http://espn.go.com/college-football/stor...ence-games

Only Saban voted for nine game schedule...

Makes sense with the ACC (Louisville, Florida, Georgia Tech, Clemson, Wake Forest) willing to be neighborly. ESPN may also need "more" inventory rather than "better" inventory.

And the coach's vote really doesn't mean much. They don't decide these things.

No shocker here. In related news, the AFL-CIO voted for a 35 hour workweek.

good news for G5 teams - SEC will continue to pay you to play an away OOC game every year (in addition to an FCS team).

(05-30-2013 06:23 AM)Hokie Mark Wrote:  good news for G5 teams - SEC will continue to pay you to play an away OOC game every year (in addition to an FCS team).

Most P5 schools don't play the strength of schedule that the average SEC Western Division schedule presents. When that changes then maybe they move to 9. Further expansion is going to have to happen at some point though. 14 is much more difficult to schedule than 16 and 9 games will be inevitable for content re-negotiations. So I think the pressure will still be on for the Big 10 and SEC to find two each. The ACC too might wish to move to 16 + 1 at some point. Revenue from an added conference championship game, elimination of 1 extra hand in the playoff pie, additional content for the network, are all profitable reasons to do so.

At 16 teams 9 games will be a given, perhaps even 10 will be reached as a renegotiation tool.

If bowls would allow a 5-7 record P5 team to still make a bowl, I think you would get a lot more support for 9 games from the lower tier schools that are more adamant about 8 games than the big dogs. Even better, make 3 conference wins the qualification for bowl entry instead of 6 wins overall. Adding a 9th game would just be another opportunity for a team. If you tell James Franklin that he makes a bowl with only 3 conference wins, he'd probably be for a full 13 game round robin SEC schedule; it is just more opportunities to hit that 3 win total.

The SEC - where solidarity means "we don't want to play each other more"

(05-30-2013 09:13 AM)CommuterBob Wrote:  The SEC - where solidarity means "we don't want to play each other more"

It means the SEC doesn't want to give up 7 home games, when they rake in big bucks for every home game. This has nothing to do with wanting to play against each other. It's all about the money...

(05-30-2013 09:13 AM)CommuterBob Wrote:  The SEC - where solidarity means "we don't want to play each other more"

I know, Bob. It is embarrassing. I've said on other threads that if they are going to stay at 14 teams, they need to go to a 10 game conference schedule. 6 division games, one permanent cross-over rival, play 3 of the remaining non-division teams per year rotating. You play everyone at least every other year in that format. It evens out the home-away game problem and leaves two games for the out of conference rivalry plus one more of their choosing. The qualifications for bowl entry and proof that the selection committee will allow a deserving one or two loss team into the playoffs rather than a blindly letting in an undefeated team with a much lesser strength of schedule will have to be ironed out before they are going to add more games, though.

(05-30-2013 09:52 AM)bitcruncher Wrote:  

(05-30-2013 09:13 AM)CommuterBob Wrote:  The SEC - where solidarity means "we don't want to play each other more"

It means the SEC doesn't want to give up 7 home games, when they rake in big bucks for every home game. This has nothing to do with wanting to play against each other. It's all about the money...

You can do 7 home games with 9 conf. games. You either get 4 or 5 home games in conference, then only need 2 or 3 OOC home games. It's not that difficult.

(05-30-2013 09:13 AM)CommuterBob Wrote:  The SEC - where solidarity means "we don't want to play each other more"

Here's the real reason:

Quote:Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said creating another week of games where the SEC goes 7-7 against itself would not be good for the league.

In other words: We'll all have better W-L records, more bowl games, and higher poll rankings if we play more money games at home and fewer games against each other.

(05-30-2013 10:24 AM)CommuterBob Wrote:  

(05-30-2013 09:52 AM)bitcruncher Wrote:  

(05-30-2013 09:13 AM)CommuterBob Wrote:  The SEC - where solidarity means "we don't want to play each other more"

It means the SEC doesn't want to give up 7 home games, when they rake in big bucks for every home game. This has nothing to do with wanting to play against each other. It's all about the money...

You can do 7 home games with 9 conf. games. You either get 4 or 5 home games in conference, then only need 2 or 3 OOC home games. It's not that difficult.

Its not easy. But if Texas and Oklahoma are ok with 9 conference games with a game in Dallas every year, Florida and Georgia and the rest should be able to do it financially. When you have a neutral site game, you are 4-4-1 in conference, so you would have to have 3 buy games to get to 7 "true" home games. But that neutral site game is lucrative, so you could be fine with 6 in your home stadium.

