Saban: Bama will not use scheduling issue as “an excuse”
It’s Friday which means that the floor is totally open to you. We can discuss spring football, the NFL Draft, conference expansion, politics, television (I’m still waiting impatiently for Mad Men to start its next season). Just keep it clean. Here are a few topics to get the party started:
The SEC had its end of spring practice conference call yesterday. Here are but a few tidbits that caught my attention:
**–It is well known by now that due to a scheduling quirk, Alabama’s last six SEC opponents in 2010 all have a bye week before they play the Crimson Tide. The SEC is trying to give Alabama some relief but its options are limited if other SEC schools don’t want to move games. And by now most of them don’t.
Alabama head coach Nick Saban said he was most concerned about the game with Auburn on Friday, Nov. 26, the day after Thanksgiving. Auburn has an open date on Nov. 20 while Alabama plays Georgia State in Tuscaloosa.
“The thing I’m concerned about is playing Auburn on a short week,” Saban said. “Sometimes a bye is an advantage and sometimes it’s not. It’s not going to be an excuse for us.”
Ironically, the key to getting Alabama some relief may be Bill Curry’s new program at Georgia State. If that game could be moved and Alabama could shift its open date from Oct. 30 to Nov. 20, then Saban would get the relief he seeks.
But here is why moving games at this late date is so hard:
**–Georgia State has an open date on Nov. 13 and might be willing to move its Alabama game at that date.
**–But Alabama has a game with Mississippi State on Nov. 13. Coach Dan Mullen said he might be willing to move that game to his open date, which is Nov. 6. Alabama can’t play that date because it has a game with LSU.
**–Alabama and Mississippi State could move to Oct. 30, Alabama’s old open date. But the Bulldogs have a date with Kentucky.
And so it goes. The process is complicated by the fact that there are only 13 Saturdays between the first Saturday of the season (Sept. 4) and the first Saturday in December. Some years there are 14 Saturdays which provide much more flexibility in scheduling.
**–In case you missed it last week, the Head Ball Coach at South Carolina turned 65 years old and, thanks to a workout regimen that would have younger men gasping for air, Steve Spurrier remains in great shape. “If you look at all the magazines you know that it’s got nothing to do with how old you are but how you take care of yourself,” said Spurrier. “I never thought I would coach until I was 60 but all of a sudden it gets here and you feel as good as you did 20 years ago.”
Spurrier said he is proud that he has never been fired as a college head coach and plans to keep it that way. “Hopefully I can coach another 4-5 years and be able to hang it up on my own.”
**–Florida center Maurkice Pouncey was the No. 18 pick in the NFL Draft by Pittsburgh. His brother, Mike, will take over the center spot this season at Florida. Maurkice Pouncey left school early and was a first-round pick. Mike stayed behind because he wanted to play one more year of college football. It is the first time since about the fifth grade that the two twins have been apart. Expect Mike Pouncey to be a first-round choice in the 2011 NFL Draft. “There is no reason he can’t do the same thing,” said interim head coach Steve Addazio, who is also Florida’s offensive coordinator. “I think Mike is the best offensive lineman in the country.”
Head coach Urban Meyer was not on the conference call and Addazio said he was not certain when Meyer would return to his office.
**–Derek Dooley, the new head coach at Tennessee, said that during his first meeting with the Volunteer players he did not ask for them to trust him. “That is something you have to earn over time,” said Dooley, Tennessee’s third head coach in as many seasons. “Trust is built with the consistency of how we treat them and coach them. It’s our job to get them to trust us, not to demand that they trust us.”
Dooley said he does not expect his father, Hall of Fame coach Vince Dooley, to be in Sanford Stadium when Tennessee comes to Georgia on Oct. 9. Vince Dooley told me a couple of weeks ago that he will watch the game from his home in Athens.
“He has a love for Georgia like none other but he also knows that his son will be playing,” said Derek Dooley. “Blood is thicker than water. He may not be wearing orange but at least I hope he’s thinking orange.”
