SEC Feasts on Football Cupcakes
By: Paul Finebaum
The Mobile Register
Saturday, February 11, 2006
The SEC officially released the 2006 football schedules recently, and don't be surprised if season-ticket holders across the South start demanding their money back. There ought to a revolt. There should be class action suits. Yes, it's that bad.
Instead of scheduling quality games with the advent of the 12th game, many league members -- most notably Alabama -- have put together a woefully embarrassing slate that should universally turn off fans in record numbers.
The following is an analysis of the league members and a ranking of each team's four non-conference games. Stealing a page from the recruiting gurus, I have rated the non-conference opponents using the star system -- with five stars signifying a must-see game and a one-star rating the equivalent of watching a test pattern on your television screen.
Honestly, some of these games don't even rank one star but, in the spirit of fairness, every opponent will qualify for that distinction.
Here are the best and worst of the SEC's schedules with the star-ranking average in parentheses after the school name and the actual star ranking by the opponent:
-- 1. Tennessee (3.5*): California (5*), Air Force (3*), Marshall (3*), Memphis (3*) -- If there was a ever a year Phil Fulmer could have copped out and played a bunch of tomato cans, this would have been it, coming off a brutal 5-6 season (his only losing season). However, give Tennessee credit for a very strong non-conference slate, headed by California.
-- 2. Georgia (3.25*): Western Kentucky (1*), Colorado (4*), UAB (3*), Georgia Tech (5*) -- Another very nice slate, highlighted by Colorado early and Tech late.
-- 3. Florida (3.0*): Southern Miss (3*), Central Florida (3*), Western Carolina (1*), Florida State (5*) -- Considering the Gators traditionally end the season against FSU, one couldn't blame them for taking the easy way out with the rest of the schedule. Yet it's respectable with Southern Miss and upstart Central Florida (both 2005 bowl teams).
-- 4. (tie) LSU (2.75*): Louisiana-Lafayette (1*), Arizona (4*), Tulane (2*), Fresno State (4*) -- Certainly a solid non-conference slate with two dregs and two quality and interesting opponents.
-- 4. Mississippi State (2.75*): Tulane (2*), UAB (3*), West Virginia (5*), Jacksonville State (1*) -- Another school, considering its ineptitude in recent years, that would probably have been wiser to line up the four worst schools it could find (see Alabama's schedule). However, State has only one sure win in the lot and one sensational matchup with West Virginia at home.
-- 6. Ole Miss (2.5*): Memphis (3*), Wake Forest (2*), Missouri (4*), Northwestern State (1*) -- Ole Miss has been known for avoiding quality opponents for years, so the addition of Missouri is a step up. Memphis is an annual bloodletting, and playing Wake Forest is better than playing Duke.
-- 7. (tie) Arkansas (2.0*): Southern Cal (5*), Utah State (1*), SE Missouri State (1*), Louisiana-Monroe (1*) -- The Hogs clearly have the best non-conference game in the SEC (against the Trojans), but the other three are so putrid it might be hard to notice.
-- 7. Auburn (2.0*): Washington State (4*), Buffalo (1*), Tulane (2*), Arkansas State (1*) -- The opener is a quality matchup (although WSU has fallen on hard times since Mike Price took it to the Rose Bowl three years ago). The rest of the games should be flushed down the disposal.
-- 7. South Carolina (2.0*): Wofford (1*), Florida Atlantic (1*), Middle Tennessee (1*), Clemson (5*) -- Not much to look at here until you get to the end.
-- 7. Vanderbilt (2.0*): Michigan (5*), Tennessee State (1*), Kent State (1*), Duke (1*) -- Playing Michigan is big-time, but the rest are beyond woeful. However, it gives Vandy more time to study and defend its SEC championship (league's smartest athletes).
-- 11. Kentucky (1.75*): Louisville (4*), Texas State (1*), Central Michigan (1*), Louisiana-Monroe (1*) -- This schedule was saved only by a quality opener against Louisville.
-- 12. Alabama (1.25*): Hawaii (2*), Louisiana-Monroe (1*), Duke (1*), Florida International (1*) -- This might be the most embarrassing schedule of non-conference opponents any school has put together in the history of college football. Alabama is the only school in the SEC, according to this ranking, that doesn't play a non-conference team ranked above a two-star. Everyone else plays at least a four-star. As a matter of fact, the home schedule -- including SEC games -- might be the Tide's worst ever. It begins with Hawaii and is followed by Vanderbilt, Louisiana-Monroe, Duke, Ole Miss, Florida International, Mississippi State and is only salvaged by the finale against Auburn. Overall, of the 12 opponents Alabama will face in 2006, only three schools had winning seasons last year.
