News Article: Spurrier to Propose New Method for Deciding Divisional Champs

I agree that only divisional games should be considered.

Granted, other sports use overall records when deciding divisional champs, but in the out-of-division opponents are usually the same for everyone in those cases.

JeffAtlanta said:

I agree that only divisional games should be considered.

Granted, other sports use overall records when deciding divisional champs, but in the out-of-division opponents are usually the same for everyone in those cases.

Click to expand...

I don't like it it. It takes a lot of the significance out of the non divisional games. One year that doesn't shake out your way doesn't mean we need to change the entire system.

So what's the point in having cross divisional games then, CSS? Why not us get rid of those and get more OOC games?

RollTide1224 said:

I don't like it it. It takes a lot of the significance out of the non divisional games. One year that doesn't shake out your way doesn't mean we need to change the entire system.

Click to expand...

Using that logic, out of conference games should be counted as well.

Because UGA avoids Alabama & LSU again, they will probably win the SEC east again because of their SEC West record.

SEC division championships shouldn't be determined by the strength of their cross-division schedule.

It's so complicated...

JeffAtlanta said:

Using that logic, out of conference games should be counted as well.

Click to expand...

I'm guessing here, but I think what he means South Carolina would have won the SEC East if it had not been for their losses to Arkansas and Auburn. Georgia, on the other hand, lost to South Carolina. Against Eastern teams, South Carolina was 5-0, but Georgia was 4-1.

JeffAtlanta said:

Using that logic, out of conference games should be counted as well.

Click to expand...

No it doesn't. They aren't in your conference. There is some regulation over who you play from the other divisions, out of conference games are arbitrarily picked by the schools themselves. Like I said Spurrier had one year where it didn't work out for him and wants to change the rule. It's like people who want to put in a no rematch rule in the BCS. Changing a system for one anomaly.

JeffAtlanta said:

Using that logic, out of conference games should be counted as well.

Because UGA avoids Alabama & LSU again, they will probably win the SEC east again because of their SEC West record.

SEC division championships shouldn't be determined by the strength of their cross-division schedule.

Click to expand...

They are determined by who wins the most games that are on their schedule. It's a sad attitude to just say oh LSU is on our schedule Georgia is going to win the division, win your games and you win the division. As is pointed out in the article if South Carolina had handled a weak Auburn team at home this wouldn't even be a discussion.

When Arkansas was crap and Auburn was really good you didn't hear Georgia people whining. It's a cyclical calendar and programs go up and down it's just the nature of the schedule. Using Spurrier's logic in baseball it should only be your divisional record that gets you into the playoffs, same as in football or any other sport.

RollTide1224 said:

No it doesn't. They aren't in your conference.

Click to expand...

Why should a team that goes undefeated in their division lose out because another team played a much weaker cross-division schedule?

If we are truly determining a division champion, then the non-division games shouldn't matter unless the strength of non-division games are reasonally equal.

RollTide1224 said:

Using Spurrier's logic in baseball it should only be your divisional record that gets you into the playoffs, same as in football or any other sport.

Click to expand...

In other sports, divisional rivals play fairly equal out-of-division opponents. For example, the Yankees & the Red Sox are going to play pretty close out-of-division schedule.
The same goes for the Celtics & Knicks.

In the NFL, out of conference games do count in determining division champs.

I couldn't care less about Spurrier's motivation or part in this or anyone's soapbox. I'm just discussing the abstract concept.

JeffAtlanta said:

Why should a team that goes undefeated in their division lose out because another team played a much weaker cross-division schedule?

If we are truly determining a division champion, then the non-division games shouldn't matter unless the strength of non-division games are reasonally equal.

Click to expand...

They lost out because they couldn't beat Auburn at home. South Carolina played Auburn, Arkansas, and Miss St it's not like their Western division teams were impossible.

Also if you win the SEC champ game you are the SEC champ. That shouldn't just mean you won your division and then were able to win one game against a team from the West, it should mean that you are the best team in the SEC. This proposed system could come up with even more perverse results if South Carolina had lost to auburn, arkansas, and Miss St they would go ahead of Georgia who had only lost to South Carolina. That doesn't make a whole lot more sense to me.

If I remember correctly, the seahawks a couple years ago went to the playoffs without winning a single out of division game. As a 7-9 team made the playoff, I feel like that made a complete mockery out of the playoff system, but few seemed to care at the time. Just last night a breakdown came out of every nfl team's schedule. I'm sure teams were listed as having easy and hard schedules, but I doubt any of the coaches are going to say "my games against the pats, steelers, packers, and other top teams shouldnt count because I have to play more of them this year than other teams". If that is really an argument you want to make, then why do we even have divisions? We could just pick the top two teams every year and they could play for the sec championship. Neither of those are very good ideas

JeffAtlanta said:

I agree that only divisional games should be considered.

Granted, other sports use overall records when deciding divisional champs, but in the out-of-division opponents are usually the same for everyone in those cases.

Click to expand...

They really aren't. I read an article of John Clayton analyzing the NFL schedules and there are significant differences, because the division winners automatically play the other division winners. He specifically pointed to the Saints as having a much harder schedule than the falcons or other teams in the division since they play the 49er's and Packers.

Also your point about out of conference games counting in the NFL doesn't apply to college football because of the difference in parity from NFL to college.

What if South Carolina had played Ole Miss, Miss St, and Auburn from the west last year and had lost all of them? Would they be more deserving to play in the SEC championship game and possibly represent the conference in a BCS game because they were able to beat all of their division opponents. Whatever system you use there are going to be years when it isn't fair. I bet over the years teams cross divisinal games have a similar W/L%. Some years it isn't going to work out but that is just how scheduling works.

Yet another indication of how far the mighty have fallen. Steve, you ain't what you used to be.

No.

I opened this thread fully expecting to hear he had suggested a shirtless beer guzzling contest.

I don't recall him complaining about the schedule from 1992-2001, when just so long as he beat Tennessee he was in the SEC title game because the other 4 teams were in comatose state. On the other hand, he did lose to MSU in 1992 and 2000.

jmwesler said:

If I remember correctly, the seahawks a couple years ago went to the playoffs without winning a single out of division game. As a 7-9 team made the playoff, I feel like that made a complete mockery out of the playoff system.
ideas

Click to expand...

ESP when they got a HOME game. Problem ist that doesn't apply in part because there are no four team divisions in college ball. Then again there's UCLA last year....