Link: No more FCS opponents for Big Ten

KrAzY3

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I'm not disagreeing with you. I'm just saying the SEC will follow suit. It's not about SoS, either. This is all about perception.
Agreed

The SEC got suckered into the whole four year scholarship thing, as well as the signing limit thing (and ironically are the only conference in the FBS with a limit of 25 per year, how's that for getting swindled?).

The Big 10 did this for the sake of perception, and the SEC is likely to do it because they care about perception. I just hate to see the SEC falling for these tactics. They can only be made a suckered so many times before it erodes what they have, which is the point I suppose.

I just want to see the SEC act in their own interests, not because they're losing a PR war.
 

knowledge

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Agreed

The SEC got suckered into the whole four year scholarship thing, as well as the signing limit thing (and ironically are the only conference in the FBS with a limit of 25 per year, how's that for getting swindled?).

The Big 10 did this for the sake of perception, and the SEC is likely to do it because they care about perception. I just hate to see the SEC falling for these tactics. They can only be made a suckered so many times before it erodes what they have, which is the point I suppose.

I just want to see the SEC act in their own interests, not because they're losing a PR war.
I believe that this is correct. To me, the whole thing is idiotic when it is brought up by fans of other conferences, because nothing of any substance changes on any of these issues. The "four year scholarship" is the same thing as the renewable one-year deal. If you don't go to class, don't do your part at practice and games, or don't stay out of trouble, you will lose the "four-year" deal the same way that the one-year deal would not be renewed. Not scheduling FCS schools is equally meaningless. There are plenty of FBS schools that are just as bad or worse, and who will do very nicely for the actual purpose: a glorified bye-week/scrimmage preceding a tough conference opponent. It is a matter of semantics and perception only.
 

Highway59

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Just the big ten making noise. As long as your whole non conference schedule isn't loaded up with smaller schools, looks to me that it is win win for both home team and supposed cupcake school that is visiting. A chance to play backups early and recover some from, in our case, a brutal conference schedule. Then the visitors collect huge check that keeps their program afloat. Also it gives opportunity for visitors to break out the camera's, snap a few pictures in a place like Bryant Denny to show the family years down the road. You say, well how good can the experience really be for these kids knowing that they are gonna get their teeth kicked in? Well aubum still shows up knowing what is gonna happen.:biggrin2:
 

DzynKingRTR

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as far as FBS schools that don’t belong, look no further that New Mexico State and Idaho. When the WAC was getting picked apart and other conferences were grabbing up WAC teams, these two were left out. How bad is your program when even the sun belt doesn’t want you?
 

rgw

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I'll try to look at it from every perspective:

For the fans, these games are the worst especially season ticket holders. Tide Pride members give a great deal to get tickets to every home game and it is unfortunate they don't get much value out of these games. Understand, I'm not talking scalping value but simple fan value.

For the team and coaches, these games are seen as fair valuable. They can prepare the depth for next season and get the starters some rest. Also, the staff can spend much of the prep on future opponents.

For the athletic department, they get some schedule flexibility. It's often easier to find a willing FCS opponent than even a mid major FBS team. The AD can use the FCS game to add an extra home game for revenue.
 

TooFullOfBama

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If you want to talk about SOS, it is certainly the Big 10/11/12 that has to do the catching up. EVEN IF the SEC continues with Western Carolina, Furman, Georgia State, et. al., the SEC SOS is fearsome, indeed. Just by virtue of the fact that every SEC team plays 8 conference games, and the SECC (which is considered a regular season game, NOT post-season) makes it 9 for two conference teams, the SEC teams top to bottom have the toughest schedules on average year in and year out. Second place is not even close. Where is my proof? Just look at how the SEC completely owns the polls year after year - ridunculous stuff like 3 of the top 5, 7 of the top ten, and 9 in the top 25...stuff like that. Not to mention the stranglehold we have on the crystal football.

In sum, it does not matter who we play OOC. The conference schedule we play makes up the true SOS by a country mile. I think Ole Miss could have beaten Ohio State last year.
 

teamplayer

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If you want to talk about SOS, it is certainly the Big 10/11/12 that has to do the catching up. EVEN IF the SEC continues with Western Carolina, Furman, Georgia State, et. al., the SEC SOS is fearsome, indeed. Just by virtue of the fact that every SEC team plays 8 conference games, and the SECC (which is considered a regular season game, NOT post-season) makes it 9 for two conference teams, the SEC teams top to bottom have the toughest schedules on average year in and year out. Second place is not even close. Where is my proof? Just look at how the SEC completely owns the polls year after year - ridunculous stuff like 3 of the top 5, 7 of the top ten, and 9 in the top 25...stuff like that. Not to mention the stranglehold we have on the crystal football.

In sum, it does not matter who we play OOC. The conference schedule we play makes up the true SOS by a country mile. I think Ole Miss could have beaten Ohio State last year.
I agree completely. SEC haters love to point out some of the weak teams we play, but they never seem to mention that we normally play two or three top ten or fifteen teams every year. We also get another two or three who usually rank in the fifteen to thirty or forty range. This is one thing that scares me with this selection committee crap. They may say that a Notre Dame or Ohio St. or Boise St. should play because they are undefeated. Those teams usually play two or three teams in the top twenty or thirty every year. People talked about how difficult Notre Dame's schedule was this year. Really? Based on what, exactly? Oklahoma should have been a tough game, but Oklahoma would probably have been 8-4 or so in the SEC. USC? Please! Stanford? Okay, I'll give them Stanford as a tough game. :)

Simply put, the SEC schedule is difficult enough, and these guys deserve a few cupcake games to rest up or to allow the second and third stringers to get some playing time. I hope we don't go to a nine game SEC schedule, but it seems that we are headed that way. I like a challenging schedule, but I don't think that we should make it impossible.
 

