Spurrier says only SEC division games should count (really?)
Neither Steve Spurrier nor Rex Ryan have been known as coaches who conform. That can be good or bad. (AP photo)
Let me preface this by saying that I actually like Steve Spurrier. He is a great coach, he changed the SEC with what he accomplished at Florida and he doesn’t cheat (although “suspending” former quarterback Stephen Garcia five times without forcing him to actually miss a game certainly set new standards for enabling and being disingenuous).
But Spurrier’s latest idea is beyond looney.
The South Carolina coach is about to make a wonderful self-serving proposal. He believes the SEC’s division champions — the participants in the conference championship game — should be determined not by the teams’ conference records but by just results within the division.
I’m sure the fact that the Gamecocks will play SEC West teams LSU and Arkansas in 2012 while Georgia plays only Auburn and Mississippi has nothing to do with this brainstorm.
It’s shocking, really, that Spurrier didn’t come up with this idea in 2008, when Georgia played Alabama and South Carolina played Mississippi.
Wait a minute . . .
Spurrier apparently will make this pitch at the SEC spring meetings in Destin, according to SI.com. He spun this as only getting the idea after taking pity on Tennessee and Florida last year.
“Last year, it wasn’t fair for Tennessee and Florida,” he told SI.com. “They both played LSU and Alabama. Us and Georgia didn’t. So, us or Georgia almost had to win the division simply because of the schedule.”
It’s not a completely baseless argument. Every SEC team doesn’t play each other. Therefore, there are going to be inequities every year.
The problem is that no other sport at any other level determines division standings by division-only results. (Division records comes into play in tiebreaker scenarios.) Further, even if such a rule was adopted, it wouldn’t prevent other inequities. For example, how do you weigh the fact that Georgia’s first SEC game in 2012 is at Missouri and is the Tigers’ first conference game (which will be kind of hyped), while South Carolina gets Missouri two weeks later at home (and following games against East Carolina and Alabama-Birmingham).
Also, I suspect that if a scheduling glitch after conference expansion hadn’t knocked Alabama off of Georgia’s schedule, Spurrier might not be making this pitch. Just saying.
By Jeff Schultz
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272 comments Add your comment
The Facts
April 18th, 2012
7:51 pm
Have a good nite, and be says your prayers tonight that another UGA bulldog does not get arrested or does his impression of Emeril and puts some “BAM” into his next recipe.
“be sure to say your prayers”
Game Changer
April 18th, 2012
7:51 pm
@Facts: if this rule was in place the GA football team would have only played in the SECCG Once, 2003 season and South Carolina would have been in two SECCG.
GA has not done anything nor been worthy of anything anymore than South Carolina. GA has been just one step above kentucky and Vandy in football ever since the Divisions were formed in 1991.
SECCG list for east division since 1991
Florida and Tenn would account for 18 out of 21 seccg from the east
SC – would be 2 games
GA – would be 1 game
Kent and Vandy 0
IF THIS DOES NOT YELL OUT GA FOOTBALL SUX, DONT KNOW WHAT IT IS GONNA TAKE FOR CHANGE
typical uga homer
April 18th, 2012
7:57 pm
look at game changer bring the pain…nice…
Macon Dawg
April 18th, 2012
7:58 pm
@ The Facts – It is true that UGA’s schedule last year and this year is favorable as they don’t have BAMA, LSU or Ark. That is the breaks because in years to come UGA WILL have them on the schedule and those teams will rotate off of USC’s schedule. There have been years past when the Eastern Division was stronger and some of the West teams got off easy because they didn’t have to play UT or UF. The divisions where chosen years ago. Teams go up and down in strength and schedules are formatted in advance BY THE LEAGUE and not by individual schools. In addition, had the SEC decided to move another school from the West to the East in lieu of putting MIZZOU in the East, UGA would be playing BAMA this year. It was NOT UGA’s choice to have BAMA move off the schedule this year. It was Birmingham’s decision. So, if you want to state “The Facts” make sure you consider ALL the facts and not just those selected facts you choose to write about. By the way, UGA WILL BE playing BAMA this year. It just won’t be in the regular season. I also am sure that you are not reading my respose as you are currently in your bedroom changing your girlie panties. If I had your address I would send you a wheel of Wisconsin’s finest cheese to go with that whine.
typical uga homer
April 18th, 2012
7:59 pm
and nice job by facts, putting nc in his place…
The Factor
April 18th, 2012
7:59 pm
@Facts
You too are a Pinhead
Like UGA went to to the SEC Conference Commish and said, “please give us an easy schedule”. What a DA. Schedules are made years in advance. We were getting ready to start a new rotation with Bama and it made sense to the conference office to rotate Mizzou in. Oh! There has to be a conspiracy! Look junior, many a National Title have been won in this conference and others when the schedule sets up. Just ask SoCal. No apologies here.
