Edward Aschoff of ESPN Calls Out SEC Scheduling

[PIMking]

we dont have to add Oregon on our schedule but Northwestern, Western Kentucky, UVA type schools would be fine to me

[socraticsilence]

Originally Posted by PIMking

we dont have to add Oregon on our schedule but Northwestern, Western Kentucky, UVA type schools would be fine to me

A mid-level BCS program, even one we'd probably stomp would be a huge improvement- I honestly don't get how they expect folks to show up for FCS teams in November, its one thing in August when the team's getting its feet under them and everyone's so hungry for football they'll go anywhere its another thing deep into the year.

[ufgatordad]

If we want to schedule terrible teams from a bad conference instead of a FCS team, fine. It's really not going to make our schedule "tougher" nor do I think it needs to be to get 2 SEC teams into the playoffs as long as the SEC keeps dominating like it has.

I definitely don't agree with trying to add tougher opponents. The SEC has the biggest challenge of keeping players healthy because of the rigors of our schedule week in and week out. It's not simply about just affecting a championship because of 1 loss; I think there is a greater chance of it affecting a championship because of having more players go down than we already do. It already seems like we get the most injuries after an LSU or UGA game. As long as we are playing great competition most weeks, why risk further injuries that could cost championships for one game to be a little better? Not worth it in my opinion...

[socraticsilence]

Originally Posted by Go2gtr

You are intellectually dishonest. You are a suspect poster to begin with but this post is flat out BS. I don't know exactly what your game is but it STINKS. Take a hike why don't you.

Sat, Nov 2 Georgia * Jacksonville, FL TBA
Sat, Nov 9 Vanderbilt (Homecoming) * Gainesville, FL TBA
Sat, Nov 16 South Carolina * Columbia, SC TBA
Sat, Nov 23 Georgia Southern Gainesville, FL TBA
Sat, Nov 30 Florida State Gainesville, FL TBA

Georgia Southern in August would be good, the same game in November invites ridicule.

[Go2gtr]

Originally Posted by socraticsilence

Georgia Southern in August would be good, the same game in November invites ridicule.

"November, when most teams are playing big time matchups we get the....panthers?"

Check out our November schedule and spin this again.

[nawlinsgator]

Originally Posted by socraticsilence

A mid-level BCS program, even one we'd probably stomp would be a huge improvement- I honestly don't get how they expect folks to show up for FCS teams in November, its one thing in August when the team's getting its feet under them and everyone's so hungry for football they'll go anywhere its another thing deep into the year.

Football is an expensive sport and we are not going to give up a home game every year with a cupcake for a home-and-home against a not-so-cupcake. Not to mention, we can get the second and third stringers some playing time while we rest our starters.
I bet the players don't mind getting a creampuff once in a while.

[tilly]

Originally Posted by SeaCay

I like the idea of a B1G-SEC challenge in football.

Isnt the placement of "B1G" and "challenge" in a sentence the epitome of an oxymoron?

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Tablet using Gator Country

[nbace]

Back in the '80's and '90's...you could get schools like Louisville, Southern Miss, Rutgers, and others to come to Gainesville and not demand a home game. Now...you cannot get schools like that to agree.

I agree with the poster who said it would be better to play FAU or FIU (UCF and USF would demand a home game or at least 2 for 1) than an FCS school. Maybe we could do a 2 for 1 with UCF or USF (those games would be at best...neutral site with fans at least). Or cut some deal with Miami to get extra revenue for a home and home (Miami would probably be glad to give UF 20,000 tix to a game at Joe Robbie Stadium in order to boost their season sales when we came to town).

[PIMking]

Originally Posted by nawlinsgator

If it aint broke, don't fix it. SEC would have gotten two teams in the 4 team playoffs this year and last year. SEC schedules are tough enough. It should be the prerogative of each school to schedule whoever they want out of conference.

We don't want to play USCw or big time schools like that but playing USF or UVA isn't going to be much harder than playing VMI school of the blind like we do already, plus its a better school and probably more butts in the seats so our players aren't playing in front of dozens of Gator fans

[PIMking]

Originally Posted by FriendlyGator

It is easy to criticize when you are sitting at your keyboard. It is quite another when you are a coach who faces a brutal SEC schedule, with no "gimme" games against clearly overmatched conference teams, and your players need some rest during the season. This is not the NFL. These young men do have to go to class and study as well. Their lives off the practice field cannot be devoted totally to recovery.

I wish we didn't have cream puffs either, but I understand the need and rational.

