re: Bama's Road Schedule

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Bama's Road Schedule
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LOL...Bama's OOC opponents since Saban arrived in Tuscaloosa:

2007 - Florida State
2008 - Clemson
2009 - Virginia Tech
2010 - Penn State
2011 - Penn State
2012 - Michigan
2013 - Virginia Tech
2014 - West Virginia
2015 - Wisconsin
2016 - Southern Cal
2017 - Florida State
2018 - Louisville


You can LOL all you want, but the truth of the matter is there are very few great teams on that list that Bama has already played.

2007 Florida State finished 7-6 and unranked. They finished their season with a loss to Kentucky in the Music City Bowl... Next.

2008 Clemson finished 7-6 and unranked. Their season included losses to Georgia Tech, Maryland, and Wake Forest... Next.

2009 Virginia Tech finished 10-3 and #10. To date, this is the only OOC team Bama has played in the regular season during the Saban era that has finished in the AP Top 20.

2010 Penn State finished 7-6 and unranked.

2011 Penn State finished 9-4 and unranked. They lost to every opponent they faced that had more than 7 wins.

2012 Michigan finished 8-5 and ranked #24.

2013 Virginia Tech finished 8-5 and unranked. Their season culminated with a 42-14 Sun Bowl loss to UCLA.

2014 West Virginia finished 7-6 and unranked.

2015 Wisconsin finished 10-3 and ranked #21. They played an entire regular season without

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The OOC opponent is scheduled few years prior, so , on paper it's a quality matchup. Can't help that the opponent is subpar that year.

38-10

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The OOC opponent is scheduled few years prior, so , on paper it's a quality matchup. Can't help that the opponent is subpar that year.

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+1

Who the hell would have thought that back in 2010-11 when the reigning national champs Auburn Tigers signed up to open with Clemson that down the road in 2016 AU would be coming off a damn Birmingham Bowl and Clemson would be coming off a NC game?

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Your post itself proves it isn't silliness. It's MUCH closer than it would be otherwise.

The difference is pretty clear.

Auburn - Georgia
Arkansas - South Carolina
LSU - Florida
Alabama - Tennessee
Ole Miss - Vanderbilt
Mississippi State - Kentucky

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We're finally moving in the right direction. Finally you've given up the silly notion that the only reason Bama has played one of the weakest regular season schedules is because it can't play itself. Now facts have proven that even if you remove common games with every single one of Bama's annual opponents, Bama has still played the easiest schedule.

And after being proven wrong you say, "The difference is pretty clear"... and you show how Bama's had it easier by getting to play Tennessee every year. Well you were having problems seeing clear earlier, but I'm glad its beginning to clear up.

At least you are starting to recognize there is more to it than just bama not playing itself.

However, this still does not explain how if you remove common games against each other, Ole Miss (+5) and Mississippi State (+1) have both played more ranked teams during the regular season than Alabama. Ole Miss and Miss. St. get to play Vandy and Kentucky, respectively, every single year... yet they've still played tougher regular season schedules.

So its obviously even more than just Bama playing Tennessee regularly.

What is left is Bama has played fewer solid OOC teams during the regular season than most anyone else in the West.... plus just the luck of the draw in the rotating Eastern matchups. Other Western teams have been less lucky.

Either way, facts are facts. Bama has had it relatively easy in the scheduling department that pat 9 seasons... and its not all due to not playing itself.

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Finally you've given up the silly notion that the only reason Bama has played one of the weakest regular season schedules is because it can't play itself

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I never argued Alabama played the toughest SEC schedule or even was in the top half. My argument was that this type of general analysis penalizes a team like Alabama exponentially, it gives other teams more Top 25 games and doesn't allow us to play ourselves, taking away our opportunity for them. I wasn't having any problems seeing anything earlier, you can back and quote all of my posts if you would like.

Once that is stripped out, like you did, it clearly shows that the teams at the top were the ones who had permanent opponents who were good for the last 7 years : Auburn and Arkansas.

Then we get to groups who are within 4 games or so of Alabama (Ole Miss, LSU, Mississippi State). LSU had Florida as a permanent opponent, so they clearly had the best "lucky" in terms of cross divisional games, because my guess is Florida finished ranked more than Tennessee, Kentucky or Vanderbilt. Vandy, Kentucky and Tennessee all finished ranked 1 or maybe 2 times during this era, so the only difference there is the luck factor. Ole Miss clearly ended up with some "unlucky" cross divisional breaks, and State and Alabama were basically even.