Here are a few other notes before we break for the weekend:
**–Auburn’s Ben Tate and Tennessee’s Montario Hardesty were the No. 5 and No. 6 running backs taken in the NFL Draft. They were the first two running backs from the SEC to be selected. What else do they have in common? They were both coached by Eddie Gran, who was the running backs coach at Auburn in 2008 and the Tennessee running backs coach in 2009. Gran decided to join Jimbo Fisher at Florida State when Lane Kiffin bolted for USC in January. This continues a run of good backs for Gran, who is considered one of the best recruiters in the business. He has coached four first round choices: John Avery (Ole Miss), Duece McAllister (Ole Miss), Carnell Williams (Auburn), and Ronnie Brown (Auburn). He has four second round draft choices: Tate, Hardesty, Kenny Irons (Auburn), Brandon Jacobs (Auburn). Just found that interesting.
**–My 790 The Zone buddies Sandra Golden and Mike Bell are starting a new show at noon on Monday on CSS. “The Sports Gig” is being billed as a sports/infotainment show. It looks like they will the sports equivalent of “Regis and Kelly.” Check them out.
A FINAL PROGRAMMING NOTE: Starting Monday and continuing through next Friday, we will do our Spring football wrap-up for 2010. Here is the schedule:
Monday: SEC East
Tuesday: SEC West
Wednesday: ACC Atlantic
Thursday: ACC Coastal
Friday: Post-Spring Top 25
Have a great weekend.
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144 comments Add your comment
Charlie Bama
April 30th, 2010
8:37 pm
“Use as an excuse”?? An excuse for what? Don’t need no stinkin’ excuses! Bama was 14-0 and National Champs last year. They may well do it again this season. Or maybe they’ll only settle for a 13-1 record–Yeah, who would want that? Only that? Sheesh. Roll Tide. [Hot Tip: Orange Hillbillies will be 4-7 this season--you heard it here first]
SEC Observer
April 30th, 2010
8:56 pm
It’s the annual rite of some UGA fans. Delusional and making excuses but then Fall gets here and reality sets in.
It’s no wonder many opposing fans hope you guys never win a BCS Championship; we would never hear the end of how the Dawgs are the greatest team of all time.
One distinction you do have: tops in problems with players. Name one college team with more arrests in the last 3 years. I’m waiting….
Its a gator world
April 30th, 2010
9:44 pm
I guess the bammers didn’t need any excuses the last 2 years in their regular season. Lookin at some of these posts you gotta wonder how delusional dawg fans are. A couple of em got busted talkin bout all Georgia’s opponents bye weeks and it turns out they only had Arkansas use their against the dogs. Ya had the impression that the dawgs had everybody takin their bye before playing the fearful 7-5 dogs. Last year they took their bye before us and we still whupped em bad as usual 41-17
Neutral observor we’ve had our problems with arrests but it seems the dogs probably are the team with more arrests in the last 3 years than anyone. If there is anyone with more arrests over the last 3 years than the dogs than I would be shocked.
Tim E
April 30th, 2010
9:53 pm
If Alabama only had Georgia on their schedule next year it would give them a little more breathing room mentally considering this current situations with so many good teams having bye weeks before they play Alabama. Playing Georgia would almost be like playing Georgia State….easy!
Paul The Vol
April 30th, 2010
10:41 pm
Think I’ll post this link about Bama begging for relief from its schedule over on VolQuest. It should get some interesting comments.
gcs
April 30th, 2010
10:44 pm
Hot off the presses: Georgia Tech postpones the 2013 and 2014 games vs. Alabama.
CHICKENS!
.
Gil Yard
April 30th, 2010
10:46 pm
I would bet that Georgia State could beat Idaho State this year.
MikeP
April 30th, 2010
11:45 pm
Newsflash: Bammer scheduled their game a week before the Iron Bowl. Nobody forced that on them, they scheduled it themselves.
If $aban doesn’t want to play a game the week before the Auburn game, he shouldn’t have scheduled one. Grow up, bamzos, the world owes you nothing.
