🏈 2010 schedule revisited

[LBS]

I know that we are scheduled to play 6 teams with two weeks to prepare for us during the 2010 season (a total far and away higher than any other SEC team has faced in recent memory). And, I also know that we have approached the SEC Office about the issue.

Does anyone know if/what progress has been made with regards to this issue?

In addition, as a commentary, this disadvantage is the biggest concern for me regarding the upcoming season.

 

[alagator]

Someone posted here, or in another little group in which I participate, that there are three opportunities for the SEC Office to move games in 2010 that would affect only those games only.

Those three games are:

~Arkansas v. South Carolina - where South Carolina has an open date prior to our game and Arkansas has an open date that same weekend. The SEC could make these two teams move their contest to the week prior to our game with South Carolina and no other team or games would be affected.

~Kentucky v. Miss State - where Miss State is open the week prior to our contest as is Kentucky. The SEC could make these two teams move their contest to the week prior to our game with Miss State and no other team or games would be affected.

~(the biggie) Georgia v. Auburn - where Auburn and Georgia have open dates the weekend prior to our game with The Barn. The SEC could make these teams move their game one weekend down the calendar and no other team or games would be affected.

Now, I am not sure if any move of the first two games would violate any other scheduling stipulation by the conference (i.e., teams play too many consecutive weekends or have more than two consecutive away games) that would prohibit such an order to move those games. I know any move of the last game is not restricted by any other conference guideline (but such a move would require Georgia play Georgia Tech without an open date - so would the conference place such a burden on one of its members to placate Alabama, cough-cough-cough).

And as I have pointed out in the past, there is a precedent of the SEC Office making multiple teams alter their schedule to correct an error - and one that grossly affected Alabama in a negative way. In the mid-1990s, Arkansas "discovered" in the Spring that they had scheduled an OOC opponent on the same day the conference had scheduled the Arkansas v. Alabama game. Instead of telling Arkansas they had a problem, the SEC (and Roy Kramer) forced Alabama to move at least two and perhaps up to four games to accommodate Arkansas. So WE had to pay for Arkansas' screw-up. Will be interesting to see if WE have to pay for the screw-up by the SEC Office this time.

Oh, to answer your question. No, I have not heard anything new. :hyper:

 

[Bamadrill]

Well here is my two cents and that will not even buy a stick of gum but, I think the powers that be will do anything that they can to make sure Bama has the most adverse schedule in the nation.

 

[LBS]

I'm wondering, since Bama is the best thing that this conference has going now, and how this schedule is both exceptional and hurtful to the conference at-large, if there is enough there to draw action.

Its clear where most might think it is favoable treatment for Bama, but to me this avoids the central point, that there is an unfair element in place regardless of which conference members is subjected to it.

 

[Rolling Tide]

All I know is Mal met with the SEC Commish and they are working to correct this problem. should be worked out next season.

 

[alagator]

All I know is Mal met with the SEC Commish and they are working to correct this problem. should be worked out next season.

The issue, from our end at least, is to get it worked out before next season begins.

If memory serves me correctly, without any adjustments to the 2010 schedules we will face as many opponents with open dates next season alone as the next highest team will have faced in the last four seasons combined (counting 2010). Without any adjustments to the 2010 season we will have faced more opponents with open dates over the four year period as the next four teams combined over that period.

Even the Einsteins that run the Miss State program realize that is not a fair concept (this refers to the comical explanation to me of their enforcement policy relating to the use of artificial noisemakers, aka cowbells, by an executive in the Miss State program - something I want to write a blog about in the coming days if the guys here will grant me the opportunity). My issue now is that since every AD in the conference has gone on record acknowledging the unfairness of this schedule how sincere are they when it comes to making a correction BEFORE the harm is inflicted. I have my doubts shall we say.

Alabama people, Moore and Saban, need to be vocal and public about this every week. Do not trust the SEC Office until the office shows it has the courage to do something about this. We need not wait until June or July to hear that the SEC Office just cannot find a proper solution despite working on the problem as hard as they possibly could - or until it is really too late for public pressure to truly effect a change.

 

[bamaupsman]

Nothing will happen. The AD's at other schools are soiling their collective panties at the though of a resurgent Tide.

 

[ExiledTidefan]

As evidenced by our past treatment by the SEC office, we should expect no change to the schedules for next year. Quickly, this is the kind of "mistake" or "oversight" that could have been caught well in advance if anyone in downtown Birmingham cared to do that. Instead, the powers-that-be noticed the schedule issue, signed off on it, and it was set in stone. Sort of like hurrying up and snapping the ball before the replay can be viewed.

