Whether Mike Slive and the SEC decide to adopt an eight or nine-game conference schedule for 2013 onwards won’t effect how Les Miles thinks the SEC divisional champs should be crowned. Miles champions an idea South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier initially raised- use SEC divisional records to decide who the divisional champs are instead of overall conference records.
Miles told AL.com:
“I want the schedule to be fair and I want it to give everybody the same opportunity,” Miles said Tuesday in Birmingham. “I’m for the Western Division deciding the Western Division champion and the Eastern Division deciding the Eastern Division champion.”
image credit: saturdaydownsouth.com
To put things into context, the SEC will go with a 6-1-1 schedule next season with the addition of Texas A&M and Missouri. This model is slated for one permanent rival and one cross-divisional rival that alternates. Miles [and Spurrier] would argue that only the six divisional games should be counted towards determining who plays in the SEC championship. Under that model, its irrelevant if the SEC goes with an eight or nine-game conference schedule because logically they’d make it six games and scratch the cross-divisional rival opponent. That of course would cause an uproar to alumni bases of the existing cross divisional rivalries.
Its highly unlikely Mike Slive will support this idea, considering he shot it down last month. I can’t really support Les Miles here because its rather insensible, but then again when does he ever really make much sense anyway?
I guess we’ll have to wait until June 1st before anything is decided because that is when the SEC will meet to finalize the schedules for 2013 and onwards. As for Miles, one thing is clear- he doesn’t seem to care much for the addition of Texas A&M and Missouri into his prestigious conference: “I would say strap it up. They’re going to really not enjoy their welcoming to this conference.” So, tell us how you really feel, Les.
Raju Kansagra
Mike Slive evidently is not thinking that all the teams cross rivalries are the same formiable opponent. Some teams have cup cake permanent cross rilvalries. This is unfair to some teams particularly in that the west division is much stronger already. Then consider adding an east opponent Florida, SC, Georigia, sometimes Tennessee. How about switching the permanents every ten years.