Marcase: Southeastern Conference scheduling shows who's in charge

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Marcase: Southeastern Conference scheduling shows who's in charge

Aug. 26, 2013 8:33 PM |

Written by
John Marcase
The Town Talk
The start of the 2013 college football is still a few days away, but already the 2014 season schedules for SEC schools have been released.
And the scheduling proves one thing: Les Miles and Joe Alleva are correct.
The LSU duo has been telling anyone willing to listen about the unfairness of the SEC schedules. Their main bone of contention is LSU having to play Florida as its permanent SEC East opponent, while Alabama’s yearly SEC “Feast” foe is Tennessee.
Admittedly, Tennessee was one of the league’s premier programs when the SEC expanded in 1990, adding Arkansas and South Carolina.
Now, the Vols have yet to recover from the end of Philip Fulmer’s coaching era compounded with the mistakes that were Lane Kiffin and Derek Dooley.
Still, to make things fair, no matter if the SEC were to play nine conference games yearly as it probably should with 14 teams, or if it stays with eight, how it schedules needs to be reworked and made transparent.
A simple formula would be the six division opponents plus a rotation of either 2 or 3 teams from the other division.
Or, to make things more interesting, adopt the NFL approach where your next year opponents are determined in part due to your success or lack of success. If you win your division, you will play the other division winners in your conference the following season. If you finish second, you play the second-place teams in your conference, and so on.
Think that wouldn’t make things more interesting this season?
In this scenario, Alabama would play Georgia and Florida this season, replacing Tennessee and Kentucky, which combined to win one league game a year ago, the Vols’ victory over Kentucky.
Instead, it is LSU that will face Georgia and Florida this season, both of which went 7-1 in the SEC in 2012.
Last season, Alabama’s East division foes were Missouri and Tennessee. They combined for three SEC victories. LSU, as many of you know, drew Florida and South Carolina, which combined for 13 SEC victories.
Whether it is a coincidence or not, Miles’ and Alleva’s argument may have resulted in the Tide playing Florida in 2014 for Bama’s second SEC East opponent, while the Tigers get Kentucky

 

Keep it simple. 6 divisional opponents every season. 3 opposite division opponents that rotate each season. No permanent opponents in the opposite division.

Even still, one year might we might play USC, UGA, and Florida but the next season could be Vandy, Kentucky, and Tennessee.

 

Screw the rest of leagues. No more OOC games, 13 game round robin in the SEC, everyone plays everyone. Top 2 play in the SECCG. Only fair way to do it.

Get the NCAA to guarantee the SEC champ gets an auto bid to the playoff.

 

In that scenario, the winner of the SEC should be crowned the MNC.

 

And more than likely would be eventually.

 

Or the SEC splits off from the NCAA and forms their own semi-pro league, give the players stipends, allow them to sell their own auto-graphs, and make the SECCG our own National title.