Stuart
April 30th, 2010
11:58 pm
Tony, this isn’t a quirk, this is a bunch of scared snivenly (sic) cowards of football coaches and A.D.’s that who know the only way to beat Bama is to HOPE that a week off will help their pansy ass teams get ready to play.
BOO HOO BAMA ...not
May 1st, 2010
12:54 am
poor bama having to play Ga State before the Auburn game..gee I am surprised you redneck backwoods imbeciles haven’t driven to Atlanta to throw a brick thru Curry’s window about that one
$hit for brains
May 1st, 2010
12:55 am
hey gcs, funny I do not see UGAY scheduling games with FSU, VT or Clemson
Bama fan
May 1st, 2010
9:20 am
Paul the vol,
Bama begs for nothing. Bama does demand a little basic fairness in scheduling so that 6 sec foes don’t have a built in advantage against us. One or two would be fine. But 6? As far as begging UT will be doing plenty of that when you’re begging Saban to pull back the reins on the imminent beatdown coming in October.
MikeP,
Son are you just stupid or what? The sec schedules the games. Alabama had to pick up a noncon pansy somewhere and there is only one open week available and we used that for LSU which also has an open week before playing us. Otherwise we had to play GSU somewhere and the available spot was the week before the cow college game you dolt. And while the world owes us nothing rival punks like you do. You owe us awe. Now get down on your knees and polish my bcs crystal trophy for me.
Sec Fan First
May 1st, 2010
10:13 am
All of this SEC bashing of one another is truly sad. The SEC Assistant Commissioner sets the Conference Schedules on 4 year rotations and 2 year rotations for alternating teams.
The SEC school then sets their own out of conference schedule. The SEC Bylaws state that no school shall be given advantages over any other SEC school while scheduling non conference and open dates. The SEC office approves every schedule. Mike Slive admitted that the SEC and Officers did not manage the Football schedules with due diligence as required in the Bylaws.
Now moving on…..
The EAST is going to be a wide open race…no matter how bad some fans are and think their team is too talented..well not in the EAST….
Florida is talented but the losses in coaches and too many first rounders in the Draft..Tebow was 60 percent of their offense…..possible losses…Alabama, S.C., UGA…FSU…
S.C….can the old ball coach get some consistency on offense, while maintaing his tough defense.
UGA…..new quarterback….a good one but new…..lack of defensive players and depth will still haunt the dawgs in 2010…but they will still be better than in 2009…possible losses…UF, S.C. G.T., Auburn…
Tennessee….new coach…..lack of depth…three best players from 09 are gone…..possible losses…
UF, UGA, Kentucky, S.C…Alabama,
Kentucky….new coach….good talent returning….can be a suprise with a few breaks..still too many questions…possible losses……UF, UGA, AL, S.C.
Vanderbilt…WILL be better in 2010……
West
Alabama….loses 9 defensive starters…but returns a boat load of players who played and back ups were as good as some starters…need DB’s….Offense will be good…..
Possible losses….UF….
LSU…where do we start……coaches are questionable….quarterback is inconsistent…lacking in leadership…but the talent that is on that roster is second to none…..
WILL lose 3 games due to coaching mistakes…..
Auburn…..Malzahn will run his back yard style offense and hope the defense can make a stop or two…but the Defense at Auburn is non existent as displayed in the spring game…..
Mississippi State….better better better..will surprise many teams …
Ole Miss…..too many losses on both sides….has Houston Nutts magic worn off .?
Arkansas…this is the unknown team in the SEC….may provide a few shockers or could be a big dissappointment…..
gcs
May 1st, 2010
10:41 am
Dear SEC Joke,
This is a quote from your eloquent post: “But what, your an idiot?”
Before you go around calling someone an “idiot”, maybe you should learn some grammar.
For example: “You’re an idiot because you don’t know the difference between ‘your’ and ‘you’re’.”
Next quote: “Where did you get your JD, not UGA.”