GTBob
April 18th, 2012
8:00 pm
Let’s see…there are how many teams in the East and we have been there 4 times in 12 years?
There are what, 3 teams in the east that have a legitimate shot at winning the east every year? Split evenly you should make the title game once every 3 years even if you aren’t playing that well. UGA has had more talent then any other team in the SEC in the past 12 years and that is the best they could do? Average?
typical uga homer
April 18th, 2012
8:01 pm
just be quiet and take your medicine, dawg nation…
The Factor
April 18th, 2012
8:06 pm
@GT Bob,
The top teams in this conference would be like Texas/Oklahoma & SoCal in their conferences.
head injury dawg
April 18th, 2012
8:08 pm
did yall know that in the past 22 years that Vandy has beaten Georgia more often than Georgia has beaten Florida. We suck huh.
Lowcountry Bulldawg
April 18th, 2012
8:09 pm
The Facts-
You preficed the comment by saying if the SEC where serious? Week prefice imo, but whatever fits your agenda. Of course people said that in 1992, but seriously you think any SEC coach wants 9 STRAIGHT conference games, then a SEC Title Game? Hate UGA all you want but at least have something intelligent to add to the discussion or continue to be lumped in with the other trolls.
bi-polar dawg
April 18th, 2012
8:13 pm
one day I wear my Sugar Bowl vs Hawaii t-shirt. The next day I wear my West Virginia Sugar Bowl t-shirt. I don’t never wear my Liberty Bowl Central Florida t-shirt. An some times I wear my Music City Bowl Boston College t-shirt. we don’t have much of a history. I’m just now figuring that out.
7576DAWG
April 18th, 2012
8:13 pm
Spurrier is full of it this time. These things go in cycles. Why wasn’t he showing any love for the West teams back when the East division dominated the West in the SEC.
The main reason you have to count all SEC games when determining the division winners is because If a team like South Carolina plays all of their hard East opponents early and win but they lose a few key players like Lattimore then the only hard games left in their division are against the easiest opponents which they can beat very easily without key players but the hard games left on their schedule are all against West division opponents and they end up losing 3 of those games. So in this scenario. Georgia would have one lose to South Carolina’s three losses but without those key player , like Latimore no way they beat Georgia late in the year so who would deserve to play for the East. The best team which at the end of the year would be Georgia or a three lose team like South Carolia who would get killed without key players like Lattimore.
It’s a dumb argument for Spurrier to think the SEC wouldn’t pick their East and West division winner by going with the best conference records at the end of the year.
The Facts
April 18th, 2012
8:14 pm
Macon Dawg
April 18th, 2012
7:58 pm
@ The Facts – It is true that UGA’s schedule last year and this year is favorable as they don’t have BAMA, LSU or Ark. That is the breaks because in years to come UGA WILL have them on the schedule and those teams will rotate off of USC’s schedule. There have been years past when the Eastern Division was stronger and some of the West teams got off easy because they didn’t have to play UT or UF. The divisions where chosen years ago. Teams go up and down in strength and schedules are formatted in advance BY THE LEAGUE and not by individual schools. In addition, had the SEC decided to move another school from the West to the East in lieu of putting MIZZOU in the East, UGA would be playing BAMA this year. It was NOT UGA’s choice to have BAMA move off the schedule this year. It was Birmingham’s decision. So, if you want to state “The Facts” make sure you consider ALL the facts and not just those selected facts you choose to write about. By the way, UGA WILL BE playing BAMA this year. It just won’t be in the regular season. I also am sure that you are not reading my respose as you are currently in your bedroom changing your girlie panties. If I had your address I would send you a wheel of Wisconsin’s finest cheese to go with that whine.
The real Fact is that UGA will not have to face LSU/Alabama/ or Arkansas in the same year with the new formatted schedule unless the conference adds an additional game.
