Spurrier, Richt still disagree over how to tally division standings
DESTIN, Fla. — South Carolina football coach Steve Spurrier continues to pitch his proposal to count only intra-division games in deciding the SEC East and SEC West champions.
That way, Spurrier said, “you’d have a true division champion to play the other division champion” in the SEC title game.
Spurrier raised the idea after his Gamecocks went undefeated against SEC East opponents last season, but finished second behind Georgia in the division because of two losses to SEC West foes.
Spurrier said several SEC coaches support his proposal, which was discussed on the first day of the league’s annual spring meetings here. But the proposal seems an extreme longshot at best.
“I think that will be brought to the table for athletic directors to think about,” SEC commissioner Mike Slive said. But asked his opinion of the proposal, Slive said: “I think it’s hard for me to think about a conference game that doesn’t count.”
Georgia coach Mark Richt good-naturedly rejected Spurrier’s proposal.
“I think every man has a right to his opinion,” Richt said. “If it gets changed, then good for him, I guess, this year. I don’t know if he’d feel that way every year, but [based on last season] he’d probably feel good about it.
“I don’t think it’s going to change. I’ve always said, for me personally, tell me what the rules are at the beginning of the year and let’s go play by them.”
The current system penalizes in the SEC East standings the teams that play the stronger cross-division opponents, Spurrier argued, citing Tennessee’s annual game against Alabama.
LSU coach Les Miles previously has agreed with Spurrier’s position. But Alabama coach Nick Saban said that under Spurrier’s proposal, “then we’re really not an SEC. We’re really just an East and a West. So why would we even play the games?”
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218 comments Add your comment
UGA Insider
May 30th, 2012
10:04 am
Spurrier lost to Auburn at home. UGA trounced Auburn at home. Spurrier is a bad loser. If we don’t beat USCe this year I say fire CMR immediately after the game! No excuses this year.
Douglas
May 30th, 2012
10:06 am
Wow…you know..just a few years ago, UGA played in the east against Florida, Tenn., etc. and also played LSU and Bama in the same year — I didn’t see Spurrier complaining then. Spurrier is just frustrated because he cannot coach USC up enough to win the overall SEC championship. So now he looks for an easy way out. And little twinkie guy: I’m sorry but UGA should have beaten USC last year…you were good but you were also lucky in that game.
Gary
May 30th, 2012
10:08 am
I love people who say the SEC Championship is meaningless. Have you ever been to the game? I know a lot of Georgia fans who were crushed by a game with no meaning. I know a lot of LSU fans who were overjoyed with an amazing second half performance in a meaningless game. Seem like the players really stepped up for a meaningless game. I am sure a lot of them are very proud to hang the banner on their stadium and wear that ring on their finger. Meaningless? It is the second biggest game of the year everyyear. It is bigger than the orange, rose, fiesta, or sugar.
Alphare
May 30th, 2012
10:10 am
Spurrier did win. You thought UGA won lots of game to be East Champ last year? actually, Spurrier won as many, plus, he beat UGA head-on. Better yet, he won all East division games.
Actually his team ranked better than UGA.
But on a technicality, his team didn’t get to play in SEC Champ game. Also on a technicality, UGA got to play in the SEC Champ game.
Beast from the East
May 30th, 2012
10:17 am
How is it a technicality that UGA went 7-1 in the conference and USC went 6-2? And one last time, rankings do not factor into conference standings…only wins/losses. UGA had the easier path with their West division schedule last year. That changes from year to year and every team will benefit at one time or another.
Sissy Dawg
May 30th, 2012
10:21 am
I think it is a great proposal. Champion of a Division ought to be the team in the Division that has the best record against the Division. Georgia always somehow gets a wimpy schedule. If they played Alabama and LSU every year, they would automatically have two more losses and never ever get into the SEC title game..
kingdaddy
May 30th, 2012
10:22 am
I always thought the Ol Tired Ballcoach was a perfect match for the lame-crocks. The coach and the fans,are just a bunch of cry-babies. My question is, WHICH WAS A CRYBABY FIRST, SPURRIER OR THE LAME-CROCK FANS? That’s kinda like asking which came first, the CHICKEN OR THE EGG???