By: Paul Finebaum
The Mobile Register
Saturday, February 11, 2006
The SEC officially released the 2006 football schedules recently, and don't be surprised if season-ticket holders across the South start demanding their money back. There ought to a revolt. There should be class action suits. Yes, it's that bad.
Instead of scheduling quality games with the advent of the 12th game, many league members -- most notably Alabama -- have put together a woefully embarrassing slate that should universally turn off fans in record numbers.
The following is an analysis of the league members and a ranking of each team's four non-conference games. Stealing a page from the recruiting gurus, I have rated the non-conference opponents using the star system -- with five stars signifying a must-see game and a one-star rating the equivalent of watching a test pattern on your television screen.
Honestly, some of these games don't even rank one star but, in the spirit of fairness, every opponent will qualify for that distinction.
Here are the best and worst of the SEC's schedules with the star-ranking average in parentheses after the school name and the actual star ranking by the opponent:
-- 1. Tennessee (3.5*): California (5*), Air Force (3*), Marshall (3*), Memphis (3*) -- If there was a ever a year Phil Fulmer could have copped out and played a bunch of tomato cans, this would have been it, coming off a brutal 5-6 season (his only losing season). However, give Tennessee credit for a very strong non-conference slate, headed by California.
-- 2. Georgia (3.25*): Western Kentucky (1*), Colorado (4*), UAB (3*), Georgia Tech (5*) -- Another very nice slate, highlighted by Colorado early and Tech late.
-- 3. Florida (3.0*): Southern Miss (3*), Central Florida (3*), Western Carolina (1*), Florida State (5*) -- Considering the Gators traditionally end the season against FSU, one couldn't blame them for taking the easy way out with the rest of the schedule. Yet it's respectable with Southern Miss and upstart Central Florida (both 2005 bowl teams).
-- 4. (tie) LSU (2.75*): Louisiana-Lafayette (1*), Arizona (4*), Tulane (2*), Fresno State (4*) -- Certainly a solid non-conference slate with two dregs and two quality and interesting opponents.
-- 4. Mississippi State (2.75*): Tulane (2*), UAB (3*), West Virginia (5*), Jacksonville State (1*) -- Another school, considering its ineptitude in recent years, that would probably have been wiser to line up the four worst schools it could find (see Alabama's schedule). However, State has only one sure win in the lot and one sensational matchup with West Virginia at home.
-- 6. Ole Miss (2.5*): Memphis (3*), Wake Forest (2*), Missouri (4*), Northwestern State (1*) -- Ole Miss has been known for avoiding quality opponents for years, so the addition of Missouri is a step up. Memphis is an annual bloodletting, and playing Wake Forest is better than playing Duke.
-- 7. (tie) Arkansas (2.0*): Southern Cal (5*), Utah State (1*), SE Missouri State (1*), Louisiana-Monroe (1*) -- The Hogs clearly have the best non-conference game in the SEC (against the Trojans), but the other three are so putrid it might be hard to notice.
-- 7. Auburn (2.0*): Washington State (4*), Buffalo (1*), Tulane (2*), Arkansas State (1*) -- The opener is a quality matchup (although WSU has fallen on hard times since Mike Price took it to the Rose Bowl three years ago). The rest of the games should be flushed down the disposal.
-- 7. South Carolina (2.0*): Wofford (1*), Florida Atlantic (1*), Middle Tennessee (1*), Clemson (5*) -- Not much to look at here until you get to the end.
-- 7. Vanderbilt (2.0*): Michigan (5*), Tennessee State (1*), Kent State (1*), Duke (1*) -- Playing Michigan is big-time, but the rest are beyond woeful. However, it gives Vandy more time to study and defend its SEC championship (league's smartest athletes).
-- 11. Kentucky (1.75*): Louisville (4*), Texas State (1*), Central Michigan (1*), Louisiana-Monroe (1*) -- This schedule was saved only by a quality opener against Louisville.
-- 12. Alabama (1.25*): Hawaii (2*), Louisiana-Monroe (1*), Duke (1*), Florida International (1*) -- This might be the most embarrassing schedule of non-conference opponents any school has put together in the history of college football. Alabama is the only school in the SEC, according to this ranking, that doesn't play a non-conference team ranked above a two-star. Everyone else plays at least a four-star. As a matter of fact, the home schedule -- including SEC games -- might be the Tide's worst ever. It begins with Hawaii and is followed by Vanderbilt, Louisiana-Monroe, Duke, Ole Miss, Florida International, Mississippi State and is only salvaged by the finale against Auburn. Overall, of the 12 opponents Alabama will face in 2006, only three schools had winning seasons last year.