With 9 conference games you'd have even less idea how good teams are since they'd play almost no one outside conference. They'd have to have a playoff between just the conference winners or something like that.

(05-30-2013 11:08 AM)NIU007 Wrote:  With 9 conference games you'd have even less idea how good teams are since they'd play almost no one outside conference. They'd have to have a playoff between just the conference winners or something like that.

Really? 4 OOC games (with one typically being vs FCS) > 3 OOC games (and no FCS) in terms of deciding who's better??? I don't think so.

It's not a matter of they can't do it, it's a matter of they just don't want to do it.

(05-30-2013 10:24 AM)CommuterBob Wrote:  

(05-30-2013 09:52 AM)bitcruncher Wrote:  

(05-30-2013 09:13 AM)CommuterBob Wrote:  The SEC - where solidarity means "we don't want to play each other more"

It means the SEC doesn't want to give up 7 home games, when they rake in big bucks for every home game. This has nothing to do with wanting to play against each other. It's all about the money...

You can do 7 home games with 9 conf. games. You either get 4 or 5 home games in conference, then only need 2 or 3 OOC home games. It's not that difficult.

It's only easy if all you play is body bag OOC games...

(05-30-2013 06:23 AM)Hokie Mark Wrote:  good news for G5 teams - SEC will continue to pay you to play an away OOC game every year (in addition to an FCS team).

We do our part to help fund the little school football programs. I don't hear them complaining...

(05-30-2013 09:55 AM)bigblueblindness Wrote:  

(05-30-2013 09:13 AM)CommuterBob Wrote:  The SEC - where solidarity means "we don't want to play each other more"

I know, Bob. It is embarrassing. I've said on other threads that if they are going to stay at 14 teams, they need to go to a 10 game conference schedule. 6 division games, one permanent cross-over rival, play 3 of the remaining non-division teams per year rotating. You play everyone at least every other year in that format. It evens out the home-away game problem and leaves two games for the out of conference rivalry plus one more of their choosing. The qualifications for bowl entry and proof that the selection committee will allow a deserving one or two loss team into the playoffs rather than a blindly letting in an undefeated team with a much lesser strength of schedule will have to be ironed out before they are going to add more games, though.

So tell us how the B1G handles their 14 school schedule...

(05-30-2013 12:40 PM)USAFMEDIC Wrote:  

(05-30-2013 09:55 AM)bigblueblindness Wrote:  

(05-30-2013 09:13 AM)CommuterBob Wrote:  The SEC - where solidarity means "we don't want to play each other more"

I know, Bob. It is embarrassing. I've said on other threads that if they are going to stay at 14 teams, they need to go to a 10 game conference schedule. 6 division games, one permanent cross-over rival, play 3 of the remaining non-division teams per year rotating. You play everyone at least every other year in that format. It evens out the home-away game problem and leaves two games for the out of conference rivalry plus one more of their choosing. The qualifications for bowl entry and proof that the selection committee will allow a deserving one or two loss team into the playoffs rather than a blindly letting in an undefeated team with a much lesser strength of schedule will have to be ironed out before they are going to add more games, though.

So tell us how the B1G handles their 14 school schedule...

9 conference games, no "fixed crossover games" except Indiana-Purdue. So each team except Indiana and Purdue should play each team in the other division at least three times in seven years, and Indiana and Purdue will play each team in the other division (except each other) twice in six years.

(05-30-2013 09:52 AM)bitcruncher Wrote:  

(05-30-2013 09:13 AM)CommuterBob Wrote:  The SEC - where solidarity means "we don't want to play each other more"

It means the SEC doesn't want to give up 7 home games, when they rake in big bucks for every home game. This has nothing to do with wanting to play against each other. It's all about the money...

That right there is all you need to know about this issue. The Dothan Eagle had a couple of very nice articles written about this, and oddly enough, Mark Richt was actually featured in one of them. If I'm not mistaken, Richt actually wanted the nine game schedule if it meant it was the only way UGa was going to keep Auburn as a permanent rival. South Carolina, Mississippi State, Arkansas, Ole Miss, and even Florida could care a less if the permanent crossover game goes away, and they are against giving up 7 home games because this means less $$$'s for them. Apparently, Richt was either appeased or gave up, and voted with the majority, although I believe his heart was closer to voting with Saban.