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Future OOC SCHEDULING?

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kcin_4_BAMA

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Oct 3, 2005
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The Wiregrass
Now that the probation is behind us (for the most part) and we are beginning to build deeper, more talented teams AND we have a coach that by all indications will lead us to consistently more wins than we are used to over the past 10 years........can we expect to see the out of conference scheduling become more competitive?
I know that a big reason for the weak OOC schedule has been to ensure a certain # of W's & build confidence, but with the hiring of CNS, I think it is safe to say that the expectation level has SIGNIFICANTLY risen for the entire program. I am trying to temper my enthusiasm until we win a few games and/or dominate multiple top-tier opponents, but I just feel like the whole program is going to improve in the very NEAR future & I would like to see the schedule reflect that. I know we have FSU in '07, but with the way the NCAA is now, I can't imagine we will have a hard time improving on DUKE, La. Monroe, W. Carolina, etc., etc.(think Wake Forest, Boise, Rutgers, etc.) I also understand the difficulties of playing in the SEC & winning on a weekly basis, but there should only be 1 or 2 cupcakes on the schedule, IMO. If you want to be the best, you have to play the best.
 
kcin_4_BAMA said:
...
I know that a big reason for the weak OOC schedule has been to ensure a certain # of W's & build confidence,...
Click to expand...
... i am sure that plays into it somewhat, but it may be more about revenues and home games, etc.
 
Before the probation we had Penn St scheduled to play i think last season and this one, but moved it back because of the probation. Mal Moore has shown he wants to play quality OOC opponents when the playing field is level.
 
I just looked at the the 2008 OOC schedule that came w/ my TIDE PRIDE renewal form and it replicates this past years horrible non-conference schedule.


We are looking @

open 8-30-2008 Western KY
9-6-2008 Tulane
10-11-2008 UTEP
11-1-2008 Northern Illinois.

Subjet to change and hopefully. We need at least 1 big opponent!!!!!!!!!!
 
Just having one of the above teams would make our OOC schedule respectable. Coming from a USC family, I just hate how crappy the OOC is for most (if not all) SEC schools. I would love to see the USC-Alabama game come back (Alabama is 5-2 against them all time). I think that we can play some respectable (but not unwinnable) games against teams like Oregon, Cal, Texas A&M, Wisconsin, MSU, Boise State, etc. These are games where the OOC would look respectable but we could still win these games.

I know for a fact, in order to schedule a home and home with USC, we would have to play in Southern California first before we could host them. They've always done that and frankly, I wouldn't really care if we had to do that.

But first, we need to get Saban's team going. Maybe in Year 3 of Coach Saban's tenure we'll get some nice looking OOC schedules happening. I am personally digusted that we have to schedule LA-Monroe, Duke, etc. just so that we can at least guarantee a bowl trip.
 
crimsonnate said:
open 8-30-2008 Western KY
9-6-2008 Tulane
10-11-2008 UTEP
11-1-2008 Northern Illinois.

Subjet to change and hopefully. We need at least 1 big opponent!!!!!!!!!!
Click to expand...

I know those have been tentatively scheduled for some time now, but that is precisely why I started this post. While we struggled this year mightily with Duke & the others, that was coachimg, IMO & it seems now that we have overcome that simply by hiring somebody that can handle controlling 18-22 year olds, and thus our schedule should reflect that. As CaliforniaTide mentioned, there are too many above average teams out there and we are talented enough to not be scheduling W. Ky., Tulane, UTEP, & N. Ill. Tell me (if we could manage to get it scheduled) BDS wouldn't be louder than UF '05 if we brought TX A&M in. Imagine the possibilities with that game. To me, TX A&M, Cal, Louisville, Wake, Oregon and others are very beatable while SIGNIFICANTLY boosting our SOS. For the record, I don't want CMM to drop UTEP just for the hype.
 
... this might be a good thread for me to offer my thoughts about the media and others bashing the SEC about their OOC scheduling ... let me just grab this soapbox first, there now...

...well, let's just make it short and sweet, shall we?

every team has to have tough games and not so tough games in their 12 game schedule - agreed?

the SEC has to schedule their "cupcake" games as OOC games because conference games are tough games

other conferences, i.e. Pac 10, have to go OOC for the tough games because the so called "cupcake" teams are in conference

therein lies the difference, i say


... okay, i'm kicking the soapbox out from under me (with no noose around my neck, mind you) :D

back to your regular scheduled program ...

- just my 2 :smile: (the obligatory disclaimer)
 
oskie said:
... this might be a good thread for me to offer my thoughts about the media and others bashing the SEC about their OOC scheduling ... let me just grab this soapbox first, there now...

