Question for those criticizing the SEC for the 8-game schedule

[rmilia1]

So your issue is not with the SEC, but a few of the historically weaker teams having weak scheduling?

Rutgers, Northwestern, Maryland, minnesota. All generally schedule weak every year with maybe a one of series that's considered good. This happens in every conference.

And have you seen Iowa's ooc schedule the last decade and its future schedule. Its toughest opponents have been Iowa St (who historically is pretty mediocre) North Dakota St (fcs, albeit a strong one) and Pitt (8 years ago). Doesn't seem like they are too interested in scheduling up or playing decent teams often. What makes you think they'd schedule any of those SEC teams.

Again i agree that the sec is overrated at times, even if it is the best conference, and that this impacts the polls. I just don't think it has as much to do with the ooc scheduling.

Sure i mentioned my team earlier but the reality is we play 10 P5 games every year

That's all id like to see from the schools in 8 game leagues because otherwise you're not comparing apples to apples

 

[RubinRock]

Sure i mentioned my team earlier but the reality is we play 10 P5 games every year

That's all id like to see from the schools in 8 game leagues because otherwise you're not comparing apples to apples

You're not comparing apples to apples regardless of the amount of conference games played because of the differences in each conference. Playing 9 conference games in pac is not the same as 9 in the big or 9 in the sec. In fact the more conference games you play, the more difficult it is to compare the different teams/conferences because of the lack of exposure for each individual team out of the conference.

 

[WhosYourDawggy]

Sure i mentioned my team earlier but the reality is we play 10 P5 games every year

That's all id like to see from the schools in 8 game leagues because otherwise you're not comparing apples to apples

Explain how you do apples to apples comparison of a mid-team in the SEC and a mid team in the ACC/B12/PAC? Because you can't. The mid-team in the SEC has a way harder IC schedule, and most do schedule at least one P5 as I posted earlier.

Take USCjr - they will play 8 SEC games plus Clemson every year, and they have regularly played other P5 OOC.

You are obsessing on apples to apples in the OOC, but don't seem to mind that IC schedules aren't apples to apples. Why might that be?

 

[osubuckeye89]

LOL, LSU sucked in the 90s. I mean numerous 2, 3, 4 win seasons.

This is the same guy who tried claiming that the LSU vs Auburn game "DECIDED THE SEC WEST CHAMP ALMOST EVERY YEAR IN THE 90s!"

There was exactly 1 time out of 8 possible that this revisionist history claim occurred.

For whatever reason he remembers LSU being a power in the 90s.

 

[WhosYourDawggy]

This is the same guy who tried claiming that the LSU vs Auburn game "DECIDED THE SEC WEST CHAMP ALMOST EVERY YEAR IN THE 90s!"

There was exactly 1 time out of 8 possible that this revisionist history claim occurred.

Everyone knows the 90s was an SEC East decade what with UTjr and UF playing so well.

Bama was great or sucked, and LSU sucked donkey balls for the most part of the decade. Auburn had some sucky seasons too, missing bowl games 6 of 10 years.

 

[Deep Creek]

Explain how you do apples to apples comparison of a mid-team in the SEC and a mid team in the ACC/B12/PAC? Because you can't. The mid-team in the SEC has a way harder IC schedule, and most do schedule at least one P5 as I posted earlier.

Take USCjr - they will play 8 SEC games plus Clemson every year, and they have regularly played other P5 OOC.

You are obsessing on apples to apples in the OOC, but don't seem to mind that IC schedules aren't apples to apples. Why might that be?

Showing your lawyerism right there. Intentional omission?

 

[WhosYourDawggy]

Showing your lawyerism right there. Intentional omission?

In a post above I noted that the B1G is a little different from the ACC/B12/PAC. I still think the SEC schedule is tougher than the B1G schedule, and I could have included them, but you could make a somewhat colorable argument otherwise. You can't with the other conferences.

 

[Deep Creek]

In a post above I noted that the B1G is a little different from the ACC/B12/PAC. I still think the SEC schedule is tougher than the B1G schedule, and I could have included them, but you could make a somewhat colorable argument otherwise. You can't with the other conferences.