I would not be so hard on UGA fans if SOME fans did not come on here, act like UGA invented football, lead the SEC, and/or are a dominant SEC or BCS title contender. 1980. 32 years and counting. Most UGA fans( mostly those who graduated from UGA) are very good fans, but many many are so blind and unintelligent they do not understand that they are not that great program.
Records against the top 25 final ranked teams the past 5 years to reflect the current level of the UGA program. Enough said.
The Facts
April 18th, 2012
8:19 pm
Lowcountry Bulldawg
April 18th, 2012
8:09 pm
The Facts-
You preficed the comment by saying if the SEC where serious? Week prefice imo, but whatever fits your agenda. Of course people said that in 1992, but seriously you think any SEC coach wants 9 STRAIGHT conference games, then a SEC Title Game? Hate UGA all you want but at least have something intelligent to add to the discussion or continue to be lumped in with the other trolls.
When did the “Conference” begin caring about the “Coaches”. That has not been the model the SEC has presented the past three years in Destin when the coaches voted one way and the Presidents did the opposite. Just the facts.
GTBob
April 18th, 2012
8:21 pm
The top teams in this conference would be like Texas/Oklahoma & SoCal in their conferences.
In the west they would. Are you really going to claim that the top 3 teams in the SEC east are better then every other team in college football?
typical uga homer
April 18th, 2012
8:24 pm
the truthers are just dominating the kool-aders…making it look easy…
Boise Dawg
April 18th, 2012
8:28 pm
I don’t agree with Spurrior at all… and I’d say the same even if it was Georgia that was facing an unfavorable schedule. The idea that conference games wouldn’t count towards divisional standings is beyond stupid. I do agree that there are inequities from year to year and it is only goign to get worse with conference expansion unless they play more conference games. I’d actually prefer a situation where the conferences were smaller but you had to play everyone. The change he should be advocating is to combine the standings and take the top 2 teams to play in the SEC title game, even if they are in the same division. That would be the best solution to ensure the top 2 teams played in the game. In the event of a tie, take the higher ranked team.
The Factor
April 18th, 2012
8:31 pm
@GTBob,
I am not. Generally and over years (because the East has been more dominant since the SEC split) the top of the SEC would be a wrecking ball in any other conference. Even the former Wisconsin coach, Alvarez, said after we held eventual Heisman winner Ron Dane to 18 yards rushing and beat them in the Outback Bowl years back, “We just can”t compete with that kind of speed”.
The Facts
April 18th, 2012
8:34 pm
Has anyone else noticed how similiar the UGA program today is like the FSU program in the final 5 years of Coach Bowden’s tenure?
Signing Top RB’s, QB’s, following up with poor discipline and poor leadership within the team
Kingdaddy
April 18th, 2012
8:39 pm
Steve wants to change the rules because of poor Tennessee and Florida. LOL. Does anyone on this blog believe this? If it doesn’t help Steve Spurrier, he has nothing to do with it. Gamecocks don’t even believe it, because the old ball-coach is just a slick car salesman. Good coach, sleazy person with a need to try to out-fox the opposition. The only problem is, he will have to lobby to change the rules again the next time it would benefit him. He’s just a transparent whinner, who doesn’t get any attention since he got banished to S.C. LOL …
George P
April 18th, 2012
8:39 pm
He’s got a point. The best team in the SEC East is the one that beats the most other SEC East teams. That’s pretty obvious.
typical uga homer
April 18th, 2012
8:41 pm
@ the factor…“We just can”t compete with that kind of speed”.
no such comments from the michigan state, boise or ucf coaches…
@ the facts…almost mirror images…cut from the same cloth fsu is georgia with a richer tradition…
Game Changer
April 18th, 2012
8:46 pm
As a GA alum and fan of SEC football, this best conference ever – I am over the NCAA and the structure concerning the mythical national championship game. Let’s have a system that promotes finding the best SEC TEAM AND TO HELL WITH THE NCAA. 13 Game schedule of nothing but SEC games. Two best records play for the SEC NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!
If the NCAA THEN WANTS AN ADD ONE: SEC CHAMPION WILL PLAY THEM
typical uga homer
April 18th, 2012
8:49 pm
no way mcgarrity goes for that….
