Vandy is reverse of LSU. Just about every BCS team wants to play Vandy because they are from the SEC and are viewed as a easy win. They will field one of the best teams in years this coming year. They just got the good news that the new Tight End who recently transfered from Virginia Tech has been cleared to play this year. I wonder if they go 6-6 will strength of schedule will get them to a Bowl. I'm sure no Bowl wants them due to a small fan base. I think if they go 7-5 they can play with just about any non BCS team in the country. Does any SEC team have an easy schedule?
It's not easy, but doable. When we scheduled this years contest with Fl. St. there was a little pushing and pulling from CBS and ABC. The AD's from both schools wanted the game badly, but the TV people took 6-8 weeks to finally get their ducks in a row and proceed with televising the game. ABC/Disney finally won out with ESPN likely to get the broadcast.
The only thing LSU needed to do back then was upgrade the HC position...they have since done that. Either that, or they needed Jackie Sherrill to stay HC at aTm. As far as this years schedule, VT isn't the only anomaly...our very first game is a conference game...even though it's MSU...still a strange move. Correct me if I'm wrong, but when we played VT at their place a few years ago, wasn't that in the first week or two of the season?
1st time since 1995 to open the season away. Horrible way to start a season especially since we lost both times. Texas A&M was the other. Rebounded in the most recent home game away from home against Arizona St.
Yes, sorry I wasnt clear. The VT game in '02 was our 1st season opener away since the '95 game against A&M.:thumb:
ABC rarely gets involved with regular season games in the South anymore. They will broadcast a game between the Big Ten and SEC or ACC primarily if the game is in the Midwest to begin with, but those games are few and far between these days because ABC doesn't push to bring in tough competition from the South to risk a potential dent into the yearly Ohio State-Michigan showdown. (i.e. Vandy at Michigan) In the early 90's, when Desmond Howard was playing for Michigan, Florida State went into Ann Arbor and put 51 points on the board. That blew the Big Ten right out of the top national rankings. ABC was not too pleased. Secondary SEC conference and non-conference games are typically picked up by the old Jefferson Pilot network which is now the Lincoln Mutual network.
That's simply not true. ABC has several regional TV games every week and it usually involves at least one game from the south (ACC) or southwest (Big 12). FSU is routinely one of the ABC regional games. It has nothing to do with competition from southern teams, it has to do with conference tie-ins with the networks. The exclusive contract between CBS and the SEC eliminates much of the south for ABC.
Won't happen for a long time? It's already happened and the point isn't about the Pac not going South, it's more about the SEC not coming West. Current SEC 65-40-7 vs. PAC-10 28 Scheduled Away Games vs PAC-10 with an overall record of (10-17-1) 62 Scheduled Home Games vs PAC-10 with an overall record of (44-15-3) The Pac has travelled 2x more often and the SEC clearly understands the nature of Home Field Advantage. Somebody out West had to have answered that phone to get to 62.
Can't speak about other SEC teams, but LSU has been reluctant to sign home/away series with anyone over the last decade or so. We are willing to pay a lot of money to the likes of Oregon State and Fresno to come here, but are not willing to make a return trip. That's why I laugh every time I hear our Ath Dept say other teams don't want to come to Tiger Stadium. They forget to tell LSU fans the most likely reason for it ... we aren't always willing to make a return trip. Of course that will make those teams hang up on us. It's all about having as many home games as we can to make more money. Tulane is the only school we are willing to sign a long term series with b/c we get a larger cut from the "away" game in New Orleans since it'll be mostly Tiger fans buying tix.