Hoot30

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The point about a lot of teams being in the FBS that shouldn't is very relevant here. We see a lot of those teams peppered on all schedules. There's really not much difference between one of those and an FCS team, it's just a bit easier to bring in the FCS team, than to fight over the FBS teams for the road game (FBS teams have to play a certain number of home games). The SEC shouldn't do anything in response to this, save perhaps point out the numbers which are telling.
And it's usually much cheaper. My bet is that this will drive up the money paid out for guarantee games. I think I read that 'Bama paid FAU a cool million last year. In 2009, Bama paid Ga. State $400,000 when they were FCS, but next year will pay them $700,000. The low-tier FBS schools will be able to ask more for guarantee games and/or leverage a home game. Who wants to go back to Lafayette, LA for a road game as Bama did in '90?
 

TideEngineer08

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I still won't watch, Big Ten. You are too slow and too boring.

What this is actually all about... I don't think it's been mentioned in the thread yet and my apologies if it has... Jim Delaney also announced the Big Ten's intentions of going to 9 or 10 conference games. This is about inventory for the Big Ten Network.
 

Hoot30

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I still won't watch, Big Ten. You are too slow and too boring.

What this is actually all about... I don't think it's been mentioned in the thread yet and my apologies if it has... Jim Delaney also announced the Big Ten's intentions of going to 9 or 10 conference games. This is about inventory for the Big Ten Network.
Another website made another good point about the B1G going to 9 or 10 conference games and that was about expansion. The B1G wants to add UVA, Ga. Tech, and possibly UNC and Duke. With Maryland and Rutgers, that is an east division, and they would be able to maintain traditional rivalries.

If the SEC follows and adds conf. games, I would prefer it be 10 so that there is a balanced home and away schedule.
 

KrAzY3

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This is about inventory for the Big Ten Network.
I think you're onto something there. They have financial incentives to try and better their network package. If they can sway the SEC while they are at it, then they'll be happy I'm sure.

Also, as has been mentioned a couple of times, if the SEC follows, it will drive up the price to get FBS teams to play a road game. I alluded to it before, but the NCAA has a minimum number of home games an FBS team can play, so they can't just play all non-conference games on the road. This means the more desirable FBS teams to play at homecoming or what not, would be bid up and make things quite expensive.
 

TideEngineer08

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Another website made another good point about the B1G going to 9 or 10 conference games and that was about expansion. The B1G wants to add UVA, Ga. Tech, and possibly UNC and Duke. With Maryland and Rutgers, that is an east division, and they would be able to maintain traditional rivalries.

If the SEC follows and adds conf. games, I would prefer it be 10 so that there is a balanced home and away schedule.
Yep, and that is about inventory as well. It's why they don't care that Maryland and Rutgers stink. They're near major media markets which means more subscriptions to the Big Ten Network. Ten conference games means the Big Ten isn't satisfied with 14 teams... they're looking to expand again and you named their targets.
 

TideEngineer08

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I think you're onto something there. They have financial incentives to try and better their network package. If they can sway the SEC while they are at it, then they'll be happy I'm sure.

Also, as has been mentioned a couple of times, if the SEC follows, it will drive up the price to get FBS teams to play a road game. I alluded to it before, but the NCAA has a minimum number of home games an FBS team can play, so they can't just play all non-conference games on the road. This means the more desirable FBS teams to play at homecoming or what not, would be bid up and make things quite expensive.
The scary thing is how profitable this network has been for them. They really hit a home run with it and it's making them a ton of money.

Now... if they want to challenge the SEC's football supremacy, then they've got to figure out how to get recruits to go north in large numbers. All of this money helps with facilities upgrades but as we well know, the SEC's facilities are not hurting. But when you consider a situation like what we have in the SEC with Tennessee, where they're literally near bankruptcy, and you begin to realize just how much having one of those networks would come in handy for the SEC right now.
 

Hoot30

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Yep, and that is about inventory as well. It's why they don't care that Maryland and Rutgers stink. They're near major media markets which means more subscriptions to the Big Ten Network. Ten conference games means the Big Ten isn't satisfied with 14 teams... they're looking to expand again and you named their targets.
If that happens, get ready for more dominos to fall. The SEC will try to go to 18 teams, and the ACC will go the way of the WAC.
 

selmaborntidefan

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The Big Ten SoS is weak because they play the Big Ten; the SEC SoS is generally stron because they play the SEC.


This - to me - is another one of those "the SEC won't schedule games up north in November" nonsense from the same folks who scream about their right to play in 80 degree weather in Pasadena in January.
 

russtang

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Yep, and that is about inventory as well. It's why they don't care that Maryland and Rutgers stink. They're near major media markets which means more subscriptions to the Big Ten Network. Ten conference games means the Big Ten isn't satisfied with 14 teams... they're looking to expand again and you named their targets.
If that happens, get ready for more dominos to fall. The SEC will try to go to 18 teams, and the ACC will go the way of the WAC.
There WILL BE 4 "super conferences" before all is said and done, and it will happen sooner rather than later. I say within 6 years.
 

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