Auburn to the SEC East? It’s a cushy move – for the moment
Howdy there, folks. Welcome back to the neighborhood. (AJC photo by Johnny Crawford)
Provided Kenneth Starr and Baylor don’t get litigious again, Missouri is expected to become the SEC’s 14th member at any moment. And with Missouri and Texas A&M arriving as Nos. 14 and 13, somebody from the current SEC West will have to move to the East for the sake of balance. Most folks expect the mover to be Auburn — although Alabama, being its selfish self, is making noises about preferring that its arch-enemy stay put — and how would Auburn feel about upping sticks?
Pretty darn good.
Auburn is based in the Central Time Zone by the grace of 25 miles. It’s almost as close to Atlanta’s southern suburbs as to the capital of Alabama. The Tigers’ greatest rival has always been the school in Tuscaloosa, duh, but for most of Auburn’s existence its next-biggest rivals were Georgia and Florida and Tennessee. (And don’t forget Georgia Tech, which is now out of reach in the ACC, which will require some realignment of its own. Auburn students would hold a Wreck Tech parade — I once covered it — before that annual game.)
Auburn-Georgia remains an annual fixture — it’s the Oldest Rivalry in the Deep South and, in my view, the best game of most every year — but Auburn-Tennessee and Auburn-Florida were lost to the realities of divisional scheduling. They’d return with Auburn’s move to the East, and the Tigers wouldn’t be displeased.
Back in September, both Auburn president Jay Gogue and AD Jay Jacobs said they’d have no problem with moving, and in saying “no problem” they sounded almost giddy. As Jacobs told Jon Solomon of the Birmingham News: “We have so many students come from Florida, Tennessee, Georgia, they come on campus and say, ‘Why aren’t we playing Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, South Carolina?’ ”
What Gogue and Jacobs didn’t say was what seems rather blatant: As it stands, the SEC East would be easier to win than the West. (Arkansas, the third-best team in the six-team West, is ranked ninth in the BCS standings.) But here we need to say, “Whoa.”
When the SEC split into divisions, the East became Beverly Hills and remained so until Steve Spurrier left for the NFL and Tennessee began to wobble. Of the first 11 SEC championship games, the East won eight. Only after Nick Saban planted his flag at LSU did the West begin to rise, and only after Saban returned from his own NFL misfire to reconfigure Alabama did the West become the cutthroat division we see now.
Alabama and LSU are two of the three best teams in the country. Arkansas is nuzzling into the Top 10. Auburn won the 2010 BCS title. Mississippi State, which was either the fourth- or fifth-best team in the six-team division, was ranked No. 20 nationally in preseason. (That was before anybody realized the maroon Bulldogs couldn’t beat any of its Western brethren save Ole Miss.) The winner of the SEC West has won not just three of the past four SEC titles but three of the past four national championships. That said …
These things are, as things tend to be, cyclical. From 1994 through 2003, every SEC East winner — meaning Florida, Tennessee or Georgia — was ranked No. 6 or higher in the Associated Press poll entering the league championship game. Over that span, only two SEC West champs — Alabama in 1994 and LSU in 2003 — were ranked as high as No. 6.
But Florida is on its third coach since Spurrier and Tennessee on its second since Phillip Fulmer and South Carolina, which for a century stood as a case study in never-won-anything, took the SEC East last year with three conference losses. (And got beaten by 39 points by Auburn in the title game.) Georgia is scrambling to bleed out another division title to prove it’s still relevant. Add all that together, and … why wouldn’t the Tigers be thrilled at the prospects of relocation?
Just as Florida and Tennessee weren’t impervious to time and tide (pun intended), Alabama and LSU and Arkansas won’t be, either. What if Saban takes $10 million to go rescue Texas? What if Les Miles gets a similar offer from Ohio State? What if Derek Dooley loses to Vanderbilt and Tennessee looks to Bobby Petrino, ever-ready to relocate?
For all the homage we pay to college football’s traditions, the cold truth is that the sport’s greatest determinant is the head coach. Alabama won a national championship under Gene Stallings in the first season of SEC divisional play, but didn’t sniff another until Saban worked his dark magic. Florida ruled the SEC under Spurrier but became a punch line under Ron Zook; then it hired Urban Meyer, who won twice as many national titles as the Evil Genius.
