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.