Game Changer
April 18th, 2012
8:54 pm
mcgarity is a p???y
Kingdaddy
April 18th, 2012
8:55 pm
LMAO, go ahead and change it you idiots. Guess who it’s going to help in a couple of years LOL. Y’all are such lame-crocks. By the time this rule goes into effect, UGA will be playing Alabama again and S.C.s schedule may be easier. Then your whiney car-salesman coach will have to try to try to change the rules back to suit him again. LOL, go ahead, make my day… Use your brain for something besides a battering ram…
Ben
April 18th, 2012
8:55 pm
Reminds me of when Dooley argued in 1981 that the #1 team the prior year should start off the next season #1…….
Kingdaddy
April 18th, 2012
9:11 pm
Schultz
The photo in the lead made me throw-up in my mouth a little bit. It looks like Rex! Ryan ate one of his assistants. The old Car-salesman might want to put him on a serious diet …
blueforever
April 18th, 2012
9:13 pm
5 or 6 seasons ago teams would have been lining up to put Alabama on their schedule. Just like teams will once again be lining up to put South Carolina on theirs here, soon. Spurrier had an opportunity to win 7 SEC games and punch his ticket to Atlanta but he and his squad of crybabies blew it. Now he’s making them all look and sound like buffoons – as if they needed help.
LakeDawg
April 18th, 2012
9:17 pm
Spurrier is trying to go out with a bang. However, he has just seen his peak at USC. He will go out with a fizzle and be out of coaching in two years.
Rubber Neck
April 18th, 2012
9:19 pm
So I guess Visor Boy is going to petition the NFL and MLB to alter the way they determine division champs, too, huh?
Kingdaddy
April 18th, 2012
9:21 pm
“Git en muh belly! ” Y’all are bigger whinners than your ol-car-salesman …
The Facts
April 18th, 2012
9:25 pm
LakeDawg
April 18th, 2012
9:17 pm
Spurrier is trying to go out with a bang. However, he has just seen his peak at USC. He will go out with a fizzle and be out of coaching in two years.
Spurrier may be on his way out, they all do at some time or another, but he still has a National Championship ring on his finger. Fulmer got his, Meyer got his, Miles got his, Saban has three, Chizik has his. Who is missing off that list that has more than 5 years as a head coach in the SEC?
You figure it out!
Wait….the next statement out of your mouth will be “The Dawgs and CMR will get theirs within the next couple of years!” Right?
SAY WHAT??!!
April 18th, 2012
9:36 pm
I THANK STEVE DONE GONE AND BUMPED HIS HAYYID!!
Lowcountry Bulldawg
April 18th, 2012
9:47 pm
The Facts-
Partner I am just telling you that the SEC will never alot the 1st three games to non-conference games and run off a minimum of 9 straight conference games and 10 for two teams. That is the facts.
Josh Cavallin
April 18th, 2012
9:50 pm
You Georgia fans are always pickin’ on South Carolina! That hurts my feelings. I’m unfriending all of you! So THERE! Take that! Besides, most of you didn’t even go to UGA, which means you have no business being a GA fan! BTW, Have you assessed your insurance policy lately? Call me.
jeff
April 18th, 2012
10:29 pm
So many useless comments from whining SC fans, GAMBS is one of the best. Do you not realize the rotattion with the other division rotates. Stevie is worried about being fair to UT & UF right…..
He is just following marching orders from cry baby boosters. SC has 2 seasons of even being relevant in the SEC & suddenly he wants it ALL to be fair. Stevie, the fair comes once a year & you have to pay to get in.
ajc sports fan
April 18th, 2012
10:32 pm
durrty dogg..u a idiot. Prove what you say and stop the bs.
Dawg89
April 18th, 2012
10:37 pm
That’s Spurrier’s opinion today. Whne a different opinion serves him better, he will have one.
I admit I like Spurrier. Can’t blame him for arguing the position that benefits his team most. At least he has an opinion and is willing to share it. I think he is entertaining. Twenty years ago, he made me mad. Now, he makes me laugh. Funny how tim changes your perspective.
Dawg89
April 18th, 2012
10:41 pm
I know it sounds blasphemous, but have you ever wondered what Spurrier could do with the talent at UGA? I have. Imagine him calling plays instead of Bobo.
Kingdaddy
April 18th, 2012
11:04 pm
Dawg89
I will pray for you. Saying stuff like that will get you a seat in the Dog-house …
Tdawg
April 18th, 2012
11:09 pm
Got a unique idea for ya The Facts. Stop your biotching and win your conference games and you want have a reason to cry.
