SEC Network

[rolltide14_0]

I think that the truth is while all of the major conferences play a lot of creampuff games, the SEC has it down to a science. Most SEC teams play a similar schedule, one OOC game against a traditional rival or other decent team, and three against horrible squads, almost all of them at home. Last year pretty much everyone had an FCS school, and they sure take turns in bringing in all of the last place teams from the minor FBS conferences. While a few of the schools occasionally travel, it is the exception, not the rule. Out of 56 games, 3/4 of them were at home and 3/4 were against teams that were almost universally considered to be easy marks.

The truth is that while the SEC is pretty much acknowledged by all to be the best in college football, the way they schedule games leaves a lot to be desired. How anyone with a straight face can defend who Alabama, the finest of the best, is playing this year is beyond me. Come on, G. State, Chattanooga and CSU, all at home? Please.

Whether we play FCS teams or some other bottom dwelling team, the result will be the same, blow out.

This year...

Ohio st. gets Florida A&M, Buffalo, and San Diego st...all at home.

Wisconsin gets UMass and Tennessee Tech...both at home.

Michigan gets Akron and Central Michigan, both at home.

I don't feel like looking at anymore, but my point is they're all blow out, gimme games, no matter where it's played, FCS or not.

Maybe I'm wrong, but that's just my opinion on the subject.

 

[smilesid]

I hope that the new playoff system will force everyone to step it up on scheduling. No one wanted to risk a loss, so the response was for everyone to load up on the patsies. I think that Bama's schedule this year is a classic example. They spread out those three easy games through out the year to basically make their season a two game schedule. If they beat A & M in College Station and LSU, they pretty much can pencil in the SEC Championship. They don't really have any other games in which they won't be a multiple touchdown favorite.

 

[rolltide14_0]

I hope that the new playoff system will force everyone to step it up on scheduling. No one wanted to risk a loss, so the response was for everyone to load up on the patsies. I think that Bama's schedule this year is a classic example. They spread out those three easy games through out the year to basically make their season a two game schedule. If they beat A & M in College Station and LSU, they pretty much can pencil in the SEC Championship. They don't really have any other games in which they won't be a multiple touchdown favorite.

Please list some realistic OOC opponents that Bama WOULDN'T be multiple touchdown favorites against...

 

[bamabear82]

Please list some realistic OOC opponents that Bama WOULDN'T be multiple touchdown favorites against...

I wouldn't worry too much about if I were you. It's of very little concern to me what others think about Bama or their schedule, especially those fans of teams who play in terrible conferences and play pretty much a shit schedule from top to bottom fcs or not.

 

[HuskerOC]

I hope that the new playoff system will force everyone to step it up on scheduling. No one wanted to risk a loss, so the response was for everyone to load up on the patsies. I think that Bama's schedule this year is a classic example. They spread out those three easy games through out the year to basically make their season a two game schedule. If they beat A & M in College Station and LSU, they pretty much can pencil in the SEC Championship. They don't really have any other games in which they won't be a multiple touchdown favorite.

And here is Boise State's amazing 2013 schedule:

@ Washington
UT-Martin (yes, that would be an FCS team)
Air Force
@ Fresno State
Southern Miss
@ Utah State
Nevada
@ BYU
@ Colorado State
Wyoming
@ San Diego State
New Mexico
MWC Championship against.....who?

Boise will go 11-1 if not 12-0. You'll have played literally nobody and yet you puff up your chest asking others to schedule tougher?

Seriously, look at that joke of a schedule. 9 to 10 teams in the SEC could very well run that thing undefeated, and you'll be ripping on everybody asking for respect for Boise State when they do.

When a middle of the pack Pac 12 team is the toughest game on your schedule, then I'm not sure what ground you can stand upon in ripping how the SEC schedules. Especially when you have UT-Martin in your OOC schedule.

How and why does Boise State have UT-Martin in their OOC when they play all of the scheduling fodder for AQ teams during their regular season in conference play?

