AJC > Sports > Blog > Archives > 2008 > April > 03 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USBreaking down schedules in the SEC West
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Let’s break down the schedules in the SEC West. This was tougher than the East because so many of the schedules were similar. Let me know what you think.
SEC WEST
1. ALABAMA
Non-conference: Clemson (Georgia Dome), Tulane, Western Kentucky, Arkansas State.
SEC Home: Kentucky, Ole Miss, Miss. State, Auburn.
SEC Road: Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee, LSU.
SEC East: Kentucky, Georgia, Tennessee
DNP: Florida, South Carolina, Vanderbilt
Comment: Bama has the toughest SEC road schedule in the division and plays Kentucky, Georgia, and Tennessee in the East. Add a non-conference game with Clemson (at the Georgia Dome), the ACC favorite, and you’ve got a pretty tough schedule.
2. LSU
Non-conference: Appalachian State, Troy, North Texas, Tulane
SEC Home: Miss. State, Georgia, Alabama, Ole Miss
SEC Road: Auburn, Florida, South Carolina, Arkansas
SEC East: Georgia, Florida, South Carolina
DNP: Kentucky, Tennessee, Vanderbilt
Comment: The Tigers also play a very tough SEC road schedule and play Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina from the East. Alabama gets the edge for playing a BCS non-conference game and for having to play LSU on the road, where coach Nick Saban will get a “warm” reception.
3. AUBURN
Non-conference: La. Monroe, Southern Miss, at West Virginia, Tennessee-Martin
SEC Home: LSU, Tennessee, Arkansas, Georgia
SEC Road: Miss. State, Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, Alabama
SEC East: Georgia, Tennessee, Vanderbilt
DNP: Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina
Comment: The non-conference schedule includes a trip to West Virginia, where there is a new coaching staff, but the SEC home schedule of LSU, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Georgia is the toughest in the division. The SEC road schedule is not as strong as LSU’s.
4. OLE MISS
Non-conference: Memphis, at Wake Forest, Samford, La. Monroe
SEC Home: Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Auburn, Miss. State
SEC Road: Florida, Alabama, Arkansas, LSU
SEC East: Florida, South Carolina, Vanderbilt
DNP: Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee
Comment: Wake Forest will not be an easy trip and the SEC road schedule will be very difficult. That gives the Rebels a slight edge over Arkansas.
5. ARKANSAS
Non-conference: Western Illinois, La. Monroe, at Texas, Tulsa
SEC Home: Alabama, Florida, Ole Miss, LSU (Little Rock)
SEC Road: Auburn, Kentucky, South Carolina, Miss. State
SEC East: Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina
DNP: Georgia, Tennessee, Vanderbilt
Comment: The Hogs go to Texas, which is the toughest non-conference road game in the division. But they don’t have to play Tennessee or Georgia from the East and the SEC road schedule is a little easier than that of Ole Miss.
6. MISS. STATE
Non-conference: at La. Tech, SE Louisiana, at Georgia Tech, Middle Tennessee
SEC Home: Auburn, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Arkansas.
SEC Road: LSU, Tennessee, Alabama, Ole Miss
SEC East: Kentucky, Tennessee, Vanderbilt
DNP: Florida, Georgia, South Carolina
Comment: Another tough SEC road schedule with trips to LSU, Tennessee, and Alabama plus the rivalry game at Ole Miss. But the Bulldogs miss both Georgia and Florida in the SEC East. Mississippi State is the only team in the division playing two non-conference road games.
Comments
By MisterD
April 3, 2008 8:34 AM | Link to this
Good analysis. But it’s not just who plays whom. What about who has a bye week before a big game? That has certainly played a major role in the GA-FL series in the past decade.
By Goodcall
April 3, 2008 9:27 AM | Link to this
If bye weeks are that influencial, and I can’t argue that they are not, then UT is in trouble. UGA, FLA, USC and Kentucky have bye weeks before they play Tennessee.
By **Rub-one Off**
April 3, 2008 9:34 AM | Link to this
[Ctrl C]
[Ctrl V]
Is this a list of toughest schedule
or
a list of the schools with the most felonies?
By mcdawg
April 3, 2008 9:46 AM | Link to this
its a toss between LSU and Auburn but Bama has the toughest schedule in the east
By GeoffDawg
April 3, 2008 9:53 AM | Link to this
By his username, I can only guess that he’s a techie that doesn’t get to date much.
By SkyDawg
April 3, 2008 10:20 AM | Link to this
Rub-One, you should worry about your new triple option getting punished in Athens in November… and your social life in general.
By In The Know
April 3, 2008 10:22 AM | Link to this
Just think if the SEC went to a full 11 game conference schedule + one. Now that would be something to behold. It would also eliminate the patsies and set the standard for the other conferences. Of course it would wipe out any chance of going undefeated. The SEC champ could be 7-4 after tiebreakers.
By Bendaddy
April 3, 2008 10:26 AM | Link to this
Bama needs to recruit more players out of Sprayberry if they really want to win the West.
By tyoung44
April 3, 2008 10:48 AM | Link to this
SEC FOOTBALL, AIN’T IT GREAT! BEGIN THE BEGUINE! OH YEA, GO DAWGS!
By PTC DAWG
April 3, 2008 10:53 AM | Link to this
With the SEC having a Championship Game, I see ZERO need for a full 11 game SEC schedule.
That being said, these schedules look a little weak compared to the SEC East teams. It appears that NONE of them play 2 BCS Conference teams OOC.
LSU OOC schedule is a JOKE, and I would think AU and BAMA could find another OOC BCS team to play. Bama doesn’t even have a true road game vs a OOC BCS team. These 3 teams are the best in the West, and they should schedule like it.
