weight battles between the SEC elite programs are what propels them to national prominence, BCS bids and BCS championship games. Its a mini playoff within the league with a chance at a rematch in the SEC championship game, though I don’t think that has ever happened.
Which, now that I think about it is pretty amazing. Has the regular season match ups of Georgia/Auburn, Florida/LSU, or Bama/Tennessee ever been played for the SEC championship game? I don’t think it has.
Dustin Sadler
May 7th, 2009
11:37 pm
I’m a traditionalist, and I like it the way it is. But there’s no point in even discussing this because you’ll never see a year without an Alabama-Tennessee game or an Auburn-Georgia game. Alabama and Tennessee, and Auburn and Georgia, have played every year since 1928 and 1918, respectively, with the exception of 1943 because of WWII. I love the Auburn-Georgia rivalry; it’s got so much history and tradition behind it, being the Deep South’s oldest rivalry, and I would hate to go a year without seeing them play each other. I know this process isn’t totally fair, but that’s college football for you! It’s a lot better than it used to be, with two permanents, since Auburn used to have to play Florida every year too!
Haywood Jablowme
May 8th, 2009
12:43 am
Leave the schedule as it is, keep the traditions alive, and tell Joe to go blow himself.
UnderDog
May 8th, 2009
12:51 am
Titus…..If Tony is wrong, every other media person who proclaims UGA/AU as the oldest continuous rivalry in the South must be, too, right? In short, who gives a rat’s a$$ about UVA and UNC????? It’s about like watching paint dry, unless you are talking about basketball, and most people I know don’t even consider either one of those states to even be IN the South.
swgaboy
May 8th, 2009
1:06 am
Tony, abso-damn-lutely not! I couldn’t care less about Alabama vs. Tennessee. That game hasn’t meant much in the last 50 years. But The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry is the best, most exciting, most competitive, closest rivalry in the SEC. I would sooner move the WLOCP party out of Jax before losing the Auburn game. I would sooner drop GT from the schedule than lose the Auburn game. UGA vs. Auburn is what everything good about college football is all about.
SoCal Dawg
May 8th, 2009
2:25 am
Who is this new socal dawg postring under my name?
Dallasdawg
May 8th, 2009
7:06 am
If what you want to do is play each SEC school on a rotateing basis then I suggest we require each school to provide at least an 85000 seat stadium if they don`t complie within 5 years we should move on as this would do more to raise our revenue`s and make the SEC more equal and fair for all the schools that wish to remain.
Dallasdawg
May 8th, 2009
7:07 am
Enter your comments here
JONATHAN WILCOX
May 8th, 2009
8:06 am
I have been watching the Georgia vs Auburn since I was four years old! It not only is the south’s greatest rivilry, But it is the most classic traditon in all the S.E.C. To get rid of this game would be a dishonor to all those who have played in it before…And those who dream of playing in the future!
Jake
May 8th, 2009
8:19 am
Try telling the AD directors at UT and Bama the tradition is over. Seems Joe is in left field with a catchers mit. Yes, both schools dislike each other, but that’s what tradition in the sports world is all about. This would be like telling Boston fans we are not paying the yankees anymore.
Patrick
May 8th, 2009
8:56 am
Lewis,
Yeah, that Florida-LSU game is nothing to take any note of…other than the fact that the 2 teams hve combined to win the last 3 national championships.
Gator Mike
May 8th, 2009
9:09 am
As a Gator, I am in favor of keeping the SEC Tradition. I note that Mr. m and some other ACC notables have chimed in on tis blog concerning the SEC. It simply is noNe of their business and none of us SEC Fans care what they think about SEC tradition. The only tradition in the ACC is basketball. I side with all of the Dawgs, Vols, LSU, AU and BAMA folks on this one. If I had my way, I would rather go back to the old system of UF playing LSU and AU every year. SoCar and ARK are still upstarts in this discussion. Although I am a Gator, I have always looked forward to the UGA-AU and UT-BAMA games because they are usually very good, and they reflect the very best of SEC rivalries. We simply do not care what the ACC, Little Ten, Big 12 or PAC TEn fans think. They have great traditions, but none of them interest me except the TX-OU Game which has always been interesting. As for the Michigan – Ohio State Game, I will always watch an SEC Game regardles of which SEC Teams are playing. I am proud to be an SEC first fan. Until the ACC develops some real football tradition games, their fans need to stay out of our business. In the SEC, we enjoy beating the H### out of each other, and we are just as vehement in supporting each other when someone from the outside bites at our heels.
GO GATORS AND ALL SEC TEAMS!
Denver Dog
May 8th, 2009
10:01 am
I’d say just leave it alone, it must be working becuase 3 of the last 5 MNC’s came from the SEC. The only thing that you could do different is to drop the natural rivalry and then you would play every team, one more time in the 10 years. Looks like it is working pretty good to me.
Jack
May 8th, 2009
10:02 am
Otto, under the Big 12 rotation, they most certainly do play in every stadium during their career.
Otto, once again, proving my point. There are plenty of big games in the SEC that are not tied to a rivarly. The LSU/UK game is one of many examples. And, games like the LSU/UK game are occuring every year without the two participants in those great games being the one constant on the schedule.
All SEC fans, does anyone give a crap about Kennan Stadium? Is that were UNC’s basketball team practices?
