FCS opponents prior to Auburn game

Wait...Stop... you're using facts and reason!!! GREAT post 2262! (BAMA!)

ALA2262 said:

Question about Bama playing Mercer this year arose on another board with several comments indicating there were plenty of FBS opponents available without scheduling FCS opponents. My thoughts were if that was indeed the case then Bama would have scheduled one of them so I did some research. Thought I would pass on what I found.

Bear in mind we are not talking about an entire schedule here but rather ONE week. The week prior to the Auburn game which Bama has requested of the SEC to leave open on their schedule so as to be used to schedule an OOC opponent.

There are 130 FBS schools playing football in 2017. One of them is Bama and since the SEC has been unable to figure out how to make Bama play them that leaves 129. Eliminating the other 13 SEC schools leaves us with 116. On the week prior to the Auburn game, ONE HUNDRED of those 116 are playing mandated conference games leaving us with 16. Plenty?

Of the 16 left, two are CUSA, two are AAC, four are ACC, four are Sun Belt, and four are the Independents. The four ACC teams aren't coming so that leaves us with 12. One of the four SBC teams is Troy. That ain't happening, so that leaves us with 11. Only one (UMASS) of the four Independents would even consider scheduling Bama on that week so that leaves us with 8. Plenty!?

Now I don't know what they would do, but if I am the AD at one of those 8 schools, and unless Bama is paying Bowl money(they ain't!), I would not risk getting to the next to last weekend needing two wins to become Bowl eligible and have my team in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. I suspect that in itself leaves us with 0.

And that is why Bama schedules FCS opponents prior to the Auburn game. And always will as long as they continue to play an OOC game on that week.

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This is why the whole "the SEC refuses to play road games up north in November" argument spouted by a number of Big Ten fans (note: obviously NOT including our esteemed B1G here, who is devastatingly honest even about his own program) is nonsense.

I've often said, "Go find me a Big Ten team with an open weekend in November - and then tell me that what THAT team wants to do is play Alabama." Besides - as I've often said - I've never once heard ANY Big Ten fan complain about the hot weather in Pasadena on January 1. But I'm getting away from the point.


SEC teams have always had a slight bit of flexibility in scheduling but the problem is that some things quickly become CFB traditions and nobody wants you to mess with them. Many years ago - before the division split - Mississippi State had one of the most predictable schedules in the SEC. Their November schedule was always: Auburn, Alabama, LSU, and Ole Miss, and virtually always in that order. Alabama once played Tennessee on "The Third Saturday In October" every year without exception. Expansion both of the league and of the games played make that game sometimes occur on the fourth Saturday in October.

The SEC is the big draw (along with the B1G) and so when the extra game got added around 2002, you have more of the cupcakes wanting to play those schools to draw big money. It became the equivalent of a bye week for SEC teams.

I've never had any problem with it and neither should anyone else. The simple fact is that OTHER schools ALSO have their traditions that they play games around that time.

ALA2262 said:

Open dates are used to schedule an OOC game or take a bye. There are NO open dates in November on ANY Big 10 schedule for either use.

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Also true, and a point I've made before. I don't know if it's one of the Big Ten quirks, but it does seem they mandate consecutive scheduling of in conference games.

selmaborntidefan said:

Also true, and a point I've made before. I don't know if it's one of the Big Ten quirks, but it does seem they mandate consecutive scheduling of in conference games.

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Exactly - which is what makes the whole thing hypocritical.


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selmaborntidefan said:

Also true, and a point I've made before. I don't know if it's one of the Big Ten quirks, but it does seem they mandate consecutive scheduling of in conference games.

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And that's where they try to point out scheduling among conferences is unfair. They and the PAC-12 believe all conferences should have the same scheduling method.

IOW, if they could do what we do, they would, but they made some regrettable rules years ago.


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The only scheduling topic I'm 'for' in relation to Auburn is I wish that we would move the game to earlier in the season. Like say around early-mid Oct. Move the LSU game even and play them last. We always seem to play tight against the Barn because it's the last game and IF you lose it wrecks the season. Add the fact that they always play more loose and fired up and it makes for some frustrating games whether we win or lose. I think if we played them earlier in the season knowing we could afford a loss... we wouldn't be wound so tight.

Plus I like the idea of playing LSU last. We play well against them win or lose most of the time. It's basically the SECwCG most years over the last decade. The rivalry is not as nasty imo either.... though I guess that's debatable. But I've got along way better with LSU fans in the past than Barn fans. We almost need a cooling off period from the 'Iron Bowl'. I'd be fine with Auburn moving to the East and only playing them every few years. Both fan bases are obsessed with the other in unhealthy ways.