Alphare
May 30th, 2012
10:24 am
Just checked the Bible again, SEC Champ rule is not in there. That tells me the rule is a man-made rule.
Some Pro formats only count inner-division games, and don’t count cross-division games.
SEC is known for thinking-ahead. Why cannot they think ahead and change the current rule? Such as count cross-division as half, 5th best team within the conference cannot play in conference champ game, or adopt what Spurrier proposed(count cross-division games as 0 instead of 1/2 as I proposed).
Just for you to know, man-made rules can be changed. There English words such as “reform”, “adapt”, “change” etc. There are also English “stubborn”, “outdated” etc.
GTBob
May 30th, 2012
10:26 am
It makes a lot more sense then what they have now and is more reasonable with 7 teams. It would also take away the obvious benefit that some teams have with their permanent cross division rival. Florida always has to play LSU. UGA always has to play Auburn. That isn’t exactly equal.
Chris
May 30th, 2012
10:32 am
All of this is absolute B.S., and Steve Spurrier is full of it. If his team had only one SEC lost and it was against an east rival, and that particular east rival had two SEC losses, all against west teams, Spurrier would want the rule changed back where all SEC games count.
You stupid, ignorant S.C. fans that agree with Spurrier are just reaffirming how dumb you really are.
gt4ever
May 30th, 2012
10:36 am
Richt wishes he was 1/2 the coach Spurrier has become… Maybe one day, but it would seem that Richt is still cutting his teeth… Just imagine Spurrier as the UGA coach, with the same talent.. I have no doubt UGA would already have several MNC…
SiddyBoy
May 30th, 2012
10:37 am
A coach can win a lot of games and championships and still be a loser. That’s Steve Spurrier !!!
Alphare
May 30th, 2012
10:37 am
I have a scenerio for you guys to chew on:
About the recently added SEC-Big12 bowl game. As the current rules states, that bowl game may happen once in a decade.
Let’s say we change the rule so that SEC-Big12 bowl will be played every year. The new rule I propose is: loser of SEC Champ game vs loser of Big12 Champ game.
With the new rule in mind, do you still want the 5th best SEC team to play in SEC Champ game?
Sam Robards, Dawg Fan
May 30th, 2012
10:41 am
If Spurrier had managed to beat a 7-5 Auburn team in Columbia last year (WITH Marcus Lattimore, no less), he wouldn’t be proposing this idea. That’s a fact.
And who’da thunk it? I actually agree with Nick Saban.
RTR22
May 30th, 2012
10:41 am
Much ado about nothing. Play who you play and each game counts. Almost June thankfully and Sept is in sight. Roll Tide
Neutral
May 30th, 2012
10:44 am
@Gary and others
You are sooooo correct. If Spurrier had beaten Auburn by 1 point then SC would have been in the SEC championship game. P.S. That is the same Auburn team that UGa beat by almost 6 TDs…and played “reserves” most of the second half. The bottom line is SC and Spurrier CHOCKED!!!
MurfDawg
May 30th, 2012
10:45 am
The Ole Ball Sack is taking his hatred of UGA to a new level. He is not just a whiny cry baby, but the ultimate, Grand High Boo Hoo of all the whiny cry babies in the world.
Here are the new rules for crowning the SEC East champion:
(With apologies to Jeff Foxworthy)
If you beat East Carolina at home,
you should be the SEC East champion.
If you beat a team that has a Dragon as a mascot,
you should be the SEC East champion.
If you beat the mighty and fearful Wofford Terriers,
You should be the SEC East champion.
If your coach throws his visor more than five times a game,
you should be the SEC East champion.
If your coach still has nightmares about being sacked by Bill Stanfill,
you should get a new coach with a real set of cajones and play by the same rules as everybody else and learn a little sportsmanship when you lose.
Carolina you deserve better!!
DirtyDawg
May 30th, 2012
10:48 am
Hate to admit but Saban’s right…if the games between the SEC East and the SEC West don’t count against Conference standings, why schedule them at all? Might as well do more Sisters of the Poor…then again you couldn’t get folks to come see em.
