🏈 Steve Spurrier suggests Alabama-Tennessee rivalry be played as non-conference game (report)

[BAMANEWSBOT]

The Ole Ball Coach comes up with his idea of a compromise for those split on future scheduling decisions.

Read More Here...

 

[TerryP]

http://www.sportingnews.com/ncaa-fo...ban-nine-games-SEC-schedule-tennessee-alabama

 

[bamaraider]

Am I wrong for kind of siding with Spurrier here? :chat_bolt:

 

[JoshB]

That is the stupidest freakin thing I've ever heard. Why the hell would you have a conference game that doesn't COUNT as a conference game? Maybe he could nut up and agree to the 9 conference game schedule. There is more teams now so the obvious thing is to add one more game. Instead of crying about it maybe ole Stevie can let his nuts drop.

 

[mhardiman]

That is the stupidest freakin thing I've ever heard. Why the hell would you have a conference game that doesn't COUNT as a conference game? Maybe he could nut up and agree to the 9 conference game schedule. There is more teams now so the obvious thing is to add one more game. Instead of crying about it maybe ole Stevie can let his nuts drop.

Amen; I know I'm in the minority here, but being from Tennessee I'd rather drop the Iron bowl than the Third Saturday in October.

 

[JoshB]

Amen; I know I'm in the minority here, but being from Tennessee I'd rather drop the Iron bowl than the Third Saturday in October.

No no no no no no no no lol that would be impossible anyway, division game. I dont WANT to drop the Tennessee game, its tradition but I would much rather do that and have a 2-team rotation every year than do the stupid 9th game yet dont count it.

 

[TerryP]

That is the stupidest freakin thing I've ever heard. Why the hell would you have a conference game that doesn't COUNT as a conference game? Maybe he could nut up and agree to the 9 conference game schedule. There is more teams now so the obvious thing is to add one more game. Instead of crying about it maybe ole Stevie can let his nuts drop.

I don't know the year, but I've seen it mentioned on more than one occasion that it is something Alabama and Tennessee have done before.

I wouldn't have any issues with this, at all.

 

[BlueMarlin]

Assuming NOTHING stays the same forever
(EXCEPT OUR UNIFORMS-I HOPE!!!)

Our game with Tennessee
has NOT been the same for a long time.
(Minus the blocked Fieldgoal)

If Crybaby Kifen had stayed
that would be a whole different story by now.

Not because he so good.
But because - he's so easy to hate.

For me LSU and Awe-buun
set the stage for our season.
Where-ever the schedule falls
is immaterial.

At the end of the season (almost said day)
ALL I care about are W's (and hopefully no L's)


On a similar note
How long are they gonna call Spurrier
"The Ole Ball Coach" ?

I mean How many birthdays do you have to have
before "OLE" turns into "Ancient" ?

I quess- if he ever starts doing
"The Scooter Store" commercials
I'll have my answer...............

Roll Tide !

 

[bamaraider]

Amen; I know I'm in the minority here, but being from Tennessee I'd rather drop the Iron bowl than the Third Saturday in October.

Doesn't the state of Alabama require both UA and AU to play annually in every sporting event? I know its the same thing that Texas people are complaining about because they're saying A&M and UT have to play in football because its the law or something. Same with Georgia and Georgia Tech, Clemson and South Carolina...

 

[TerryP]

Doesn't the state of Alabama require both UA and AU to play annually in every sporting event? I know its the same thing that Texas people are complaining about because they're saying A&M and UT have to play in football because its the law or something. Same with Georgia and Georgia Tech, Clemson and South Carolina...

It was a move by the state legislature that returned the two teams to the field to face each other, but the State of Alabama requiring they play?

It sounds like you've stumbled across a research project...for all those teams.

 

[bamaraider]

Knew it was something like that, but isn't there some law that requires them to play??

 

[RTB X Bot]

@Matt_HayesSN: Spurrier with more choice words on SEC scheduling with ESPN's Chris Low:

jonsol: RT @Matt_HayesSN: Spurrier with more choice words on SEC scheduling with ESPN's Chris Low: http://t.co/yn4C5Egyld

More...

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LSU’s Les Miles has some support on doing away with permanent cross-divisional foes in the SEC, and his ally is starting to speak up … loudly.

Steve Spurrier says the scheduling mess in the SEC is just that -- a mess -- and he agrees with Miles that the league schedule has been imbalanced.

“I think we’ve all seen how much it pays off when you don’t have to play the top teams from the other division,” said Spurrier, who has voiced his concerns to several in the media this week.

The Head Ball Coach also talked to Matt Hayes of The Sporting News and said he “should have spoken up a while ago.”

Spurrier said it’s no coincidence that Alabama and Georgia were the two teams playing in the SEC championship game last season, and that the combined league records of their cross-divisional opponents was 6-26.

The league schedule a year ago and the 2013 league schedule were both “bridge” schedules and not part of any regular rotation. They were put into place to accommodate the addition of Missouri and Texas A&M.

The hot debate now is whether to go to nine conference games in 2016, as well as what to do with permanent cross-divisional games such as Florida-LSU, Auburn-Georgia and Alabama-Tennessee.