Altamaha Dog, I guess I should have been more clear. Each player has to put themself in position to make the travel squad and see the field. All the SEC and schools can do is set the schedule such that each team plays at each SEC opponent once every 4 years.
Tide Rising, you are an idiot. Everyone in the SEC, other than Bama fans, knows that your only decent showing in the last 10 years required LSU, UT, and AU having thier worse seasons since sometime around the death of the Bear. Yes, he is still dead.
And, playing UGA and Florida the last 4 years is not like playing them in the same year – not to mention, how did you fare against them other than UGA last year? Crickets chirping
JaxDawg
May 8th, 2009
10:03 am
In most conferences, schools have 1, at best 2 rival opponents that everyone gets excited about. Ohio St v Mich is really their only major rival, although Mich has Mich St & ND(not in the big 10) which is an exception not the rule in the Big 10. Okl has Texas and in years past Neb. USC has UCLA & ND (which isn’t even in their conference). The average SEC team has 3-4 within the conference and in some cases a major non-conference rival as well.
Here are just 3 examples, but you can find the same with just about every SEC team:
UGA- UF, Tenn, AU, GT(non conf)
UF- UGA, LSU, Tenn, FSU (non conf)
Tenn- UGA, UF, Bama
If you ask fans of any of those 3 teams which is the one MUST win game out of the ones listed you’ll likely get a different answer depending on who you ask. There are no easy wins in the SEC. Teams have to bring their A-game EVERY week. Anyone who doesn’t see that is just blind. In most years you can count on UGA, UF, Tenn, Bama, Aub, & LSU to be ranked in the top 25 & at least 3 of those teams hanging in the top 15 if not top 10. Granted Tenn and AU are down right now but most years that’s the case. Name another conference that CONSISTENTLY year in and year out has 5-6 teams ranked in the top 25. Also, the SEC has more NFL players than any other conference.
Top 25 all time winningest teams broken down by conference:
1. SEC – 6 teams
2. Big 12 -5 teams
3. Big East – 4 teams
4. Big 10 – 3 teams
5. Independent/Mid Majors – 3 teams (ND, Miami,OH & Army)
6. PAC-10 – 2 teams
Now the Big 10 does beat the SEC in total National Championships 27-25, but with the current state of college football, I think it’s a safe bet the SEC will at least tie if not surpase that mark within the next 5 yrs.
These are FACTS! The SEC is hands down the dominant conference in college football. The sooner all you SEC haters just accept it the better off we’ll all be!
GO DAWGS!
GO SEC !!!
Bo Williams
May 8th, 2009
10:16 am
Jack, appears that you want to dominate the exchange with your prattle, preferring to bash anyone else who has something to say. What is really bothering you Jack?
TheItaliandawg
May 8th, 2009
10:44 am
to m, do you know that last year’s loss to GT is the first Georgia loss to ACC team in 8 years, under Richt Georgia has 11-1 record against ACC teams, Georgia beat FSU, Clemson, VT and of course the domination over GT..go figure
LOL@SEC
May 8th, 2009
10:53 am
The SEC has some of the lamest schedules in college football. The out of conference games are pathetic, yet the SEC (and it’s fans) are so full of themselves that they will simply dismiss anything and anyone that says something against them.
I’m just proud they knew where the library was, so they could get online and read this(also surprised that they can read).
K-Town Dawg
May 8th, 2009
12:05 pm
LOL@SEC
Let me guess….you must be a Tech fan?
K-Town Dawg
May 8th, 2009
12:19 pm
Curiously, while the UVA / UNC game calls itself the “South’s Oldest Rivalry” the UGA / AU game is actually older.
UVA / UNC – 113 games, first game Oct. 22, 1892
UGA/ AU – 112 games, first game Feb. 20, 1892
Jack
May 8th, 2009
1:34 pm
Nothing bothering me. Everyone comment I made, other than the Bama comment, was a direct response to questions posed directly to me. Read the board Bo!
Jim Corley
May 11th, 2009
11:50 am
I vote for the balanced scheduled.
I’ve seen the Gators play in all twelve SEC stadiums and it took eight years under the original East/West schedule.
I think every player and student should have the opportunity to play every conference opponent home and away over a four year period.
Wes
May 13th, 2009
1:05 pm
As an Auburn fan the obvious answer is to keep tradition. The AU v UGA game is the oldest rivalry in the south. At the same time you have a team like LSU who has to play UF every single year and that really isn’t that long standing of a rivalry. If you were to put yourself in the shoes of an SEC head coach whose ultimate goal is to win the SEC and play for a national title you would likely prefer balance over tradition.
War Eagle!
May 18th, 2009
11:01 am
I think we should play more conference games, maybe 9 or 10. This would get rid of the light weight non-conference schedules most teams play, reduce the inequity in schedules, and possibly allow all teams in opposite divisions to rotate (with a 10 conference game schedule, Auburn and Georgia would play 10 out of 12 years).
RBVOL
June 5th, 2009
12:22 pm
If you ask any Vol fan born before 1985 Tennessee vs Alabama is the game circled each year. I remember thinking when they went to two divisions: ” What am I going to do on the third Saturday in October.” I hate Alabama, yet also respect the tradition. I just hate Florida and everything about them. Their lack of tradition and class is what Florida is all about. Go Vols!!!!!