Would you want to drop your annual game with Kentucky or Vanderbilt? Of course not. Some teams in the league benefit from the Bama/Tenn hostage crisis, but it is at the expense of the rest of the league. Right out the bat LSU and Florida are at a disadvantage to the other teams in their divisions. Bama, State, and Ole Miss have a built in cupcake(SEC wise) and LSU and Florida have a grudge match. It should not be that way. Scheduling should be equitable. I don't think that tv ratings tell you much. I would bet most any SEC game would have a higher rating than any other game save a few of the historic rivalries (you know the ones people care about or put another way, the ones not like Bama/Tenn). At the very least the rivalry is not worth the scheduling nightmare it continues to cause.
This is another situation where team loyalty is distorting the truth. If it was your intention to be snide with the Kentucky and Vandy comment I've no clue. If you want to look at the facts of the matter: Two times: The number of games Alabama has played Kentucky since 2007. Two times: The number of games Alabama has played Vandy since 2007. Two times: The number of games Alabama has played Georgia (regular season) since 2007. Two times: The number of games Alabama has played Florida (regular season) since 2007. Two times: The number of games Alabama has played UofSC since 2007. And then we have the regular season game against UT which Alabama has won since 2007 which is the crux of the matter. LSU vs Florida is a grudge match with UF leading the series 14-7 but Ole Miss vs Vandy is a cupcake with Ole Miss leading the series 13-8? Miss State's 13-8 record against Kentucky is a cupcake? Is if a fair statement to say LSU is Florida's cupcake? I don't think so. Let's flip the script a bit. This boils down to UT losing every game to Bama since 2007 and it's a competitive advantage. Using your examples Ole Miss is 1-5 vs Vandy in the same time frame. Cupcake? For whom? Miss State continues its winning against Kentucky with a 5-1 record. Cupcake? OK, there's a valid argument because the series has gone State's way continuously. LSU vs Florida over this time period is 3-3. Evenly matched up series based on the record, eh, or do we choose to look at the overall series? If you choose the overall series then it comes back to the 10-10-1 record between Bama and UT. Where were all of these cries about schedule inequity before this streak of wins against Tennessee started? OK, sure. TV ratings don't tell you much: other than things like how many people are watching the game, how old they are, how much money they make, where they live, whether they hold a college degree, how much TV they watch, where advertisers are better served spending their money, how much time they spend online... All of this frustration thrown on a single game is misplaced. If you choose to say this falls on the bridge schedules I'll readily agree. I'm as ready for it to end as anyone. (It ticks me off we've got Florida rolling around again in 2014, as it appears right now, versus Georgia.]) The entire point here is no one is arguing Florida is a tough opponent for LSU. The reasons voiced for changing the status quo have equally valid counter-points. It's somewhat ironic that we see people saying two (a larger number in reality) teams wishes are over-riding the conference but we see two coaches trying to over-ride the conferences wishes. There are two sides to this discussion. Because you disagree with one doesn't make it invalid. Characterizing it as invalid does foster an environment where your own points fall on deaf ears with a lot of people.
Florida does not understand why LSU would want to drop this series. They have drawn plenty of unflattering attention to Les for the suggestion. It's odd not to read about the Gator's concern that Georgia has had the easier schedule the last few years and thus made the SECCG. How is it that LSU can care so much and Florida care so little, when their situation is exactly the same. ?
It's a cupcake compared for Ole Miss vs. getting to roll thru Fla, Ga, and SC more often. It's a cupcake for Vandy to get ole miss instead of thru LSU, bama, and Texas A&M more often. The point is that Ole Miss, Vandy, etc are for it because it's a competive advantage for them every year, to play each other instead of the strong teams more often. That's why they're for it, not because the have this big, hard on rivalry with each other. You're being disengenous if you claim otherwise.
So you're admiting it's a competitive advantage for y'all? Before you were arguing that in the grand scheme of things, it's not. Damn straight it's an advantage. LSU is able to compete at the highest level for championships, why the hell would we concede a competitive advantage to what's our biggest obstacle for the division championship every year? And a huge portion of the bama fanbase thinks miles is a coward for wanting a level playing field? (TUSK) BULLSHIT, my guess is that both Terry and Tusk would be complaining if the shoe was on the other foot? Question for both of you, or any bama fan, for that matter, Can you play in the SEC west and have an easier path than bama has had for the last 2 years?
So Les looks bad for not wanting to give what's been his biggest obstacle to the SECCG a competitive advantage? Are you shitting me? Lets see what Boom says after he's been there a while and gets his ass stomped by LSU, costing him a trip to a championship game or big bowl.