That is a question and a fragmented sentence in the SAME sentence. Bravo.
Next time, try this: “Where did you get your GED? It was not Alabama. They would not accept an illiterate moron like you.”
.
$hit for brains
May 1st, 2010
12:04 pm
dear gcs, I do not see UGAY playing Alabama the next two years either, so why you running your mouth about GT? In fact, your not even playing LSU. What a bunch of wussies with a capital P. Good luck vs Idaho St, surely that will get you in the top 10.
Watch out for GSU!
May 1st, 2010
12:52 pm
Hellooo, has anyone noticed the fact that GSU is getting a boatload of SEC and ACC transfers? They already got Bailey Woods from Auburn, Joseph Gilbert and Clyde Yandell from GA Tech. There are even rumors that Logan Gray from UGA is considering GSU as an option. This is not your typical start-up, and Curry is not your typical coach!
Bama Rolls!
May 1st, 2010
4:09 pm
This 2010 Bama team will be the best in the SEC, by far. They are loaded on O, have tons of new talent coming in on D and with Saban’s genius, should easily win the SEC and go to the BCS title game again. Title #14—it sounds good!!!
fire the AJC editors
May 1st, 2010
4:22 pm
No “eXcuses”. This is front page news for crying out loud.
Cutless
May 1st, 2010
4:31 pm
Bama’s a non-player in 2010. Lost too many defensive players, and has to play 6 games against teams coming off a bye weak. Defense gave up over 90 points in last 2 spring games. Saban isn’t a back to back kind of guy, and there hasn’t been a repeat back to back winner in a long time in the SEC.
Cutless
May 1st, 2010
4:38 pm
Defense wins championships in the SEC, and Bama lost evertybody. I predicted their defense would give up 40-50+ points a game in the Spring scrimmages, and I was right. I don’t care if you can play offense, Ark was #1 last year in offense and went 7-5. It’s the D in the SEC, and Bama ain’t bringin’ it this year folks. Saban’s satisified with multiple National Championships, doesn’t seem hungry anymore, playing too much golf, like Spurrier.
Gonna be Georgia, SC, or LSU, defense wins championships in the SEC.
Jason
May 1st, 2010
5:14 pm
The game against Georgia State is to Alabama’s advantage. While other teams are limited in how many practices they can have per week, the GSU game will give Alabama the equivalent of a full scrimmage of any players they want to put in the game. They won’t have to risk any of the top players but will be able to work on depth positions.
Alabama also did it because they want Georgia State to start keeping at home many of the players from Georgia who are recruited by Auburn. A strong GSU hurts Auburn’s ability to recruit from Georgia, especially those who would be second or third string at Auburn but will get to start at GSU.
KJ
May 1st, 2010
6:47 pm
“One distinction you do have: tops in problems with players. Name one college team with more arrests in the last 3 years. I’m waiting….”
Since losers like you always like to crow about this “fact”, why don’t YOU give a source for this? And underage drinking and moving violations don’t count.
Also, new rule: when you’re the reigning national champions, you don’t get to complain about anything. ANYTHING.
Let's Do it Again
May 1st, 2010
6:57 pm
When I say ROLL, you say TIDE.
ROLL….
D2
May 1st, 2010
7:23 pm
Tony, appreciate the updates. Thought the article was good, but I do have to point out one thing. Tate and Hardesty were not the first two SEC backs taken in the draft; they were actually the second and third. Dexter McCluster was taken with the 4th pick of the 2nd Round, 22 picks before Tate was taken. Not a huge oversight, but McCluster deserves the recognition. All-in-All, nice article.
Nick Saban
May 1st, 2010
7:35 pm
On second thought, I think every team we play should have a bye week. Maybe then they’ll STFU.
We’re that good. Bring it on pansies.