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Ole Miss and Miss. St. get to play Vandy and Kentucky, respectively, every single year... yet they've still played tougher regular season schedules.

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How many times did Kentucky, Vanderbilt and Tennessee finished ranked from 2007-2016?

My guess would be
- Tennessee (2) in 2007 and 2016
- Vanderbilt (1) 2013 or 2014
- Kentucky (1) 2007?

Point being, Vandy and Kentucky didn't register as much worse than Tennessee using your "SOS" factor (finishing ranked in the Top 25). Using that as the factor basically makes a team either good or bad, there is no grey area. 2014 Vanderbilt (awful) is the same as 2015 Georgia (mediocre).

So, Tennessee instead of UK or Vandy didn't really add much for Alabama.

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+ Kyle has way too much time on his hands.

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I see how it goes. Bama fans can spend all day on message boards spewing worshipful praise to their god, and its all okay. Anyone who tries to interject is then hurled facts in their face.

But if someone else throws facts in a Bama fan's face that prove said Bama fan is wrong, then that person just has too much time on their hands.

Butthurt doesn't begin to describe it.

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Bama fans can spend all day on message boards spewing worshipful praise to their god

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I think you're showing your cards here

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Bama fans can spend all day on message boards spewing worshipful praise to their god

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I think you're showing your cards here

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He was backing a strong hand, and then showed his cards like an over excited school girl.

more please- can't stand Kyle and his novels.

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I never argued Alabama played the toughest SEC schedule or even was in the top half.

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You certainly didn't admit it had played the easiest compared to all of its annual SEC opponents... which is actually the case.

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My argument was that this type of general analysis penalizes a team like Alabama exponentially

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And when you take away that "penalty" and remove common games, every single one of Bama's annual SEC opponents still have played a tougher regular season schedule. Those are the facts.


Look its not a big deal. No one is criticizing Bama for this. They can't help that Tennessee has been down, and they can't help that they've been lucky that every time they seem to play Florida during the regular season, its when Florida has 5+ losses. You were fortunate to miss the really good South Carolina teams that all finished in the Top 5.... you missed the Eastern Champion Missouri teams during the regular season at least.... and when Georgia finally rolled around again last year, it was a year in which we failed to finish in the Top 25. Then go back to what you said about some of those OOC teams you've had scheduled not panning out (2008 Clemson, 2012 Michigan, etc.).

Look we get it. It's not Bama's fault. No rational person thinks it is. But regardless, Bama has caught literally every lucky break in the scheduling department during the Saban era, and its resulted in certainly the easiest regular season schedule in the West and one of the easier regular season schedules in the entire league over the past decade.

Don't pretend Bama has not benefited somewhat from this. It's like all those who argue how tough the SEC is.... playing a brutal schedule week after week eventually takes its toll. There is an extra degree of beating that takes place even in weeks there was a win. Teams from the ACC and BIG 10 don't really experience this. But in that same regard, Bama has had it a notch easier than all of its Western opponents for reasons that have nothing to do with them playing Bama. That's part of it, but there there is more to it as well. And at some point you've got to admit that that has in some what helped Bama and in some way hurt other Western teams.

I mean LSU playing Florida and Auburn playing Georgia annually has had to take its toll on those programs more so than Bama playing Tennessee has. Those are just facts.

The whole point to go back to the OP is that this year appears like it could be different. I am fascinated to see how Bama handles what appear to be 3 very difficult road games.

I'm fascinated to see how Bama responds to a Tennessee team that on paper looks to finally be back to the old Tennessee we remember.

As I stated earlier, Bama typically catches every bit of scheduling luck imaginable. This year may end up turning out the same way. But if the season ends with Tennessee winning the East, and LSU and Ole Miss both finishing in the top half of the West, then the tables will have been turned. It's shaping up that Bama might actually catch the toughest schedule possible... which hasn't happened since arguably Saban's first season.

I think there is a strong possibility that Bama may fight through it regardless and still win the league. Bama could very well go 12-0 and hand LSU and Tennessee their only losses.

Either way, this is shaping up to be a different type of regular season schedule compared to the ones Bama has faced in the past 8 years, and I think it will be fascinating to see what happens. That was my entire point before Bama fans got butthurt that I pointed out they'd had it easy.