Neutral
May 30th, 2012
10:50 am
I bet Spurrier won’t bring this up in several years when the Dawgs are playing Bama and LSU……and SC is rotating with Ole Miss and Miss. state.
Switzerland
May 30th, 2012
10:52 am
hey neutral….chocked??? buy a dictionary dbag!
shankit
May 30th, 2012
10:53 am
Let’s carry this over to Baseball.
Scratch the sweep by Cincinatti and the
Braves would be near the top.
gt4ever
May 30th, 2012
10:55 am
Yikes, a lot of very insecure UGA fans….
shankit
May 30th, 2012
10:56 am
Spurrier ain’t got no class.
He don’t pay his golf bet losses.
Still waiting in the locker room at
the VCC for him to get back from
his car to pay Rodgers and Grant.
shankit
May 30th, 2012
10:58 am
Dang, Stanfill, we might have been better off to have
let him beat us.
Gator Mike
May 30th, 2012
11:02 am
All SEC Games should count, and Spurrier is off base on this subject. He seems to think So Car is going to rule the East forever which I seriously doubt. Perhaps he is simply looking at his own time clock in how much longer he will be in Columbia. I hope he never wins another SEC Title even though he is a Gator.
Neutral
May 30th, 2012
11:03 am
@Switzerland
A “choke” is when you have a championship in hand…all you need to do is hit an easy chip shot like beating Auburn
A “chock” is when you duff or shank the chip shot and then try to change the rules to declare yourself the winner…..even though you choked. Get it? Love and kisses, your favorite dirtbag
Delbert D.
May 30th, 2012
11:07 am
Spurrier appears to be playing mind games. All SEC games should count. One big thing facing college football is Slive’s contention that conference championships don’t matter.
Neutral
May 30th, 2012
11:09 am
@gt4ever
Yikes, a lot of bored GT fans reading UGa blogs…..
shankit
May 30th, 2012
11:10 am
Spurrier should be happy he didn’t have to play LSU.
He would have been 10-2 instead of 11-1.
kingdaddy
May 30th, 2012
11:14 am
I loved it when CMR said “I dont know if he’d feel that way every year ” Wow, Richt actually used a Spurrier Jab AT the Tired Ol Ballcoach! Classic Shot Across The Bow. SOUTH CAROLINA, YOU COULDN’T EVEN BEAT AUBURN!!!
gt4ever
May 30th, 2012
11:15 am
@Neutral
Just an avid sports fan… Kinda humorous to read about all this jealousy with Steve Spurrier.. Hey, just face it… Spurrier will go down as one of the BEST in the business… These insecurities are funny, but SAD…
Neutral
May 30th, 2012
11:16 am
Decory……that is a “lawyer” you quoted. Enough said!!!
Dawg Haus
May 30th, 2012
11:18 am
It’s good to see Richt take subtle shots at that old hack, isn’t it, kingdaddy?
Neutral
May 30th, 2012
11:19 am
@GT4ever
Gotcha and I agree. Spurrier may go down in history as one of the biggest jerks in the history of coaching, but to your point….he is also one of the all-time greatest coaches.
Neutral
May 30th, 2012
11:24 am
@kingdaddy
Right on brother!!!!
Tide Rising
May 30th, 2012
11:26 am
Spurrier has a point. South Carolina should have played in the seccg last year. They did in fact play one of the 3 SEC west behemoths in Arkansas while Georgia escaped having to play Bama, LSU, or Ark. And its a sure bet UGA would have lost to all 3 of them probably by blowout proportions. I can’t really blame the ole ball coach for being mad.
Techies
May 30th, 2012
11:27 am
What are you tech fans doing on this site? You know that part of Tech’s NCAA punishment for Tech’s 2nd major NCAA probation this century is no venting. Bad Bugs! Tech Cheaters get off and shut up!
cdpridg
May 30th, 2012
11:28 am
Ole ball sac….have a tissue….loser…
Walker
May 30th, 2012
11:29 am
I guess Steve will want to change this again when the schedule changes and Ga. is playing Al. and LSU. and he has the other teams. Look at history and he didn’t complain when Ga, was playing those teams and he was playing the others. He is a crazy old coach who can’t remember what he does form year to year.
