(08-15-2019 04:40 PM)OdinFrigg Wrote: (08-15-2019 02:03 PM)JRsec Wrote: (08-15-2019 01:49 PM)OdinFrigg Wrote: (08-15-2019 09:11 AM)Gamecock Wrote: Not disagreeing with any of that, I guess I’m just saying I’d like Alabama to start leading the charge and actually scheduling 10 P5 games. While I appreciate that he’s at least willing to talk a big game, article would be a lot more impactful if it was coming from the perspective of Kirby Smart
Playing Duke, OK, they are P5. Certainly not a powerhouse, but part of the system. Duke has improved with Cutcliffe, but not near Alabama's strength and depth.
Southern Miss is actually an old-time Alabama rival, they are in the greater neighborhood, and interest would be good.
New Mexico State is the independent cupcake. They have to travel and get battered for money and fulfill a schedule need
Western Carolina is FCS and has played Alabama prior. Alabama could find closer and better FCS schools that would render a better rationale for playing. WCU could be better competition for Alabama than NMSU. That's not saying much.
Scheduling the 10th P5 game and not playing WCU or NMSU would have been more sensible
We're talking about a top 2 power, a recruiting giant, up there year after year. One would think they would want to be seen as above certain things when it comes to scheduling. Hey, Saban has repeatedly made an issue about scheduling, He should expect that's inviting scrutiny of how he's been scheduling
Coaches don't make schedules, AD's do. At Alabama the AD is tasked with making it easy by the Trustees. I'm sure Saban would rather play better schools. But Alabama has 2 problems. First, they are Alabama and better FCS and G5's don't want to get embarrassed because they are counting on knocking off some P5 conference's mid tier team and winning their own conference for a pay day bowl. The last school they will schedule from the P5 would be Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, Oklahoma, or Washington. Therefore the AD's at those schools have to look around for a good Homecoming victim and another good buy game. Their pickings are slim and the best bet is to play in state school. Well nobody is going to play Troy! They've knocked off L.S.U. and Nebraska. So what is the Alabama AD going to do? They aren't going to legitimize UAB and Jacksonville State has played them too close. So Western Carolina it is, or ETSU. Alabama tried Citidel a few years back and that was one ugly win.
They pick Southern Miss because those folks travel and fill seats.
Remember this is the Southeast. Georgia Southern and the Florida Directional schools are all pretty strong and big enough to cause key injuries. This is one reason Florida has scheduled MAC schools. To be guaranteed a win you don't want to play a midsized or small school from the Southeast.
But nobody should jump on Saban for the schedule. He doesn't make it and none of the SEC's coaches do.
Yes, ADs/Associate ADs make the schedules. I started to indicate that, but assumed it is all understood. Saban is part of the Alabama Athletic Department, so referencing him has a dual purpose. 1. He represents Alabama football in a global sense, 2. Saban is the one in the SEC who brings up scheduling complaints and/or advocacy most frequently; at least the highest profile guy that does.
I agree with your points regarding the challenges for Alabama. Of course all major schools do so also one way or another. All have to consider potential injuries. You noted the limitations Alabama places on their spectrum of choices. Fair enough,; however they are still selecting priorities.
I don't want to imply Alabama avoids tough picks as a practice that exceeds the level what many others adopt. The original reaction to Saban's "all P5" comment was to say, "pursue 10 P5 first" and that is something most, if not all, SEC schools can do on their own. Alabama, or any other school in P5 for that matter, can't have it both ways. On the one hand, softies and breaks are needed to prepare for tougher and more meaningful conference games, plus there will be fewer injuries; then on the other hand, declare "we must play an elite "all P5".
My view? Saban doesn't really want what he is advocating. It's safe to state without pressure, accountability, and movement to do it. Just say, P5 or the SEC are responsible to make such happen. It's cover for whatever Saban (uh, the AD) decides to do within the parameters for their own scheduling.
Hey, I'm an Auburn guy! We open with Oregon, and have opened with Clemson and Washington. Our permanent cross division is Georgia who until this year we had to play before the Alabama game. Alabama's crossover is Tennessee who has been pedestrian at best for years and is not played before the Auburn game.
They've always gamed the system going back to Bear's days. Vanderbilt, Ole Miss and Miss State were not annual stalwarts back then. And and add L.S.U., who was a strong mid brand except for Burt Jones's years, to Tennessee which was tougher, and Auburn and add one rotating conference game and that was Bear's schedule.
Auburn on the other hand annually had Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, former conference member Georgia Tech, Mississippi State, and rotated 2.
The fact that Alabama and L.S.U. hardly ever played Vince Dooley's dogs and L.S.U. hardly ever played Tennessee and Ole Miss and Miss State were hardly ever extremely strong (Archie made Ole Miss tougher and Jackie Sherrill came a bit later for some tough State teams), and the schedules were hardly anything but fair.
Auburn and Georgia who had some great teams couldn't keep from knocking each other off and usually Tennessee and Florida in the process.
So it's always been this way. Divisional Play actually made it a bit more fair, but not completely with a down Tennessee being a much easier W than Georgia.
But I don't give a rat's behind what the other 4 conferences think as long as we are playing 9 P games. The middle of the SEC is stronger than any middle of any other conference out there. 9 P games in the SEC is tougher than 9 in the Big 10 who would be next and 9 in the Big 12 who would closely follow, and much much more difficult than 9 in the ACC or PAC.
When the PAC is up it's either USC or UW. When the ACC is up its either F.S.U. or Clemson. The PAC has a better middle than the ACC and is still weak.
I'll give those two conferences their due when they have 6 or 7 schools playing ball that could upset anyone on a given Saturday. The SEC has that and the Big 10 as well. The new 14 member SEC usually has 9 schools capable of pulling the upset on a given Saturday.
So my reticence in all of this is that 9 P games in the SEC is not equal to 9 P games in other conferences.
I'm all for going to 12 P games, but when we do it still won't mean that everyone plays an equal schedule with regard to strength.
What would Miss State's record be in the ACC? I think most years Miss State could beat: Boston College, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, North Carolina, Virginia, Duke, Wake Forest, and N.C. State. I think your tougher games would be Virginia Tech, Miami Louisville, and Georgia Tech but that all would be winnable. And your only tests would be against Clemson and Florida State.
It is why I give Clemson their due as national champs, but I wonder how fresh their players would be after taking on Georgia, Auburn, L.S.U., Florida, South Carolina, and Tennessee before getting to Alabama.
The championship in the SEC many years boils down to pure attrition.
My Tigers beat Alabama and Georgia to end the regular season only we finished those last two games so banged up Georgia beat us handily in the rematch and we limped into the Peach Bowl. Clemson will never face that kind of 3 game gauntlet. They play Florida State and that's it other than their OOC games which they do schedule tough but those are usually played in the first two weeks of the season with the cakewalk of the ACC in between.
So when this happens it still won't be fair. It will only be guaranteed to involve a champion from as many regions of the country as possible and will be a made for TV event.