No sir, we'll be playing those teams with their off weeks, and it'll probably contribute to us having some close calls, or even dropping one or two of them. Naturally, in 2011, the SEC will "notice" the problem and "correct" it.

I'm using a lot of quotes because this will be the kind of vernacular you'll be hearing from them.

 

[It Takes Eleven]

I predict we'll get relief on at least one of them, perhaps two, on the upcoming schedule.

 

[bamafan4ever]

I predict we'll get relief on at least one of them, perhaps two, on the upcoming schedule.

Yeah, that sounds about right and the SEC will act as if they are doing us this "huge favor" to correct a mistake they made. It's their m.o.

 

[LBS]

Short of full satisfaction, you and I know that this greatly increases the level of difficulty of our schedule. Yet I am also concerned, that should we have to run this table-of-tables (not even those in the toughest conference have a schedule this tough), that this point will be lost in the polls.

If we were to drop one, and be paired against two of more undfeated teams in the polls, how would the pollsters see our schedule? Is it good enough to shun a team with a perfect record? For Bama, is perfection required of us with this schedule, should there be more than one undefeated team?

So if this situation is a concern to the program, what does the program do about it now? What do you and I do about it now?

I question whether we should push to promote the schedule like some sort of circus act. (Came see the "Lion Tamer", the "Sword Swallower", Bama with "The Schudule of Death", and the "Bearded Lady from Knoxville".) Maybe we could get Slive a Ring Master's Top Hat to underscore what it is that he has created.

 

[LBS]

Short of full satisfaction, you and I know that this greatly increases the level of difficulty of our schedule. Yet I am also concerned, that should we have to run this table-of-tables (not even those in the toughest conference have a schedule this tough), that this point will be lost in the polls.

If we were to drop one, and be paired against two of more undfeated teams in the polls, how would the pollsters see our schedule? Is it good enough to shun a team with a perfect record? For Bama, is perfection required of us with this schedule, should there be more than one undefeated team?

So if this situation is a concern to the program, what does the program do about it now? What do you and I do about it now?

I question whether we should push to promote the schedule like some sort of circus act. (Came see the "Lion Tamer", the "Sword Swallower", Bama with "The Schudule of Death", and the "Bearded Lady from Knoxville".) Maybe we could get Slive a Ring Master's Top Hat to underscore what it is that he has created.

 

[SpecThis]

I might be under the wrong impression, but i don't think the're changing anyone's schedule next year. The meeting with Mal was just to prevent this from happening again in the future.

Who cares really, let them have their 2 weeks to prepare. We're Alabama people, let them bring it. I would more then 2 weeks to prepare if I had to play them.

 

[alagator]

I might be under the wrong impression, but i don't think the're changing anyone's schedule next year. The meeting with Mal was just to prevent this from happening again in the future.

Who cares really, let them have their 2 weeks to prepare. We're Alabama people, let them bring it. I would more then 2 weeks to prepare if I had to play them.

I remember seeing a quote from either Slive or Womack that expressly stated the SEC Office would look into the possibility of altering the 2010 schedule. Post that statement is when it was presented by a poster here or elsewhere the three easy moves I listed above.

The SEC Office can effect a change this year, IF they have the courage to do so. Alabama is not asking for favoritism, just fairness.

But, if the SEC Office will not make the necessary changes for this year, I might be agreeable to them looking at conference schedules over the immediate future to balance things out. Since we would have faced 16 opponents over the last four years who enjoyed an open date prior to our game and the next two highest numbers were 6 and 5 or 5 and 4, I would accept the SEC Office balancing that out over the immediate future. We would go 10 or 11 consecutive years without facing a single opponent coming off their open date.

The real troubling (and telling) point about 2010 is we face six conference opponents coming off open dates in a year when each team only receives one such free weekend. This might be a little more understandable in a year when each team had two open dates to work in - but one?

And Lord only knows what the two saps we play without open dates had to do to not enjoy their extra time off to prepare for us?

 

[rammerjammer]

The most logical thing in my mind would be to make every school play through 12 straight games. It would be hell on them, but everybody is on the same playing field and nobody can ***** about favoritism. That would give the East and West conference champs a week off to re-charge their batteries and play in the SECCG. That would be a heck of a build up to the game. 2 weeks worth of hype.

I want to say under Slive, I think that we will be treated more fairly than what we have seen in the past. Slive has no tie-in to any particular SEC school and I think we will see something done. Granted it remains to be seen, but I have a little more faith in our conference commish as opposed to the senile, inbreed, ass-hat he replaced.

 

[UAgrad93]

Damn Rammer!! Don't sugar coat it! Tell us how you really feel about ol Roy!