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
russell davis
May 30th, 2012
10:33 pm
If they do that then i thank the teams that play for the national championship should have a divison title and not have two teams from the same conference should play !!!!
dawgenuff
May 30th, 2012
10:40 pm
Shankit, It was Johnny Griffith,and don’t you forget it! again!
Cmdawg99
May 30th, 2012
10:42 pm
If you couldn’t beat aweburn what makes you thing you would have beat lsu. The schedules will rotate and we will be playin the alabamas and lsu’s of the world
dawgenuff
May 30th, 2012
10:55 pm
Shankit,your reference to Ohio State turning down a chance to play UGA,is similar to 2007,when USC west turned down a chance to play UGA in the Rose Bowl and instead played Illinois.
Cmdawg99
May 30th, 2012
10:59 pm
Stevie wants only 5 games to matter to help determine a champion. So you can lose the other 7 and play in the championship game. Riiiiiiiight!!!! Better yet if that ever went through, he would play lattimore those 5 games and save him for the conference title game then for the national title. A 5 -7 team could win the whole thing would not help pur current situation.
dawgenuff
May 30th, 2012
11:05 pm
To all who cannot buy a clue, until Missouri and Texas A&M came into the SEC, UGA for 2012, was scheduled to play Clemson,USCe,Alabama, LSU, Tenn.,Florida,and Auburn. As well as Vandy and Kentucky and Ga.Tech Then the schedule changed to include Missouri.
Paul in NH
May 30th, 2012
11:57 pm
dawgenuff
May 30th, 2012
11:05 pm
To all who cannot buy a clue, until Missouri and Texas A&M came into the SEC, UGA for 2012, was scheduled to play Clemson,USCe,Alabama, LSU, Tenn.,Florida,and Auburn. As well as Vandy and Kentucky and Ga.Tech Then the schedule changed to include Missouri.
—
UGA replaced Alabama with Missouri. They were not slated to play either LSU or Clemson in 2012.
ibdawg
May 31st, 2012
12:06 am
Seriously Spurrier? I mean, I don’t need more reasons to disagree with you but let’s just start by saying: 46-15-2. If we have to we can bring up some
old numbers you might remember like: 1966 and 27-10. Get over it Steve. Take your 90’s Gator revenge years, your USC retirement golf package and shut up.
Cmdawg99
May 31st, 2012
12:58 am
Hey Stevie. Don’t you want to two best teams playing in the SECCG?…LOL
Cmdawg99
May 31st, 2012
1:00 am
Daggum auto correct
kingdaddy
May 31st, 2012
8:45 am
Doggies, do this for me this morning, turn off everything in your house that makes noise and listen very carefully. That sound you’ll hear will be little stevie crying so loud, we can hear him in Columbia.LOL…”I’ll GET YOU NEXT YEAR RICHT!!!”WAAAAAAAAAAA….
NCDAWG
May 31st, 2012
10:44 am
Spurrier is an dick, but a good coach i admit
icedawg
May 31st, 2012
10:52 am
Doesn’t matter much when you are winning them all. When the shoe is on the other foot, well, that’s a different story. Get an AD like we’ve got that schedules gimmes.
i dropped my fried twinkie
May 31st, 2012
10:59 am
Sorry guys, I’m an idiot.
Dawg '88
May 31st, 2012
12:56 pm
Spurrier got it handed to him about the “division games” only counting.
As CMR said, I am sure that last year he would have liked the rule but if the shoe had been on the other foot….his big mouth would be shut!
And one more thing Spurrier….the difference wasn’t the opponent. UGA played Auburn also. Both played them at home. UGA routed them. SCU lost to them….win that game big mouth and you would have won the East.
Spurrier = Sore loser = All around jerk
Can’t change 2011….suck it up South Carolina and Spurrier!
You revel in the win at UGA…but what good did it do you…none!
2011 SEC EAST Champions…..Georgia Bulldogs!
Bet that stings….stings bad
Dog in Nam
June 1st, 2012
5:08 am
spurrier is not a dick or a jerk, i’ve met him(years ago in nyc, and my former best friend, wayne mcduffie told me many times spurrier was a hell of a good guy, i also found him to be that way) he’s just trying to set up a temporary advantage for his few remaining years, but he’s definitely not a jerk…..and another thing, why does everyone so painfully agree with coach saban….almost all he has are salient thoughts everyday of his life….why would it pain any uga fan to agree with a brilliant man like coach saban. i love coach richt, but if he left us for another job and we outbid alabama for coach saban, he would love to coach uga….why do you think he totally revised ua’s recruiting strategy to make our state his # 1 priority….I like kirby smart, a good friend of mine, but that was all nick saban….and he would love to have all the talent we have in our high schools come to play for him at uga if he were coach here…and he would be for the right money…….he’s right about the east west thing destroying the sec, but then he almost always right….i love uga as much as any of you guys, but get off saban’s back….he’s a very cool guy……i’m bill holmes, bba 1971 uga now living for past 6 years in vietnam….i love coach richt and the dogs and i think we will be hell on wheels this year and for several years to come…..we have great coaches and superior talent……but i can only watch via slingbox set on a cable box at a friend’s house in athens….but i don’t miss a minute of it…i love it…sec stay the same and uga go win the damn thing outright, i believe we can and will this year
DawgBrain
June 1st, 2012
10:43 am
Spurrier may make UGA eat dirt again this year. Wait and see if we pay him back
jalex49
June 1st, 2012
2:56 pm
Much ado-about nothing of importance. This year is another year and to the teams in the East, want to be the champ? Win the games and quit complaining.