Schedule grumblings dominate SEC Spring Meetings talk
It’s as though everyone’s either on a schedule, or grumbling about them these days. And the SEC coaches are no different at the Spring Meetings in Destin, FL.
A few points:
- There some seriousness in discussions of nine-game SEC schedule, with Nick Saban advocating it, according to Clay Travis..
“Clay Travis (@ClayTravisBGID: Biggest news on SEC football coaches meeting was seriousness of 9 game schedule. Told Saban advocated for 9.”
- Steve Spurrier wants divisions decided not by overall SEC record, but divisional record, and boy is he banging his drum about it. He’s still a little peeved that South Carolina didn’t get into its second straight SEC title game, even though it beat Georgia (in one of the games of the season, we might add). Although we’re sure that Georgia will argue that it beat Auburn, something that Spurrier’s team was incapable of doing.
- Les Miles – as usual – was being his usual passionate self. His quotes via reporters (who are there) on Twitter:
Wes Rucker(@wesrucker2): “If Mississippi State’s gonna play Kentucky every year, I think that’s disproportionate. I just think, I just, I’m not for that.
“sosogoodpi2 (@sosogoodpi2): Les Miles just said a majority of SEC coaches don’t want the permanent non-divisional games but do respect Tennessee-Alabama.
Dan Wolken (@DanWolken): Per @schadjoe Les Miles says it’s “disproportionate” MSU plays UK while LSU plays Fla. What else is disproportionate? YOU’RE FREAKING LSU!
- Miles was also a vigorous proponent of the 6-2 format, according to the Macon Telegraph, with no permanent rival. He must be really scared of playing Florida every year – or he really believes Mississippi State’s going to be the next Alabama under Dan Mullen.
- Mark Richt told the AJC the coaches weren’t actually decided on anything – not how many teams they wanted to play or whether to have permanent rivalries. He added that he thinks the 6-1-1 model system will eventually pass. He did note that Spurrier’s proposal (backed up by Les Miles) that only divisional games should count didn’t get anywhere. He told the Macon Telegraph in his usual reasonable fashion: “The more that was discussed, the more everybody realized that’s not gonna happen. Your crossover games are gonna have to count. It’s true in just about every sport in America; you may have your divisional games in the NFL, and you may have your games that are not.”
- Commissioner Mike Slive says that he expects a decision to be done on scheduling by Friday. Which, knowing Southern time, will probably be by the Friday of Media Days. Not because they are inefficient, but someone’s going to have to step down….
- No word yet on whether Dan Mullen’s proposal of a Final Four got everyone as excited as it did us. Our Final Four for the record? LSU, Alabama, Oregon, Wisconsin. Sorry Arkansas, sorry Stanford, and very sorry, Oklahoma State. OSU, you shouldn’t have lost to Iowa State.