So long as Saban and Miles and Petrino remain in the SEC West, any opponent would find the going softer anywhere else. But that’s the catch with coaches. Eventually they leave, and everything changes.
By Mark Bradley
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336 comments Add your comment
GT
October 19th, 2011
11:56 am
Georgia is a perfect example. They get some coaching and they are SEC Champs. You put Auburn in the East, and they are already getting beat by South Carolina, you will see a more tightly run program at Georgia and those westerners will be glad they are not there.
Herschel Talker
October 19th, 2011
11:58 am
MB:
You say that Alabama would forget all about Tennessee, but then you say how the Auburn AD says people wonder why now they don’t regularly play UF and UT. Well…which is it? You can’t have it both ways.
HT
LHM1509
October 19th, 2011
11:59 am
I have no desire for Mizzou in the SEC. But, explaine who else would come to the East. I heard it discussed before about AU and Bama both coming East. That would even out the number of teams wouldn’t it?
Mighty whale !
October 19th, 2011
12:00 pm
If Alabama and Auburn are in the east and Vandy goes to the west , LSU would play in the SEC title game every year against a team of half dead zombie kids . The east would be just way to brutal .
Good one Mark!
October 19th, 2011
12:01 pm
The only thing worse than “mark it down” is when a poster adds the word “fact” to the end of every sentence.
dinkdunk
October 19th, 2011
12:01 pm
Well heck, if it pisses the tree killers off to move to the East, what are we waiting for?
Doesn’t seem to really matter-bring any of em’ on.
War Eagle!
GeoffDawg
October 19th, 2011
12:01 pm
I guarantee death and taxes. Mark it down!
NorthStarsDave
October 19th, 2011
12:02 pm
GeoffDawg….
As you know…this is a totally different time….you could still play the UGA-Tech game AFTER the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff game…..
And for Tech Guy….isn’t Tech now a part of the Big East….since nearly half of their original football playing teams are in the ACC???
DUH!
GeoffDawg
October 19th, 2011
12:02 pm
FACT.
Good one Mark!
October 19th, 2011
12:03 pm
@Chuck
You can’t move Alabama and Auburn both to the East. Mizzou and the Automatic Teller Machines don’t have enough game to fill that void.
GeoffDawg
October 19th, 2011
12:04 pm
Regarding UGA-Tech, I think there was overwhelming opposition to the scheduling traditionalists. That and I think that tech also was requiring that Georgia switch the odd-even scheme for the home and home. Maybe one day but not anytime soon IMO.
Dr. Skeptic
October 19th, 2011
12:04 pm
Can someone answer the most important question of all – How does adding these two lame schools HELP the SEC? Whats the point. Just doing something for the sake of doing something. So dumb. Why mess with the greatest conference in college sports history when its at its peak?
Good one Mark!
October 19th, 2011
12:06 pm
@Dr. Skeptic
ESPN has a big bucketful of dollars waiting for Mike Slive after this expansion is done. That’s why.
Hot Dawg
October 19th, 2011
12:06 pm
Hey Tech Guy, did you actually just says that. You guys just lost to UVA! UVA! LOL! I would love to see you Nerds in the SEC with your little option attack. What a joke. See you in ATL for your annual Thanksgiving butt kicking!
No. 19 Auburn challenges top-ranked LSU – Canada.com « סיקורים וחדשות
October 19th, 2011
12:07 pm
[...] Atlanta Journal Constitution [...]
PJ's Turkey Neck
October 19th, 2011
12:07 pm
Mark Bradley wears a skirt
Richt`s Hammer
October 19th, 2011
12:08 pm
Lord not another bunch of thugs in the east. Our thugs will get jealous.
SEC Insider
October 19th, 2011
12:08 pm
There are four holdouts on approving Mizzou, and it has to do with breaking up the existing E/W conference alignment. Mizzou needs nine votes for entry.
Bobby Knight
October 19th, 2011
12:11 pm
Mark,
All of us learn to write by the second grade, then most of us go on to other things.
Just Say NO
October 19th, 2011
12:13 pm
Just Say NO to Mizzou!