Hairy Dawg
May 1st, 2010
8:36 pm
Bammers is always excusing when they catched them in the cookie jar by the NCAA. But got to hand it to Bammers in palying to win championships. Dawgs got to compete to mash Sabans team and we got to gets Adams+Evans getting serious about football instead of school. Then we beat Bama like the chumpy state they are. We got recruits in GA and Bama dont, but we got bums in Adams+Evans not priority for football instead a school.
Nachos
May 1st, 2010
11:14 pm
23 time NATIONAL CHAMPIONS
13 time SEC CHAMPIONS
2009 UNDEFEATED SEC CHAMPIONS
2009 UNDEFEATED NATIONAL CHAMPIONS
2009 Heisman Trophy Winner Recipient
Choke on that haters
Can You Dig It
May 2nd, 2010
10:51 am
I’m laughing at all the Bama fans blogs. What a bunch of pompous asses…..I’ll tell you what why don’t we just appoint Bama as National Champs this year and let everyone else play for second. What a bunch of redneck country bumpkins…..Your team finally comes out of hibernation after 10-12 years and you think that your sh_t doesn’t stink….Please spare us all the bullsh_t ….we don’t need it or care about how you feel or what you think of everyone elses team…..Go ask Saban if he wants to play Florida or Georgia this year….I don’t think so. Your school ought to be embarressed for scheduling Ga. State. Why not schedule a high school team…or the ladies team at the local YMCA? Have fun while you can because history has shown everyone that Bama will eventually cheat to stay ahead or their players and fans will cheat because they think their entitled to….but please don’t come on this blog and start telling everyone how great you are… the majority of us really don’t give a sh_t….Can You Dig It!
Bama fan
May 2nd, 2010
11:48 am
Can you dig it,
You’re not very bright are you? Ask Saban if he wants to play Florida or Georgia this year? Uh, excuse me. We do play Florida this year. As for Georgia does you feeble mind actually believe the 14-0 defending national champions would fear an 8-5 Georgia team breaking in a freshman qb? You can’t possibly be serious? Can you?
Hairy dawg,
Georgia fans like you amuse me. You call us rednecks but when an Alabama fan like myself looks at a post like yours I’m in utter disbelief. Could a dawg fan write a post with more bad spelling and poor grammar? Flat out unbelievable. And to think that you guys call us ignorant rednecks,etc.Unfreakingbelievable!
Bama fan
May 2nd, 2010
11:52 am
Excuse me. Your not you. I have to correct myself before I start sounding like one of those inbred Georgia rednecks. You know. The ones that are depicted in the book and movie deliverance about man raping hillbillies. Or in Gone with the Wind with all the inter marrying cousins. Those Georgia rednecks.
Gman
May 2nd, 2010
1:01 pm
Bama/Saban not going to use their schedule as an excuse??
Too late for that. Tons of blubbering from the Bamers already.
Bama fan
May 2nd, 2010
1:47 pm
Gman,
Sorry dude but we don’t need no stinking excuses. Did we need excuses the last 2 years when we rolled through 2 regular seasons undefeated. Uh,that would be a no! Excuses are for losers like you.
Tdawg
May 2nd, 2010
4:14 pm
Wow gators and elephants being attacked on this site. I guess the dawgs are not the only ones that don’t get a pass on this blog.
Dorsey Hill, dang right. I don’t care who my son was coaching, if he ain’t on the Georgia sideline then at least for that day he ain’t no son of mine. I cannon for the life of me see pappa Dooly puling for Tennessee no mstter who their coach is. If he does then he is mud to me.
Mike Adams is an a-h@!e.
SEC Joke you are obviously not very bright. If you can’t see what every person in the country can see then I have a solid gold lead brick that I would like to sell you. Not sure if the Universty knew but you can be rest assured that Pete Carroll knew and the last time I heard, he was a part of the universty at the time.
SEC Observor no more delusional than you. If you think that UGA is the only school with a underaged drinking problem then you are more delusional than most. We in Georgia unlike in Flordia take our underage drinkers to the tank. We don’t release back onto the roads like the University of Flordia does.