 

[WhiteMamba]

I think that the truth is while all of the major conferences play a lot of creampuff games, the SEC has it down to a science. Most SEC teams play a similar schedule, one OOC game against a traditional rival or other decent team, and three against horrible squads, almost all of them at home. Last year pretty much everyone had an FCS school, and they sure take turns in bringing in all of the last place teams from the minor FBS conferences. While a few of the schools occasionally travel, it is the exception, not the rule. Out of 56 games, 3/4 of them were at home and 3/4 were against teams that were almost universally considered to be easy marks.

The truth is that while the SEC is pretty much acknowledged by all to be the best in college football, the way they schedule games leaves a lot to be desired. How anyone with a straight face can defend who Alabama, the finest of the best, is playing this year is beyond me. Come on, G. State, Chattanooga and CSU, all at home? Please.

OMG Smiles.... Here we go... and Smiles^^^ pot meet kettle...

 

[WhiteMamba]

And here is Boise State's amazing 2013 schedule:

@ Washington
UT-Martin (yes, that would be an FCS team)
Air Force
@ Fresno State
Southern Miss
@ Utah State
Nevada
@ BYU
@ Colorado State
Wyoming
@ San Diego State
New Mexico
MWC Championship against.....who?

Boise will go 11-1 if not 12-0.

They have got mighty Nevada so at the most 11-1....

 

[WhiteMamba]

I wouldn't worry too much about if I were you. It's of very little concern to me what others think about Bama or their schedule, especially those fans of teams who play in terrible conferences and play pretty much a shit schedule from top to bottom fcs or not.

and you would think this would be the simple yet compelling argument to end this conversation. But this is Smiles. The fella who can turn the SECs celebration of a new network thread into a schedule debate.....

 

[cane_man]

I was listening to sportstalk radio today and they were talking about this. They were saying that the SEC network will be a #1 tier cable program in the southeast, much like ESPN, VH1, & MTV. Elsewhere, the goal is for it to be a tier 2 program, like ESPN 2. To do such, the quality of the games must be high, and that is just what the network plans. While CBS might get the best game on Saturday afternoon, the SEC network will get the next choice. They will be showing good SEC competition.

Seems risky. in my time in wisconsin i can tell you people up there dont give 2 fucks about the sec. its big 10 or who gives a shit. they wont willingly pay an extra nickel for amn sec channel, and the sec gets zero exposure there unless its a nationally televised game. even then its interest falls behind any big 10 or even any pac hames on at the same time.

 

[bamabear82]

And here is Boise State's amazing 2013 schedule:

@ Washington
UT-Martin (yes, that would be an FCS team)
Air Force
@ Fresno State
Southern Miss
@ Utah State
Nevada
@ BYU
@ Colorado State
Wyoming
@ San Diego State
New Mexico
MWC Championship against.....who?

Boise will go 11-1 if not 12-0. You'll have played literally nobody and yet you puff up your chest asking others to schedule tougher?

Seriously, look at that joke of a schedule. 9 to 10 teams in the SEC could very well run that thing undefeated, and you'll be ripping on everybody asking for respect for Boise State when they do.

When a middle of the pack Pac 12 team is the toughest game on your schedule, then I'm not sure what ground you can stand upon in ripping how the SEC schedules. Especially when you have UT-Martin in your OOC schedule.

How and why does Boise State have UT-Martin in their OOC when they play all of the scheduling fodder for AQ teams during their regular season in conference play?

and you would think this would be the simple yet compelling argument to end this conversation. But this is Smiles. The fella who can turn the SECs celebration of a new network thread into a schedule debate.....

Yup.

 

[LawDawg]

I think that the truth is while all of the major conferences play a lot of creampuff games, the SEC has it down to a science. Most SEC teams play a similar schedule, one OOC game against a traditional rival or other decent team, and three against horrible squads, almost all of them at home. Last year pretty much everyone had an FCS school, and they sure take turns in bringing in all of the last place teams from the minor FBS conferences. While a few of the schools occasionally travel, it is the exception, not the rule. Out of 56 games, 3/4 of them were at home and 3/4 were against teams that were almost universally considered to be easy marks.