RxDawg
October 19th, 2011
12:13 pm
Nah, word is Missouri will be placed in the east. And if you look at a picture of the divisions it kinda makes sense. Besides that’s the most likely way they’ll get all the votes they need for admission.
The Truth
October 19th, 2011
12:14 pm
Missouri comes in to the East. The initial vote was held up by Ala, Tenn, LSU, Fla because each wanted to preserve a rivalry game which would disappear if Auburn came East. LSU wants Fla as their crossover rival and to avoid every other year in Columbia, Tenn wants Ala. The Commissioner wanted unanimous approval. Missouri begins league play in 2013, joining the East makes scheduling much easier. Missouri’s campus is located closer to Lexington, Nashville, KNoxville than any of the West schools, it’s equal distance to Athens as Auburn, equal distance to Gainesville as College Station, closer to Columbia SC than Baton Rouge.
bad moon
October 19th, 2011
12:18 pm
PLEASE SAY IT AIN’T SO!!!
Not Missouri! Why in the hell do we want to downgrade? The reason you bring people into your exclusive club is because it will make you better. How does Missouri make the SEC better? Honestly with all do respect. They are not SEC material. Clemson , Florida State even West Virginia makes more sense than Missouri.
Banned Poster
October 19th, 2011
12:19 pm
Dr. Skeptic, Mizzou brings the St. Louis and Kansas City media markets into the SEC coffers. A&M brings the Houston market and all of the sudden SEC sports are seen on many more TVs which bring in many many more $$$.
Personally I like AUB moving to the east, but would have no problem with Mizzou in the east as well.
Boca Baby
October 19th, 2011
12:19 pm
DC: And what is your point? Is not Auburn 1-5 against UGA in the past six? I would love to have Auburn in the East. Based on past trends the Dawgs could put a “W” in the column at the beginning of the season.
ARdawg
October 19th, 2011
12:19 pm
Forget the idea that each team has to play every team in their own divison. Instead each team has to play the same number of SEC games, problem solved. You peeps in blogosphere really do over complicate chit
bad moon
October 19th, 2011
12:20 pm
Hopefully Bradley is wrong. He usually is.
bob
October 19th, 2011
12:23 pm
Tennessee would join Alabama in objecting. Mizzou will come to the east, geography be damned. Hell, 75% of the kids in Kansas City highschools recently failed a geography test trying to locate their home town on a map.
bad moon
October 19th, 2011
12:23 pm
Can’t we get a member that can bring some attitude, history, geography, culture , winning tradition, etc etc ?? Who gives a crap about somebody in St Louis watching the game on T.V. Last time I checked we were doing fine without the St Louis T.V market.
GTBob
October 19th, 2011
12:23 pm
Clemson , Florida State even West Virginia makes more sense than Missouri.
Clemson and FSU have no interest in the SEC and West Virginia has already reportedly been turned down by the SEC and ACC. Missouri is their best option, now that the Big 10 has decided that they don’t want them.
zbulldawg
October 19th, 2011
12:23 pm
Mizzou to the west! Auburn Bama to the EAST Let’s rock and roll. If Saban wants to run out let him go.He never sticks it out anywhere anyway.The power in the SEC will always been there! What hurt the SEC in the past was being tied to the sugar bowl.The only way a SEC team could get a shot at a national championship in past before the spilt was to go undefeated. That was almost impossible before.I say if we are going to have 7 in each sub conference let’s cut down on travel so the players have more time for school.
wesmcdawg
October 19th, 2011
12:24 pm
AU to to east would make the most sense and restoring the game with Ole Miss would be great for UGA.
Can’t wait to see the video of you being held accountable for some of the awful things you spew about UGA. Explain to me why Franklin gets a pass for his antics in your column? What if Richt would have been videoed crying to Franklin that Vandy’s players where rubbing it in my face after last years victory in Athens? Your column would have been how helpless Richt has lost his edge. You are a hater pure and simple.
I’m sure your thick skin self can appreciate the fact that Franklin needs to grow a pair. Vandy’s center should be suspended one game for the cheap shot. Hoping Schultz punches you in the face on principle. Have a good day.