Not a hell of a lot if any. I think a case could be made that some B1G in conference schedules aren't any more difficult than those in the ACC, PAC 12 and Big 12. Only difference is they get a hell of a lot more money.

One Gordon Gee would disagree with me because he referred to them as murderer's row. If my memory is correct that is.

 

[WhosYourDawggy]

Not a hell of a lot if any. I think a case could be made that some B1G in conference schedules aren't any more difficult than those in the ACC, PAC 12 and Big 12. Only difference is they get a hell of a lot more money.

One Gordon Gee would disagree with me because he referred to them as murderer's row. If my memory is correct that is.

Can't disagree ... the B1G's value is in their large fanbases. Here is what I posted above:

So, each SEC team has to play 2 good P5 to balance things out.

As a Vanderbilt alumn, my team will have to play the following every other year schedule:

Bama, Texas, LSU, AU, Arky
UGA, OU, UF, ATM, UTjr

What do you propose that B12, PAC, and ACC schools should have to do to balance that out? I would go as far as to say what about B1G teams ... what do they have to do in order to play a slate the equivalent of that? Because it seems to me the low to mid-SEC schools play a tougher slate of games even if they only play 8.

We know that is true for the non-P2 conferences. Here is the B1G equivalent:

tOSU, PSU, Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois
UM, Wisky, Minny, MSU, Purdue

I think Vandy would love to play a 9-game B1G slate.

I am for 9 IC games, but you can't look at this from the perspective of the low and middle SEC schools without looking at the SOS of the IC schedule.

 

[Red_Alert]

Can't disagree ... the B1G's value is in their large fanbases.

I've been saying that all along.
Same can be said about the SEC.
Fans in other conferences don't care about SEC football so much. They watch their own teams and their own conference opponents.
With Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma, there's not a lot of population in the Big 12 outside of Texas.
The PAC 12 has population, but a low % of them care about college football.
Watch Oklahoma's viewership skyrocket up from the low/mid 20's once they're playing SEC teams. That is because SEC fans will care. They'll move up to Top 15 in viewership easily.

 

[WhosYourDawggy]

I've been saying that all along.
Same can be said about the SEC.
Fans in other conferences don't care about SEC football so much. They watch their own teams and their own conference opponents.
With Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma, there's not a lot of population in the Big 12 outside of Texas.
The PAC 12 has population, but a low % of them care about college football.
Watch Oklahoma's viewership skyrocket up from the low/mid 20's once they're playing SEC teams. That is because SEC fans will care. They'll move up to Top 15 in viewership easily.

We mostly agree. My take on this is:

- The B1G has huge fanbases. They have been very large universities for a long time. They have passionate fans, but not as much as the SEC. It really does mean more. But the fanbases drive large numbers, especially when you look at the top 2/3.

- The SEC has a smaller fanbase. Most SEC universities were rather small until the turn of the century. For example, Alabama has basically doubled in size in the last 20 years but is still smaller than many B1G schools. But, the quality of the football is better across the board and there are more passionate fans who tune in.

- Here are the numbers. tOSU and Michigan are at the top, but the SEC has 6 of the top 11, the B1G has 3. The SEC has 12 teams in the top 25. The B1G has 8. But the SEC are toward the top of the top 25, vice versa for the B1G.



Look at 4+ million games:

There were 39 teams that played in at least one game that cracked 4 million viewers:
8 — Ohio State
7 — Alabama, Michigan
6 — Tennessee
5 — Georgia
4 — Florida
3 — Auburn, Clemson, Kentucky, Penn State, TCU, Texas
2 — Florida State, Iowa, LSU, Maryland, Michigan State, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Southern Cal
1 — Arkansas, Army, Baylor, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa State, Mississippi, Navy, NC State, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Pittsburgh, South Carolina, Syracuse, Texas A&M, UCLA, Wisconsin

So, both have passionate fans, the B1G has substantially more fans, and the SEC has better inventory that drives revenue. They both get to a ton of money, just a little differently.