Kentucky is a Gimme Game and so are a couple other schools in the last few years.

[OaktownGator]

Originally Posted by nbace

Back in the '80's and '90's...you could get schools like Louisville, Southern Miss, Rutgers, and others to come to Gainesville and not demand a home game. Now...you cannot get schools like that to agree.

I agree with the poster who said it would be better to play FAU or FIU (UCF and USF would demand a home game or at least 2 for 1) than an FCS school. Maybe we could do a 2 for 1 with UCF or USF (those games would be at best...neutral site with fans at least). Or cut some deal with Miami to get extra revenue for a home and home (Miami would probably be glad to give UF 20,000 tix to a game at Joe Robbie Stadium in order to boost their season sales when we came to town).

Good points - getting the home game without the return trip is the key and it's a pretty small pool of schools likely to do that.

I'm not sure USF and UCF wouldn't do it once in awhile... they'd get a payday, and very low costs for an away game. FAU and FIU are certainly alternatives... although people would still scoff at them as OOC opponents even if they're not FCS.

Teams like Troy UAB, Hawaii, Wyoming, Bowling Green, Ball State, Western Ky, LA Lafayette, Southern Miss, the directional Michigan schools, etc... those could all be viable options.

[Pogiro]

Eh, as much as I agree, it just seems like a cheap shot at the SEC. The B1G is deciding to drop FCS opponents, so now the SEC has to? The writer even acknowledges that the B1G has been playing catch up to us for almost a decade now. Weak conference, and for a while there, no conference championship game? If the SEC is to drop FCS opponnets, it's because the guys, who have made the conference what it is today, decide to drop em. **** the B1G. Despite the FCS games the SEC still boasts the tougher SOS in college football.

And then to say that the SEC needs to beef up its schedule to get 2 teams in to the 4-team playoff, with the way we've currently done it we've had 2 teams in the top 5 in six of the past seven seasons in the rankings after conference championship games. I don't see that changing any time soon. Opinions don't seem to be swayed too much by FCS opponents as long as you take care of your quality games. Look at us this past year. Pretty crappy performances against our FCS opponents, but with our quality wins, we were the first team left out of the championship game.

The article's just trying to take a weak swipe at the SEC.

[TheRaid]

No one sems to want to look at the data and find out the truth about scheduling. The SEC is 4th or 5th on the list of scheduling the most FCS teams over the last 10 years. Ahead of them is the Big 10.

[RealDeal]

I'm not driving to gainesville and spending a bunch of money on tickets, food, hotels, etc. to see florida blow out some overmatched creampuff from a lower division. I'll just watch it in comfort on a huge LED TV with tons of cold beer, hot wings and burgers at hand.

[ofmgator]

FCS no, but to schedule a home and home with a Big Ten team means lost revenue and that's why some games are so called "money " games for FBS and FCS teams. We have played the toughest schedule in the country for a number of years (not consecutively) so we don't have to hang our heads. Check out the patsies the Big 10,Big 12, acc play every year. To me there is more excitement playing a tough opponent but if I live close enough to G'ville I'd be at every ome game and some away games like I used to do when I lived down there.

[Go2gtr]

Originally Posted by RealDeal

I'm not driving to gainesville and spending a bunch of money on tickets, food, hotels, etc. to see florida blow out some overmatched creampuff from a lower division. I'll just watch it in comfort on a huge LED TV with tons of cold beer, hot wings and burgers at hand.

The stuff memories are made of. But this is clearly becoming the wave of the future for more and more fans.

[ufgator4ever]

Why dont we add bye weeks for team rest and just charge season ticket holders for them like a game. Fans want the team to be healthy, saves them fuel/lodging, avoids any near disasterous embarassing losses and probably helps strength of schedule.

[lurkingator1]

Our Schedule next year is again rated very hard, around 4th hardest in the country.

[Swampmaster]

Originally Posted by ufgator4ever

Why dont we add bye weeks for team rest and just charge season ticket holders for them like a game. Fans want the team to be healthy, saves them fuel/lodging, avoids any near disasterous embarassing losses and probably helps strength of schedule.

can they also charge a ticket service charge fee for the bye weeks?

[ufgator4ever]

Originally Posted by Swampmaster

can they also charge a ticket service charge fee for the bye weeks?

Of course, taxes, sevice fees etc. Still charged. But rather than paying for nothing, there could be a big screen viewing party in the swamp for espn's 7pm game of the week. This would insure one night 'game' every year and please the hardcore tailgators.
Look, it's not going to be an orgy. It's a viewing party.