By SecIsFootball
April 3, 2008 11:34 AM | Link to this
PTC DAWG….I am a little biased toward the Tide but I would say that Clemson in Atlanta is not what I woudl call an easy game! Last year playing FSU on in Jax and potentially playing Texas in 09 in New Orleans, I think we deserve soem credit for stepping up and playing these big teams.
By shane #1
April 3, 2008 12:12 PM | Link to this
This info came from Jacksrbettor on the Gridiron Gate blog. The top ten teams in recruiting four and five star players from 2003 to 2007. 1-{tie}, LSU-76, USC-76; 3-UF-75; 4-FSU-69; 5-UOK-67; 6-UTex-62; 7-{tie},UGA-58, miami{Fl}-58; 9-UT-56; 10-Mich-55. BCS champs, 2003-LSU, 2004-USC, 2005-Tex, 2006-UF, 2007-LSU. We can see that not only did a team not ranked in the top 6 in recruiting win a BCS championship in the past five years but the top THREE teams in recruiting blue chip players won 4 of the 5 last BCS championships. Exceptions to the rule, Wva and Mo and made the top ten last season with low ranked classes while Miami and FSU did not. Could this be coaching? I am an SEC fan so You can take this with a grain of salt, but IMO, the beatdowns that LSU and UF put on OSU were not FLUKES! I guess you could say that the recruiting rankings do not matter, unless You want to win a BCSNC.
By AFnPC
April 3, 2008 12:36 PM | Link to this
Wow Shane…U a lib bammer? I really don’t get how you move from an article about strength of schedule to recruiting?! Geez dude, let it go! I’m really amazed…
By In The Know
April 3, 2008 12:49 PM | Link to this
PTC, I didn’t say the SEC NEEDED an 11 game schedule. I said JUST THINK if they did. All of this is just out of season BS anyway. Kind of like JUST THINK if we had a good presidential candidate.
By shane #1
April 3, 2008 2:02 PM | Link to this
AFinPC, I apologize to You and Tony for getting off the subject. Frankly, strenght of schedule bores Me and I don’t think it means a hill of beans. Do you think OSU would have been in the BCSCG for two years straight if strength of schedule mattered? Do You think Hawaii would have played in the Sugar Bowl if anybody cared about strength of schedule? IMO, strenght of schedule is just another excuse the BCS uses to justify Their decisions that are MONETARY and POLITICAL! Strenght of schedule was used to keep Au out of the BCSCG and to put LSU in, because the BCS wanted LSU and didn’t want AU. It is never discussed when considering OSU and USC. The only thing that I can see that the BCS winners have in common is that They recruit the Heii out of stud athletes. Anyway, I thought that data was eye-opening. You guys can continue discussing Tony’s topic, later.
By SEC=simple, easy conf
April 3, 2008 2:40 PM | Link to this
The most fun thing would be for App State to whip lsu just like they did M last year!
By War Eagle
April 3, 2008 3:06 PM | Link to this
PTC DAWG, What do you mean Auburn has an easy schedule with non conference teams? West Virginia is a crap team? I’m looking at UGA right now. You guys open with Georgia Southern and then on to Central Michigan. Not exactly tough teams. We play LSU and Tenn back to back. Every team has a few “soft” teams to play. We got penalized for playing Citadel in 04 and it cost us the national title. ESPN and every other sports entity hates the SEC but loves the Big 10 and the PAC 10. The SEC buries those teams every time.
By Rabun Dawg
April 3, 2008 3:40 PM | Link to this
Tony, great read on the SEC East and West.We can argue all day long about who plays who, and who has the toughest schedule, but when they tee it up,many of the so-called smaller ones can play the game as well as the big guys-see Appy St!! As they say, that’s why we play the games!
By PTC DAWG
April 3, 2008 3:58 PM | Link to this
Sorry to confuse the “homers”, but my comment directly addressed playing ONE OOC BCS team. Au and Bama fans, you play ONE OOC BCS team. Next year UGA plays 3 OOC BCS teams. LSU should be ashamed of their joke of a schedule.
But as someone pointed out, the only team I’ve seen penalized in recent years for playing weak schedules is Auburn. Like they said, they sure let Ohio State slide.
By War Eagle
April 3, 2008 4:06 PM | Link to this
The East division non conference games seem stronger than the West, but West SEC road and home schedule is more difficult. SEC has four non conference games, three gimmes and one good game for most teams.These should be nail-biters….Bama-Clemson, Auburn-WVA,Miss State-GT, UGA-Arizona State,, Tenn-UCLA, Florida-FSU, SC-Clemson. Tenn plays strongest non conference schedule year after year.
By GatorFan96
April 3, 2008 4:19 PM | Link to this
Tennessee plays one strong non-conference game per year and then they play three patsies OOC. This year they play UCLA, UAB, Northern Illinois, and Wyoming.
By Vol Fan
April 3, 2008 5:02 PM | Link to this
Unlike Fla. and many SEC west teams, Tennessee does not play 1-AA schools
By Stephen
April 3, 2008 6:01 PM | Link to this
Prepare yourself Bulldog fans for the new BRIGHT RED ENDZONES
By chrome_daddy
April 4, 2008 1:17 PM | Link to this
PTC Dawg…the folks with the most right to complain about LSU’s lousy schedule are season ticket holders. There have been difficulties getting good teams to play down in BTR…heck, Va Tech put it off for 5 yrs.
Maybe the BCS conf teams that have scheduled Jawja think they have a good chance of winning…
By James Pruett
April 5, 2008 5:25 AM | Link to this
Auburn has proven to be 1 of the better teams in sec.Tubby is the best coach in sec.We have been missing an offense for 2 years but still manage to win most of our games .I think our new offense will be the answer we been looking for . I think our recruiting is just fine,i wouldnt trade them for anyones recruits.As you can tell im proud of AUBURN and their accomplishments.