The truth is that while the SEC is pretty much acknowledged by all to be the best in college football, the way they schedule games leaves a lot to be desired. How anyone with a straight face can defend who Alabama, the finest of the best, is playing this year is beyond me. Come on, G. State, Chattanooga and CSU, all at home? Please.

I'm reading this and I go, "what nutcase is this?" and then I look up and see it's smiles. Should have known ... glad he made it over. BSU would have to play for 5 years or more to play the equivalent of one year's competition in the SEC (or, for the most part, the other major conferences). How anyone with a straight face, to use your words, can argue that BSU should be in the NC conversation with the schedule they play is crazy. How a BSU fan can criticize scheduling is crazy.

In the FWIW department, I'd love the schools to start playing better games. I don't like to pay for tickets to see the second and third team beat up on the likes of GaSouthern, Buffalo. But, it has to be weighed against what will get you to the NC game.

 

[LawDawg]

Seems risky. in my time in wisconsin i can tell you people up there dont give 2 fucks about the sec. its big 10 or who gives a shit. they wont willingly pay an extra nickel for amn sec channel, and the sec gets zero exposure there unless its a nationally televised game. even then its interest falls behind any big 10 or even any pac hames on at the same time.

You are kind of stating the obvious, right? First, the majority of people anywhere in the US don't give a shit about college football. Then you look at the population that do, and if they are in the PAC region, they are going to follow PAC mostly. Same everywhere. That said, all conferences have people who have moved to other parts of the country and will want to follow their teams. They would want the various conference network options. And, then you have a smaller number of people who want to watch a good college football game ... they can get that from each conference, but at the moment a little more from the SEC (although I am not in agreement with original post that any football in any conference is good enough that non-fans, or fans of other conferences will watch in large numbers).

At the end of the day the B1G expansion made sense in that it provides content to their alumni in 2 large cities. I am not convinced beyond those alumni that NY/DC Pro fans are suddenly going to be B1G fans. But, the way cable works TODAY, that will generate good revenue. Unfortunately for the B1G, fortunately for those of us who are sane, the ACC GOR put an end to their expansion. The SEC is in smaller markets, and their alumni base isn't as large or geographically dispersed (I am guessing this to be true). But, I am guessing they will get a little pick me due to the fact that their fanbase may be more passionate about football (I know, that's a generalization, but I think it would pan out if you saw marketing data) and the quality, or perceived quality, of their football these days. My guess - all the conference networks will do just fine, with the B1G and SEC leading the way.

 

[LawDawg]

This was kind of interesting to see how ESPN views this:

CBS will continue to get first choice of SEC football games each week for its Saturday-afternoon telecasts, but all others will be on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU or the ESPN-run SEC Network. That means the SEC and ESPN will have the ability to put compelling games on the league channel in order to drive demand for it.


Both the Big Ten and Pac-12 networks struggled to line up key distribution deals and were not available to some fans in the leagues’ geographic footprints at launch. Whether the SEC Network is available on a particular system — and on what tier at what price — depends on negotiations between ESPN and the carrier.


ESPN said it has reached a deal with the SEC Network’s first distributor (AT&T U-verse) and is in early negotiations with others, but would not say how much it is seeking in subscriber fees. While the negotiations are with the distributors, consumers ultimately would pay for the channel if it is included in their cable or satellite package. The Big Ten network commands fees of about $1.10 per month inside the league’s footprint and about 10 cents per month outside, according to si.com.


ESPN’s Connolly said the goal is to have SEC Network as widely distributed in the SEC footprint as the flagship ESPN channel and as widely distributed elsewhere as ESPNU. Nationally, ESPN is in 100 million homes and ESPNU in 75 million.