Bama Fan and Tim B. can you say 1 and 3. It’s easy. Just say the dawgs have beaten us 3 of the past 4 meetings. By the time we play you guys again you will be on probation again. There is an outside chande that we may play this year, but sense Georgia might not make it to the dome thia year and Alabama most definitely won’t be there it probably won’t happen. 1 and 3.
Stuart already making excuses I see.
Dick Nixon
May 2nd, 2010
7:30 pm
Is Bama on probation yet?
Dick Nixon
May 2nd, 2010
7:34 pm
Bryant cheated and confessed. Stallings, Dubose got caught. Price wife caught him. With Curry and Shula you see what Bama would be withouy cheating, losing to directional schools from Loseranna
obomaisaclown
May 2nd, 2010
11:44 pm
Why is Auburn beating bama so badly in the state of Alabama.If you arecoming off a NC you would think you would own the state . Is bama check book running low?
bully11
May 3rd, 2010
2:14 am
Bama shouldn’t receive any relief. When was the last time Bama got a holding penalty? Bama cheats and the refs help them any way possible. In reference to an earlier post, the Mississippi prison team would destroy the Georgia prison team in football.
Thank goodness that Coach Satan left the Dolphins!!
bully11
May 3rd, 2010
2:19 am
Bama running back wins the Heisman and fininshed second in the SEC in rushing behind Anthony Dixon of Mississippi State. Every team loaded up to stop Dixon because of a no-passing game for MSU and he still out rushed your Heisman trophy winner. That right there ought to tell you something about Bama.
Ron Mexico
May 3rd, 2010
9:29 am
What a joke. Georgia State is a virtual open date, is Auburn complaining about having to play Alabama with an open date before their game? The sad thing is, the Tide players are so worried about late season games against schools after their open dates that they’ll choke one away in the early part of the schedule against Arkansas.
GSU Panther Fan
May 3rd, 2010
8:35 pm
GSU fans, join us at http://www.panthertalk.com for more discussion on GSU football.
Vick=Dog killing thug
May 4th, 2010
9:29 am
Let’s just give Saban the trophy now and excuse Bama from playing. I’m sure it’s hard on Nick and the boys to work their schedules to play all those games anyway. Glad we got that settled…
Bye Week Blues | LouisvilleBlogs.com
May 4th, 2010
7:03 pm
[...] It’s now a well-known fact that some quirky shuffling from the SEC offices has left the Alabama Crimson Tide a scheduling SNAFU for this coming season as it’s last SIX conference opponents all have a bye week before their game with the Tide. How this happened is anyone’s guess, but I’ll be first to go on the record on this blog to say it isn’t fair. Some remedies are being offered, but with six teams in question with 12 games each in 13 weeks, you’re better off laying down this week’s paycheck on Powerball than you’d be to expect much of anything to be worked out at the last minute. There’s little doubt that Alabama is getting a little bit of shaft, but if there’s now a team in the conference that could put on their big boy pants and suck it up it’s probably them. [...]
BAMA STAN
May 5th, 2010
5:21 pm
Looks like the Tide will lose 4 or 5 games this year with our schedule,much like UGA schedule in 2009 playing all the teams with a buy week.Hope the red necks in Bammer understand and will not start throwing bricks in Saban’s office.
Bye Week Blues » College Football Daily News - Get all your football news at one site
August 3rd, 2010
4:03 am
[...] It’s now a well-known fact that some quirky shuffling from the SEC offices has left the Alabama Crimson Tide a scheduling SNAFU for this coming season as it’s last SIX conference opponents all have a bye week before their game with the Tide. How this happened is anyone’s guess, but I’ll be first to go on the record on this blog to say it isn’t fair. Some remedies are being offered, but with six teams in question with 12 games each in 13 weeks, you’re better off laying down this week’s paycheck on Powerball than you’d be to expect much of anything to be worked out at the last minute. There’s little doubt that Alabama is getting a little bit of shaft, but if there’s now a team in the conference that could put on their big boy pants and suck it up it’s probably them. [...]