Spurrier Says UGA Picked Over USC Because Of Schedule

July 10th, 2012 12:50 PM║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║ Schools: Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss, South Carolina
Tags: Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss

Last week on Paul Finebaum’s nationally-syndicated radio show, South Carolina’s Steve Spurrier said there’s one simple reason why Georgia is favored to win the SEC East this year over his own Gamecock squad — the Bulldogs’ schedule (paywall warning):

“They have the easier schedule and I think that’s why they’re picked. They have Ole Miss on the other side and we’ve got LSU. Sometimes that one game can make the difference, which is what happened last year.”

That depends on how you look at it, of course. Last year, South Carolina lost to Arkansas and Auburn from the SEC West. Georgia beat Ole Miss and Auburn in their West Division games. Carolina fans will tell you the difference was Arkansas and Ole Miss. Georgia fans will point out that they beat Auburn while the Cocks couldn’t beat the Tigers in Columbia, making Auburn the difference.

Argue about it if you like, but no two schedules are created equal. Ever. None of them. Someone always plays Team X instead of Team Y. Or one school will have Team Z at home while the other plays Team Z on the road. An early-season game versus a late-season game. A team pre-injuries versus a team post-injuries. Not equal. Ever. None of them.

Spurrier is right that UGA is getting the nod in 2012 because of what’s — on paper — an easier schedule. But he’s wrong to say that the schedule was the only difference between the teams last year. It’s just as easy to say that the teams would’ve been tied in the standings with Carolina holding the tie-breaker had the Gamecocks just taken care of business with an Auburn team that UGA trounced 45-7.

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7 comments

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MissouriTarheel

Interesting... UGA's date in New Columbia on September 8th could prove to be a pivotal first game in the SEC for Mizzou. Go (NOT geaux) Tigers!

ice2cold

last year??? Georgia gets the easy schedule every year. Check the history!!!

mb6783

Vicious, what tougher schedule? Auburn and Arkansas have been about the same for the last decade, and we weren't in competition with you then for the title. Put it in context.

And Rebar, a georgia fan telling someone to have a little class? Thats a joke. And everyone knows UGA requested to move the game.

viciousdawg

I didn't hear any of the gamechicken fans crying those years Georgia had a tougher schedule.

Rebar

UGA didn't beg anyone to have the game moved; have a little class. The schedule is set by the SEC, not Georgia. I appreciate your view of last season, and I don't think Arkansas is as good as ya'll think they are.

tryptic67

Do you think Georgia would have beaten Arkansas last year - particularly the way Georgia was playing later in the season before the Tech game? Saying both Georgia and South Carolina played Auburn - and that the Auburn game cost SC - is true. It still doesn't vitiate the fact Georgia managed to avoid playing Bama, LSU or Arkansas for a second year in a row, despite the fact it was originally slated to do so (Alabama - which would have been a great game). Lest you say that Georgia needed to "complete" its home-and-home with Ole Miss, keep in mind that South Carolina's home-and-home with Mississippi State was taken away in order to give the Cocks LSU. While no two schedules are created alike, it's fair to say that there was some intervention in the SEC front office to allow Georgia to get what, by all accounts, is the least-difficult schedule in the East, which all the major reporting services and commenters concede. Insofar as Georga was the frontrunner for the Eastern Division in 2012 the minute after the SECCG ended, and before the schedule changes emanated from Birmingham, Spurrier's comment is no less accurate. Thanks for your great blog.

mb6783

As a Gamecock fan, your right. Last year it came down to them beating Auburn and we didn't. But would they have beaten Arkansas? Probably not. It fell the way it fell, we should have beaten Auburn. Simple as that. This year, on paper the reason they are picked ahead of us is the schedule. At the end of the year, if our only loss is to LSU and Arkansas, and there only loss is to us, then we can blame the schedule. I for one, think our only loss will be to LSU and we will be in the georgia dome playing the the SEC crown. I am more upset about UGA begging to move our game deeper in the season. Half there team will be suspended on week 2, we could have rolled them.

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