Saban Wants Scheduling To Be Less “Divisional” Oriented

July 19th, 2012 10:43 AM║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║ Schools: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State, Missouri, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt
Tags: Alabama Nick Saban, SEC

Asked whether a nine-game conference schedule would make it tougher for the SEC to win a national title, Alabama’s Nick Saban spoke the truth. The fact that it meshed exactly with what we’ve stated time and again has not a thing to do with us posting his response verbatim, either. Nope, not a thing.

Coach, take it away:

“Here’s the priority — trying to look at this whole thing from a thousand feet rather than lookin’ at it as how it just affects us — is my opinion is that the #1 priority should be that every player at every school have the opportunity to play every SEC school in his career…

It doesn’t have to be nine games, but what scheduling format gives us an opportunity to do that?…

Everybody’s got a self-absorbed opinion about why we shouldn’t do it, ’cause maybe they won’t get bowl eligible. But people said when we started the SEC Championship Game that we’ll never be able to win a national champion(ship) because we play this competitive game at the end of the year and people will get knocked out. But the fact of the matter was more teams got in the national championship game because of what happened in the SEC Championship Game than got knocked out…

I don’t think the difficulty of schedule would be any greater. I think if you’re one of the best teams playing another team in our league it would just be an opportunity to prove that you are a quality team. So I don’t know if it would or wouldn’t affect it one way or another. I just look at it that the #1 priority should be that every player have the opportunity to play every school in the SEC rather than be so ‘divisional’ oriented.”

Keep in mind, Alabama and Saban have flourished with an eight-game schedule. It would be easy for Saban to push for the status quo. He isn’t.

Good for him.

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6 comments

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careyhhi

It seems like Saban wants to play more East teams and less West teams.

RedandBlackDawg

@careyhhi I bet I know one East conference team he would like to have on his menu right about now. It begins wit the word South.

careyhhi

1 Like

@RedandBlackDawg Why? Because the Gamecocks ended his winning streak? I think Saban would be very happy to replace LSU with Carolina, UGA, or any other East team.

RedandBlackDawg

@careyhhi I think it has more to do with his comment about Alabama getting into the national title game and winning it more than a lost game. If S.C, is as good as Spurrier thinks they are, why wouldn't they just be just as good as the teams on the west side are? The fact is, the east has been down a few years and the west has been up in that time period. It could all switch around in a few years time, but it is going to take more than just veiled insults, to make the change.

I am far from a Bama. fan, but credit should be given where credit is due. Saban knows how to win and coach. Spurrier does also, but the big difference is Saban doesn't feel a need to act like he is some type of comedian in front of the media. He let's his record do the talking.

Crayton

A division-less structure could be great. And, of course, it would only be financially smart to do it if the SEC CCG could be kept. It would also pipe down those inane calls for further expansion, as if 16 were a magical number. Perhaps 3 permanent rivals and then play 5 of the other 10 on a two-year on / two-year off basis (a meshed rotation, of course, so that you don't change all 5 non-permanent rivals on the same year).

Of course you CAN do this within the current division restraints... if you are okay with teams sharing permanent rivals.

**South Quad**

LSU

Ole Miss

Miss St

Texas A&M

**North Quad**

Arkansas

Missouri

Kentucky

Vanderbilt^

**Central Quad** (room for 1 permanent East-Central rivalry for each team; not mandatory)

Tennessee

Alabama

Auburn^

**East Quad**

Georgia

Florida

South Carolina^

^USC/Vandy/Auburn could be rotated to preserve Vandy-Tennessee as a permanent rivalry. But this makes more geographical sense.

Pair a 4-team quad with a 3-team quad and switch every two years. Ta da! For the first two years the divisions could look identical to now except for switching Arkansas to the East (North-East) and Tennessee to the West (South-Central).

RedandBlackDawg

I actually agree with Coach Saban on this. Are you listening Stevie Boy. In other words, if you perveive your team to be so great, you should handle your schedule, not cry about another teams schedule. I don't believe Auburn was favored to beat you in 2011.

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