I admit I'm guilty of it.....I HATE them. Not the players really, but their cult-like 'culture' and lame traditions and arrogant little wise-'butt' fans. They love nothing more than coming up like cute little catchphrases to troll, taught, and flat out harass Alabama fans with. They can't see a 'stick' and NOT pick it up to poke you with. They are insufferable. (This all excludes AuDub here obviously....he's pretty level headed and nice...a rarity)

I would rather invite GT back, and trade API to the ACC.

It would make it that more enjoyable when GT beats UGA.

ALA2262 said:

One of those rules in the Big 10 was the completion of all schedules prior to Thanksgiving. That ended with the 2009 season.

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Well when they added the championship game, they had to make sure nobody had an 'unfair advantage' of an off week the week prior to the title game. The Big Ten has always tried to play by its own rules - awhile back you couldn't go to the Rose Bowl in consecutive years, and they STILL think they have some sort of special claim to the game.

That said....I don't want to turn what is a fair point in the OP into Big Ten bashing just because I'm mad at Maryland for choking in the b-ball tournament. Maybe because I hate Harbaugh but not because of Maryland.

I'd be all for a road game up north in November if they come to BDS the Saturday before Labor Day with a 1:30 kickoff.


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I am pretty sure, if Alabama wanted to, they could schedule at least a G5 school for that week. After all, Florida scheduled UAB and Auburn scheduled ULM.

Redwood Forrest said:

I am pretty sure, if Alabama wanted to, they could schedule at least a G5 school for that week. After all, Florida scheduled UAB and Auburn scheduled ULM.

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So why do we not play other instate schools whether it be FCS or FBS. No one at the athletic department has really ever answered that. Auburn plays Alabama A&M, and Troy. Lets play Jax state at least they beat Ole Sis not long ago.

Redwood Forrest said:

I am pretty sure, if Alabama wanted to, they could schedule at least a G5 school for that week. After all, Florida scheduled UAB and Auburn scheduled ULM.

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We have in the past.

bama2112 said:

So why do we not play other instate schools whether it be FCS or FBS. No one at the athletic department has really ever answered that. Auburn plays Alabama A&M, and Troy. Lets play Jax state at least they beat Ole Sis not long ago.

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Because there's no reason to.



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bama2112 said:

So why do we not play other instate schools whether it be FCS or FBS. No one at the athletic department has really ever answered that. Auburn plays Alabama A&M, and Troy. Lets play Jax state at least they beat Ole Sis not long ago.

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Well as for UAB they already blame every bad thing that happens on Tuscaloosa. Imagine the whining, accusations and fingerpointing when we beat them.

When you play Bama, it's a "we have arrived" game for most teams. Us older posters remember that Coach Bryant didn't want to play instate schools and in effect help them. If it was good for Coach Bryant then it's still good.

I have no problem with these games for a couple of reasons:
1) It's basically a bye/glorified practice at game speed. It gives our starters a break and helps develop depth by getting meaningful playing time in live game.
2) These games make the bank for these smaller schools. That's a lot of kids who would not get an education if these programs could not stay afloat.

I know that a lot of fans don't like these games because they're not competitive and all and to a degree I agree. As a program, we really don't benefit from playing them other than #1 above. For the fans it would be great to play Oklahoma or UCLA or tOSU or someone like that on the weekend before the AU game. However, I would like for my starters to be rested a little prior to the AU game.
Someone in an earlier post said something about moving the AU game to earlier in the season because of Bama always playing tight in that game. I would say that ,particularly if we were undefeated, we would play tight in that last game regardless of who we might play.

I understand all the reasons for playing the Mercers of the world but it still it not right. What does their HC tell them? You can beat Bama if you play your best? That is what he is supposed to say, isn't it? Well if anyone on that team actually believes that, then I am sorry for them. The only way FCS teams can beat Bama is for Bama to play its WORSE. I has nothing to do with how Mercer plays.

I know this is true of most teams, that they need our help to beat us, but this is beyond that. This is a tricycle in the Indy 500.

Redwood Forrest said:

I understand all the reasons for playing the Mercers of the world but it still it not right. What does their HC tell them? You can beat Bama if you play your best? That is what he is supposed to say, isn't it? Well if anyone on that team actually believes that, then I am sorry for them. The only way FCS teams can beat Bama is for Bama to play its WORSE. I has nothing to do with how Mercer plays.

I know this is true of most teams, that they need our help to beat us, but this is beyond that. This is a tricycle in the Indy 500.

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And Mercer does it so they can keep their school open by going back with a $1 million check. That's the reason for these games, it's a sort of 'half socialism' attempt at keeping small facilities of higher learning open.