...well, let's just make it short and sweet, shall we?

every team has to have tough games and not so tough games in their 12 game schedule - agreed?

the SEC has to schedule their "cupcake" games as OOC games because conference games are tough games

other conferences, i.e. Pac 10, have to go OOC for the tough games because the so called "cupcake" teams are in conference

therein lies the difference, i say


... okay, i'm kicking the soapbox out from under me (with no noose around my neck, mind you) :D

back to your regular scheduled program ...

- just my 2 :smile: (the obligatory disclaimer)
Click to expand...

That is a very valid point, but I offer you Florida, this year. I know they are in the BS BCS champ. game, but only because a few teams lost at inopportune times. They were severely hamstrung because of their OOC schedule. Now this year, it worked out for UF, but if (bite my tongue) AUbarn had played just 1 additional above average OOC opponent, they might have gotten their shot - which I think they would have not enjoyed;)
In the end, it all depends on how the chips fall for the 2 teams to get in the champ. game, but I would just like to have some more excitement at home games since I have to drive 3 1/2 hrs. to get there EVERY home game & I really feel like the schedule will get better, but I was really curious if anybody had any rumors or information regarding potential future big OOC games.
 
If you look at the later years of CNS's tenure at LSU (when he likely had the most impact in scheduling), you don't see particularly tenacious OOC scheduling. Here are 2003 & 2004 (his final two years years in Baton Rouge) and 2005 (the year after he left):

2003
Louisana-Monroe
Arizona
Western Illinois
Louisiana Tech

2004
Oregon State
Arkansas State
Troy

2005
Arizona State
North Texas
Appalachian State

So you see one Pac 10 opponent and two or three cupcakes. Of course, now we have the revised BCS formula and the annual 12th game, so there is a greater incentive to toughen up a schedule somewhat.

Of course time will tell, but I doubt we see a major shift in scheduling philosophy.
 
kcin_4_BAMA said:
That is a very valid point, but I offer you Florida, this year...
Click to expand...
...thanks kcin, and i'm sorry if you thought it pointed your way

all of your comments in this thread are very valid, by my views, - that's why i was careful not to "quote" you :smile:

mine was just a soapbox moment that had been festering for some time just looking for the right thread to latch onto - if you check my posts you will see that i don't let many of those creatures out :D
 
RobK said:
If you look at the later years of CNS's tenure at LSU (when he likely had the most impact in scheduling), you don't see particularly tenacious OOC scheduling. Here are 2003 & 2004 (his final two years years in Baton Rouge) and 2005 (the year after he left):

2003
Louisana-Monroe
Arizona
Western Illinois
Louisiana Tech

2004
Oregon State
Arkansas State
Troy

2005
Arizona State
North Texas
Appalachian State
Click to expand...

Wouldn't a lot of those schedules have already been inked before he got there?
 
Teams that I like to see Bama play

Oklahoma
Penn State
Nebraska

Teams we owe a beating to

Notre Dame
Texas
UCLA
UCF
Northern Illinois

In a few years

Miami
 
If only I could make the schedules....


Open the season at home every year with a "cupcake" from a BCS conference (Duke, Baylor, Northwestern, Stanford, etc.) This allows for a boost in the BCS if later in the year they beat one of their conference foes.

The second OOC game would be a home-and-home against either Boston College, Syracuse, Penn State, or Rutgers (if they can maintain current level of play) for the exposure in the Northeast.

The third OOC game would be "The Games of The Century". This would be home-and-home games against the likes of Texas, Notre Dame, Michigan, USC, Oklahoma, Florida State, etc, etc, etc.

And finally, the last OOC game would be home games against "non-BSC powers" such as Boise State, Fresno State, Navy (if they maintain current level of play), Hawaii, and so on...

A man can dream....
 
Auburn played a home and home with USC a couple years ago and Bama did the same for Oklahoma. So the SEC teams in Alabama have played BCS title game participants more than once. MSU played WVU this year. South Carolina always plays Clemson (a top 25 or so team usually). FLorida plays FSU every year and has played Miami as well. Tennessee has played Notre Dame and Cal the last two years. Kentucky plays Louisville every year. Bama plays FSU next year and PSU in the future. Vanderbilt played Michigan.

A rundown of the better teams the SEC played out of conference this year:
@ Michigan
vs. Louisville
@FSU
vs. West Virginia
vs. California
vs. Clemson
@ Ga Tech
vs. USC

That's not a weak non-conference schedule. Those are all BCS teams that have been ranked in the top 10 or 15 at some point in the year. This talk of weak OOC schedule is crap.
 
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