 

[UbetterDUCK]

 

[WhosYourDawggy]

View attachment 102709

Teams playing an SEC schedule:

SEC: 14
ACC: 0
Big Ten: 0
Big 12: 0
Pac-12: 0

 

[Red_Alert]

We mostly agree. My take on this is:

- The B1G has huge fanbases. They have been very large universities for a long time. They have passionate fans, but not as much as the SEC. It really does mean more. But the fanbases drive large numbers, especially when you look at the top 2/3.

- The SEC has a smaller fanbase. Most SEC universities were rather small until the turn of the century. For example, Alabama has basically doubled in size in the last 20 years but is still smaller than many B1G schools. But, the quality of the football is better across the board and there are more passionate fans who tune in.

- Here are the numbers. tOSU and Michigan are at the top, but the SEC has 6 of the top 11, the B1G has 3. The SEC has 12 teams in the top 25. The B1G has 8. But the SEC are toward the top of the top 25, vice versa for the B1G.

View attachment 102708

Look at 4+ million games:

There were 39 teams that played in at least one game that cracked 4 million viewers:
8 — Ohio State
7 — Alabama, Michigan
6 — Tennessee
5 — Georgia
4 — Florida
3 — Auburn, Clemson, Kentucky, Penn State, TCU, Texas
2 — Florida State, Iowa, LSU, Maryland, Michigan State, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Southern Cal
1 — Arkansas, Army, Baylor, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa State, Mississippi, Navy, NC State, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Pittsburgh, South Carolina, Syracuse, Texas A&M, UCLA, Wisconsin

So, both have passionate fans, the B1G has substantially more fans, and the SEC has better inventory that drives revenue. They both get to a ton of money, just a little differently.

And I'll say that being a low population state, Nebraska is never #16 in the PAC or Big 12.
It's the rest of the Big 10 population driving that number.
Oklahoma at #23 makes that point obvious.
Oklahoma viewership is gonna go up exponentially when the start playing an SEC schedule. More than anything it's because of population of the footprint.

 

[Thiefery]

I agree... UT and ou will rocket up this list with their new schedules.. Home attendance should be sold out for just about every game. I know I need to finally pony up for season tix by 2026 when tosu comes into Austin..followed by UM the next season to go along with a SEC conference schedule that will include aggys coming to DKR.

 

[Red_Alert]

View attachment 102713

I agree... UT and ou will rocket up this list with their new schedules.. Home attendance should be sold out for just about every game. I know I need to finally pony up for season tix by 2026 when tosu comes into Austin..followed by UM the next season to go along with a SEC conference schedule that will include aggys coming to DKR.

This never makes any sense to me. The waiting list for Nebraska season tix is a mile deep. People wait years to finally get season tix. It usually takes someone dying and the surviving family doesn't want to renew them.

 

[Thiefery]

This never makes any sense to me. The waiting list for Nebraska season tix is a mile deep. People wait years to finally get season tix. It usually takes someone dying and the surviving family doesn't want to renew them.

It makes sense when you think about it.. Nebraska doesn't have the numbers UT has, however the entire state of Nebraska..identifies with NU Football. That's a terrific thing

 

[ellupo]

South Carolina plays Clemson every.single.year. We're already playing the equivalent of 9 conference games.

Most years, we're also playing another ACC school such as UNC or NC State.

South Carolina should never, ever have to apologize for its OOC schedule.

Not even when Clemson was a bottom dweller barely making .500?

 

[Red_Alert]

It makes sense when you think about it.. Nebraska doesn't have the numbers UT has, however the entire state of Nebraska..identifies with NU Football. That's a terrific thing

Wouldn't that make season tix easier to get?

Unless you're referring to capacity. In that case Darrell Royal has 100,000 where Lincoln is just 90,000. That's still just 10,000 with a population difference from 2 million to 30 million.

Yeah I get that there's A&M, TCU, Texas Tech, Baylor competition, where Nebraska has none. .

 

[Kburjr]

Wouldn't that make season tix easier to get?

Unless you're referring to capacity. In that case Darrell Royal has 100,000 where Lincoln is just 90,000. That's still just 10,000 with a population difference from 2 million to 30 million.

Yeah I get that there's A&M, TCU, Texas Tech, Baylor competition, where Nebraska has none. .

The chart is mislabeled. The ranking is viewers not bodies in the stadium. Point awarded to Nebraska.