There have been times in the past where we blast the guy who doesn't schedule tougher teams or schedules a 1AA team. I just noticed the Alabama schedule for this season; there are no off weeks. Alabama plays 12 games straight. I'd be a little more upset about that than having a 1AA team on the schedule.
Both AU and Bama are set up like this. Their off week is the last week of the season (Thanksgiving), so now that we play 12 games in a season, they are left without a bye week. I really don't understand why they don't just push the Iron Bowl back a week to allow for a bye week? I guess they don't want it to interfere with the holiday. But even before the 12 game schedule when most teams had 2 bye weeks Bama and AU each only had one.
I wonder if TV competition had anything to do with not wanting to push it back... GScott, I'm with you - 12 games in a row is brutal. I believe we saw the effects of such a "non-break" schedule in the SECCG last year.
The SEC is implementing a plan that will have all 12 teams ending their season Thanksgiving weekend so I assume the Bama/AU game will be pushed back a week. The SEC is having to help Vandy find an opponent to play them at that time.
Playing without an open date last year hurt us in the SECCG, for sure. But this years LSU schedule looks pretty good, as far as pacing goes. We have an open date in October, just before the stretch run. And our four very tough away games are each separated by two home games! No brutal multi-game road trip. LSU football schedule 2006