Dawg in gatorville
May 30th, 2012
11:30 am
Spurrier is an idiot, it would make the other games worthless in the standings and kill the atmosphere. Him citing the annual game between Alabama and Tennessee, Well memory serves that Auburn has had a few teams over the years that were pretty good and no one complained at UGA that they had to play Auburn every year, and just a few short years ago the schedule lined up just right to assure that UGA would have no chance at the SEC. I can not wait for the SC game this year. If the Dawgs are men with a spine they will beat the gamechickens by 2 td’s.. Go Dawgs!
Death Penalty
May 30th, 2012
11:31 am
When the schedules for last year were originally set Tennessee wasn’t too far removed from being good and Alabama wasn’t too far removed from being really bad. The rotating cross-divisional opponents is what makes the current system as fair as possible. Nobody knows who the “stronger” teams are going to be in any given year – they’re just guesses until they suit up and play. Spurrier’s idea is inherently flawed and paints his as a 60-something yr. old baby. I’m embarrassed for him.
Dawg Haus
May 30th, 2012
11:33 am
Tide Rising, Spurrier has a point because it benefits him this particular year. The time will come when Georgia will have to play both Bama and LSU (a la 2008) in the same year and I can guarantee you nobody will hear him crowing about this then.
shankit
May 30th, 2012
11:34 am
What has happened to the rivalry with the Gators?
Where are all the Gaters?
All we have now is a bunch of chickens
Dawg Haus
May 30th, 2012
11:35 am
Agreed, Death Penalty!
JacketTed
May 30th, 2012
11:35 am
Spurries’s age is showing. This is a horribly thought out idea. Flawed from every angle.
I have a Question??????
May 30th, 2012
11:38 am
When did Spurrier become a Left-Wing Bed-Wetter?
kingdaddy
May 30th, 2012
11:39 am
Tide is going out
You should be worried about UGA. S.C. played 3 SECw teams and were 1-2…UGA played 3 SECw teams and was 2-1… We both played Aub. and Miss.St., while S.C. played Arkansas and got drilled at home, UGA played LSU, YOU IDIOT, ON THE ROAD (ATL.) Who would you rather play, Arkansas or LSU? Take your UGAbashing back to Alabama and worry about how many games you’re gonna lose this year! I see at least 3!!!
DawginLex
May 30th, 2012
11:41 am
To coach Spurrier:
It’s real simple son.
From the time you played Georgia last year, you played common opponents of Georgia except for Arkansas.
You lost to Arkansas
If that was your only other loss, because of beating Georgia head to head, you still win the East.
Then, because of your silly loyalty to a drunk QB who should have been kicked off the team earlier, you lost to AUBURN AT HOME. We beat auburn 45-7 and could have scored 70 on them.
YOU LOST TO AUBURN
That is not our fault
That is not the SEC’s fault
It is your fault
Man up and quit whining
sukkit
May 30th, 2012
11:43 am
Tide Rising, you know your argument is weak when you have to refer to Arkansas as a “behemoth.” That’s like saying South Carolina is a “behemoth.” Arky and USCjr are the Members Only jackets of the SEC. They’re having their brief moment in the sun but will be yesterday’s news faster than you can say, “Tanneyhill’s got cool hair.”
Tide Rising
May 30th, 2012
11:45 am
Dawg Haus,
Yes. But at that time in the future where UGA has to play say both Bama and LSU in the same year it won’t be fair to UGA just like it wasn’t really fair to USCeast last year. I’m not saying that we should turn the whole system upside- just that its a consideration.
Les Miles feels the same way also since in years past they always had Florida as their traditional cross division rival. Back when Fla was at its peak and pretty much ruling the east as well as the conference it really wasn’t fair that LSU had to play them every year while Bama, Ark., and AU usually got a pass on playing the gators. It usually meant an automatic loss for LSU which is one reason why they never even made it to the seccg until 2001.