SEC commissioner Mike Slive said last week at the SEC spring meetings that figuring out what to do with those rivalry games had been one of the “knots” in trying to sort out the scheduling format going forward. The SEC will continue to play eight conference games with a 6-1-1 format through 2015, then reassess the scheduling format beginning with the 2016 season. Most in and around the league think it's inevitable that the SEC will go to nine conference games.

“We try one, and there’s a knot, then try another one and there’s a big knot, whether it’s permanents, whether it’s traditional games or whether it’s too many games,” Slive said. “At some point in time, we’re going to have to unravel one of those knots and just make a decision.”

Spurrier has a solution if Slive and others are dead-set on maintaining the Alabama-Tennessee and Auburn-Georgia rivalries on an annual basis.

“They can still play every year. Just let it be a nonconference game in those years when it’s not in the rotation,” said Spurrier, who wants to keep it at eight conference games with a 6-0-2 format (a straight rotation of cross-divisional foes and no permanent foes).

“That way, Alabama and Tennessee can keep on playing every year. They don’t have big in-state rivals out of conference like some of us do. If the commissioner or anybody else doesn’t think Clemson-South Carolina and FSU-Florida are big games, they ought to come watch them.

“I’m all for Alabama and Tennessee playing every year. We can still play eight, and that would be their ninth game every year. It just won’t count in their conference records unless that’s the year they’re supposed to play in the league. I’m sure Tennessee would love that.”

Alabama has won six in a row against Tennessee and has yet to lose to the Vols since Nick Saban arrived in 2007.

Saban is the only SEC coach advocating that the league go to nine conference games, and he would also like to see all teams play 10 BCS games.

Spurrier points out that’s exactly what the Gamecocks are doing in 2013. In addition to their eight league games, they’re playing North Carolina to open the season and then their annual season-ending contest with Clemson.

“Coach Saban doesn’t have a big rival out of conference he plays every year, and I understand it’s hard for them to get (nonconference) games,” Spurrier said. “So let them and Tennessee play every year. That’s what we ought to do.

“Maybe Alabama can pick a fight with Texas. Texas doesn’t play Texas A&M anymore, and they need somebody to play out of conference.”

Alabama has gone out and played a marquee nonconference game every year since Saban’s been there. The Crimson Tide open the 2013 season against Virginia Tech in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game in Atlanta, and they also have West Virginia, Wisconsin and Michigan State coming up on the schedule in future years.

The overriding argument for keeping the Alabama-Tennessee and Auburn-Georgia rivalries on an annual basis is that they’re such a part of the SEC’s fabric. Auburn-Georgia is the Deep South’s oldest rivalry, and Alabama and Tennessee first met in 1901.

Spurrier concedes that tradition is important, but that it’s not the end-all in today’s world of college football.

“College football’s changing, and it’s going to keep changing,” Spurrier said. “Missouri’s in the SEC now. West Virginia’s in the Big 12. Heck, we’ve got 14 teams now in the SEC. I guess everybody’s definition of tradition is a little different.”

 

[TerryP]

“They can still play every year. Just let it be a nonconference game in those years when it’s not in the rotation,” said Spurrier, who wants to keep it at eight conference games with a 6-0-2 format (a straight rotation of cross-divisional foes and no permanent foes).

“That way, Alabama and Tennessee can keep on playing every year. They don’t have big in-state rivals out of conference like some of us do. If the commissioner or anybody else doesn’t think Clemson-South Carolina and FSU-Florida are big games, they ought to come watch them.

FACTS:

Last year, more people watch the Spongebob movie than Clemson and South Carolina play.

NCAA football: South Carolina at Clemson (ESPN): 3.1 million viewers
The Spongebob Squarepants Movie (Nickelodeon): 3.2 million viewers

Understand, this is with Clemson ranked 11th and South Carolina ranked 12th.

Alabama versus Tennessee last year:

College Football: Alabama/Tennessee - ESPN
4.223 million viewers, #1; 1.953 million adults 18-49 (1.5 rating), #1

Do I need to mention where Tennessee was ranked last year.

 

[bearsnest]

I definately am a Tenn. hater but my just the pure site of that awefull AU (no matter how terrible they are) tears me down to my very atoms, no matter how bad awebren is if aubie gets a oak limb dropped on his head, if pat dye runs out on the field at halftime naked screaming he's Bill Clinton, if Bo Jackson gets run over by a Nike truck that Michael Jordan is driving I will always and forever more HATE AWEBREN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Its the single most biggest rivalry in all sports there is no equal!

 

[psychojoe]

Deja vu all over again, as Yogi would say. In the sixties and early seventies the SEC required six conference games. Along the way, Bear decided to add a seventh game to our schedule. There was at least one year where we won the SECbecause we were 6-1 and second place was 5-1. So they changed the rules. We could schedule as many SEC games as we wished, but only a designated 6 counted in the standings.

It may take a secomd SEC team missing out on the playoffs because of a preceived weak schedulefor the guys to see the error of their ways regarding the 9th conference game.

 

[planomateo]

But he wants to have a Tenn win count for SC, you can't mix/match in my opinion. Don't hear anyone telling UGA that Auburn shouldn't count...

Maybe we call his bluff, swap Tenn for SC