Will Muschamp sees change coming, whether he likes it or not.
The crucial piece of business being worked out at this week’s SEC spring meeting is whether the conference will bump its football schedule from eight games to nine. Muschamp has long been in favor of holding at eight because of the strength of the conference, but the extended schedule now looks inevitable to him because of the new SEC Network needing quality games to air.
“I think we’ll move to nine games eventually,” he said. “At the end of the day, it’s going to be driven by the dollar and having those games is going to be important.”
Currently, each team plays six division games, one permanent cross-division rival and one rotating opponent. That format, commonly referred to as the 6-1-1, will stand for 2014. Commissioner Mike Slive said it “most likely” will be in place for 2015 as well.
South Carolina’s Steve Spurrier said the informal coaches’ vote was 13-1 in favor of staying at eight games. Alabama coach Nick Saban has been the only one to publicly push for nine.
For a school like Florida, nine SEC games plus the annual meeting with Florida State leaves little room in a 12-game schedule. South Carolina and Georgia have similar longstanding relationships with Clemson and Georgia Tech, respectively.
Muschamp and Gators athletic director Jeremy Foley were adamant that the FSU series will continue regardless. It is a different story, however, for Miami.
Florida visits the Hurricanes on Sept. 7, but that could be the last regular-season matchup for the foreseeable future. The Gators’ trip will fulfill a contract that brought Miami to Gainesville in 2008.
Even with an eight-game SEC slate, Florida’s preference for seven home dates every year makes a Miami game improbable. If the SEC goes to nine, it is nearly impossible.
“If you’re at nine conference games, plus Florida State, I’d probably tell you it’s really unlikely,” Foley said of keeping UM on the schedule. “I have great respect for the Miami athletic program, but that’s just something that is not high on the list right now.”
Miami athletic director Blake James said earlier this month he has not spoken to Florida about a future game.
While the coaches almost unanimously support an eight-game SEC schedule, there is less unity on permanent East-West rivalries.
The Florida-LSU game is one of the most visible, and there is a sharp divide between the schools. Muschamp and Foley want to keep it, but LSU wants all cross-division opponents to rotate, which is a model called the 6-2.
“I’m totally opposed to permanent opponents, and it has nothing to do with Florida,” Tigers athletic director Joe Alleva said. “It’s a competitive disadvantage to every team in the league.”
Muschamp acknowledged that having a perennial cross-division rival is not always equitable. Last year, for example, the Gators (11-2) and LSU (10-3) were among the top teams in the nation. Meanwhile, their chief competitors faced much weaker permanent rivals. Georgia’s rival is Auburn (3-9); Alabama gets Tennessee (5-7).
“At the end of the day, a 6-2 is probably the fairest format, if you want to be honest,” Muschamp said. “But again, I do enjoy the rivalry.”
Few of the scheduling issues will be resolved this week, though Slive was cautiously optimistic that the 2014 plan could be finalized by Friday. There is urgency, though, as the SEC Network starts up and schools look to fill out their non-conference schedules.
Whenever those plans are determined, it will be hard for every program to get what it wants.
“Everybody has individual needs, and whenever the conference decides the direction we need to go, not everybody’s going to be happy,” Alabama athletic director Bill Battle said. “It can’t work out completely fair for everybody. We’ve got to look at what’s best for the league.”
About the Author