Having said that. I totally agree with the ole ball coach and if you know me at all, you would then know that wasn’t easy for me to say. I have been asking that same question sense the SEC split into two conferences. Why should a loss to a Western Conference team count against a team in the East and visa versa? Personally I’d like to see at least one more team added to each conference and do away with the East vs West conference games all together. Rival games such as Auburn vs Georgia and Tennessee vs Alabama would continue, but these game would not count as a conference game. Steve Spurrier and I don’t agree on much, but this one thing. I 100% agree with him.
Paul in NH
April 18th, 2012
11:14 pm
The 1997 Wisconsin team that lost to UGA in the Outback Bowl couldn’t compete in the Big 10 – they finished 5th in the conference that year. Dane was a SO on the team.
Lakedawg
April 18th, 2012
11:26 pm
T, you and Spurriers opionion carry about as much weight here as it will carry at the SEC meetings.
They will totally be laughed at. Tee the ball up in 4 1/2 months and we will fin out who is the best.
Smart miney says the Dawgs and LSU rematch wil whole different outcome this year.
Tdawg
April 18th, 2012
11:28 pm
Boise dog that won’t work. Given the same situation as last season. Alabama with a 1 loss season and LSU with an undefeated season in the West and in the East a once beaten Georgia, Florida, Tennessee team will never be picked over a once beaten Alabama team. How would that be fair. Nope, it has to be a East vs West thing or the two conferences should go back to just playing as one conference.
The “so-called” Facts if your post wasn’t so asinine, maybe we wouldn’t be so hard on your BS post.
Hairy Dawg
April 18th, 2012
11:30 pm
That sorry Visor Boy is always trying to cheating for the chicken chokers. Otherwise the lamecocks can’t win nothing. We got the team to make Stevie pay this year specially when I hears that Fattymore isn’t making it back by game time. We loaded enough on D to shut down chickens that running the Columbia float and goat O where Shaw blows games by floating wounded bird passes that turn into pick 6 to make him goat.
Visor Boy goning really love those late over the middle float and goat passes from Shaw to Dawgs D. But its is funny to watch Stevie throw that visor into ground for behavior problem Garcia and rag arm Shaw.
Dawgs D and Grantham will completely shut down washed old man Stevie cause we got the talent and he gots only chicken chumpings. And then Dawgs O got the experience by the time we play to light up Visor Boy like he was playing FSU or something. And that why it don’t matter what Visor Boy try do for rules when we goning to beheads the chickens this years anyway ourselves.
Go Dawgs!
rlinaug
April 18th, 2012
11:32 pm
Spurrier is a sore lose but an even poorer winner.
Hairy Dawg
April 18th, 2012
11:34 pm
That sorry Visor Boy is always trying to cheating for the chicken chokers. Otherwise the lamechicks can’t win nothing. We got the team to make Stevie pay this year specially when I hears that Fattymore isn’t making it back by game time. We loaded enough on D to shut down chickens that running the Columbia float and goat O where Shaw blows games by floating wounded bird passes that turn into pick 6 to make him goat.
Visor Boy goning really love those late over the middle float and goat passes from Shaw to Dawgs D. But its is funny to watch Stevie throw that visor into ground for behavior problem Garcia and noodle arm Shaw.
Dawgs D and Grantham will completely shut down washed old man Stevie cause we got the talent and he gots only chicken chumpings. And then Dawgs O got the experience by the time we play to light up Visor Boy like he was playing FSU or something. And that why it don’t matter what Visor Boy try do for rules when we goning to beheads the chickens this years anyway ourselves.
Go Dawgs!
Tdawg
April 18th, 2012
11:42 pm
Maybe so Lakedawg , but every once in a great while, common sense will take hold and things will be done as they SHOULD. Just give me one good reason, outside of your dislike of Spurrier and trust me when I say this. You can’t possibly dislike the man anymore than I do. Where is he wrong in his reasoning? I have felt this way every sense the conferences split. Why should it count against you as a conference loss when in all reality they are not really in your conference? Just because that is the rule of the day, don’t make it right and like I said. Every once in a while common sense will set in and people will correct a wrong, whether we like it or not.
One other thing Lakedawg. I’ll bet you one thing. His argument will be given serious consideration and not saying this year, but in couple of years may even be implemented. After all. What he is asking for makes a lot more sense than what we now have on the table.