“This is not a regional network. This is a national network,” ESPN president John Skipper said of the SEC channel. “There are a lot of SEC fans in California and Michigan and New York and Connecticut and Virginia and Nebraska, and we expect to be in all those places, widely distributed, with this network.”

New network: All SEC all the time | www.myajc.com

 

[SEC Official]

So...we won't see Alabama vs. Northeastern Tallahassee State High School for the Blind?

Nope, I think they are exclusively a BigXII punching bag exclusively now...

 

[SEC Official]

I'm reading this and I go, "what nutcase is this?" and then I look up and see it's smiles. Should have known ... glad he made it over. BSU would have to play for 5 years or more to play the equivalent of one year's competition in the SEC (or, for the most part, the other major conferences). How anyone with a straight face, to use your words, can argue that BSU should be in the NC conversation with the schedule they play is crazy. How a BSU fan can criticize scheduling is crazy.

In the FWIW department, I'd love the schools to start playing better games. I don't like to pay for tickets to see the second and third team beat up on the likes of GaSouthern, Buffalo. But, it has to be weighed against what will get you to the NC game.

Yeah, nothing like throwing stones in a glass house. But wait, they excluded conference cream puffs.. and are only talking OOC games. Damn.. Smiles got us on that one! He is right... unfortunately, our conference schedule more than makes up for it and nobody that understands football really cares about the SEC OOC schedule other than people who have no other weaknesses they can pick from.

Next we will be scolded for not playing on Friday nights.. because we know those games are much tougher than Sat days.

This is a prime example of having no other logical argument against the SEC so he picks outlandish examples... maybe we don't play enough OOC games against teams with more than 4 vowels? Hell, I can go all day on this...

Bashing our OOC schedule may be the only weakness we have... which is why they always resort to this..

SEC OOC schedule in regards to importance on where the SEC finishes the season and how they play in national championship games is #11,345 in any logical persons list of concerns. Keep in mind #11,344 is global warming's impact on peewee soccer and #11,343 is how peanuts showed up in my stool even though I didn't eat any recently.

 

[ugafan6612]

CBS?

 

[Chief]

I am die hard SEC .. but AT&T is not in my list of priorities.. and I won't pick it up just for SEC channel. Directv is the only way I roll. I know people with AT&T and it sucks.

Big mistake imo.

I have U-Verse and love it. Used to have Directv for about 6 years till they changed there packages and I lost the Sports channels to a higher cost package.

That and I get the Big Ten Network (and a bunch of other sports channels) with my U-Verse package I'd have had to pay more for with Directv.

 

[Chief]

Bottom line is that you can take all that bullshit in your inner mind and throw it out of the window. The BTN is "big" in Big Ten territory, and the SEC Network will be big in the South. However, the SEC Network will have one big advantage over the BTN when it comes to national popularity. People like to watch good football, and they like to watch winners & CHAMPIONS. Last time I checked, the SEC has been home to the last 7 national champions, and has been recognized by the majority of media to be the premier athletic conference in the nation. I don't think they will have much of a problem "catching up" to the BTN.

That's where you're wrong. People like to watch games involving the teams they like first. If Michigan is playing Central Michigan and LSU were playing Bama at the same time, I'm watching Michigan. Most fans will do the same.

Outside the SEC, I just don't see such conference centric homerism/fanaticism. You folks in the SEC may prefer to watch SEC games first above all else, but I just don't think that's true of every one else.

Oct 12. Will be UT v OK and Bama v Kentucky. Which game do you think would get the most viewership?

 

[WizardHawk]

OMG Smiles.... Here we go... and Smiles^^^ pot meet kettle...

Need I remind you that you went out of your way to go find Smiles and bring him here?

I guess you thought every thread on this fine board needed to be hijacked and turned into a BSU pep rally.

 

[geneh_33]

Need I remind you that you went out of your way to go find Smiles and bring him here?

He just wanted to dog out Smiles on a daily basis again. What's wrong with that?