Boca Baby
October 19th, 2011
12:24 pm
Texas A&M ok. But Missouri? The is The “Southeastern” Conference. A&M already has a regional footprint with many of the West division school recruiting the same players. And there has not been much talk about logistics. Aside from football and basketball (revenue sports) the non revenue sports would have a nightmare on their hands. Talking about stretching athletic budgets. The St Louis TV market is not worth what is will cost to make this thing work with Missouri in the fold.
John
October 19th, 2011
12:24 pm
Put Missouri in the East. They actually are as geographically close to some eastern teams than western teams. All of this ridiculous realignment does not pay much attention to geography…I don’t know why it should here when nothing would be altered by Missouri going to the east. All the rivalry games stay in tact and A&M and Mizzou could play every year as their new “rivalry”.
robodawg
October 19th, 2011
12:26 pm
So the Bama-Tennessee annual rivalry goes on the chopping block, right? I expect their fans to be the most upset. But it’s a good move for Auburn.
01HAWK
October 19th, 2011
12:27 pm
I like the sound of this.
SEC Championship
BAMA – WEST VS. AUBARN – EAST
UGA fans would be very upset. If AUBARN goes to EAST………………………….You know it will happen.
Sharpshooter
October 19th, 2011
12:28 pm
If Mizz goes SEC, the conference should just go all out and try to bring in Oklahoma and Oklahoma “lite.” Then you could have Mizz., OK, ok lite, Ark, A&M, LSU, Miss, Miss St. in the west and everyone else can go east. What a conference that would be. OK thinks they can only survive if they continue to feed off of texas’ teat. Someone needs to convince them there are better options out there.
Slive=Slime
October 19th, 2011
12:28 pm
I understand why the money brokers want this to happen. What I don’t understand is why the hack reporters and a lot of the fans are following suit like little lemmings? You guys aren’t getting a check in the mail if and when this all happens.
Nick
October 19th, 2011
12:29 pm
I think Auburn moving East poses a problem with the yearly rivalries with AL-AU & AL-TN.
robodawg
October 19th, 2011
12:29 pm
Auburn’s move drastically shifts the balance of power in the East. I expect Florida will win the division half the time (they should fire their coach if they do any less because they have the most talent anywhere). Auburn, UGA, Tennessee and S Carolina will slug it out the remaining years. It will be much tougher for UGA to entrench ourselves where we want the program to be, in the upper tier alongside Florida.
But trading Auburn for Mizzou undoubtedly makes the West an easier division.
01HAWK
October 19th, 2011
12:30 pm
BAMA………………………………..AUBARN……………………..SEC Championship MATCH.
Have to love it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ARdawg
October 19th, 2011
12:30 pm
GTBob!
Hows that race for the BCS championship game working out for you?
WAR CAM EAGLE (not guilty)
October 19th, 2011
12:32 pm
I HEARD IT WOULD TAKE EFFECT THIS SEASON AND I HOPE ITS TRUE. WE WOULD LOVE TO BICH SLAP THE DAWGS OUT OF THE SEC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Saban
October 19th, 2011
12:32 pm
I’m in my 5th year at Bama now…and just signed a contract for another 6 years. You Insider Dorks have been saying “book it” that I’m leaving since Day 1. When I leave in another 8-10 years you will all say “SEE!!! I TOLD YOU SO!!!”
7576DAWG
October 19th, 2011
12:33 pm
By going to 14 team that tells me eventually the SEC will end up with 16 . I think we should go ahead and make it mandatory that we play 9 conference games now and that would help preserve a lot of the rivalries..
Ted M
October 19th, 2011
12:34 pm
Does this all happen in time for next season?
SEC Insider
October 19th, 2011
12:34 pm
@ARdawg
Can’t have a playoff game unless each division plays every team in their division.
SEC Insider
October 19th, 2011
12:35 pm
Ted M
October 19th, 2011
12:34 pm
“Does this all happen in time for next season?”
That’s the plan.
DC
October 19th, 2011
12:36 pm
Boca baby…love it…1-6..oh Kiss the ring!
GTBob
October 19th, 2011
12:36 pm
Hows that race for the BCS championship game working out for you?
Not good. We are a bit of a long shot now. I’m not sure any team has ever lost to UVA and gone on to win a championship.