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Contrasting opinions on scheduling: Brian Kelly & Nick Saban | One wants to play the best
Posted on 3/7/23 at 12:58 pm
Posted on 3/7/23 at 12:58 pm
Brian Kelly’s thoughts
LINK
Nick Saban's thoughts
LINK
ETA very important additional context
Combined Opp Win Pct Since 2013 - Based on SI's Guesses
1 LSU - 0.709
2 Florida - 0.706
3 Auburn - 0.704
4 Kentucky - 0.639
5 Alabama - 0.622
6 Texas - 0.617
7 Texas A&M - 0.614
8 Tennessee - 0.605
9 Georgia - 0.579
10 Mississippi St - 0.576
11 Ole Miss - 0.573
12 Vanderbilt - 0.573
13 Oklahoma - 0.568
14 Arkansas - 0.559
15 South Carolina - 0.557
16 Missouri - 0.529
LINK
quote:
"I want to play the best. I came down here to the SEC because I wanted to play against Alabama. I want to play A&M. I want to play Auburn, the great teams, and in our new scheduling we get to play Alabama every year, Ole Miss every year and A&M, and that's really why I came down here. I want to play those games…”
Nick Saban's thoughts
LINK
quote:
“…I think you have to get the three fixed [opponents] right. They're giving us Tennessee, Auburn and LSU. I don't know how they come to that [decision]… We got three teams and two of them are in the top 10 and the other is in the top 10 a lot. Look historically over a 25-year history, and the three best teams in the East are Georgia, Tennessee and Florida. You look historically at 25 years, Alabama, LSU and Auburn are the three best teams in the West. So we’re playing them all.”
ETA very important additional context
Combined Opp Win Pct Since 2013 - Based on SI's Guesses
1 LSU - 0.709
2 Florida - 0.706
3 Auburn - 0.704
4 Kentucky - 0.639
5 Alabama - 0.622
6 Texas - 0.617
7 Texas A&M - 0.614
8 Tennessee - 0.605
9 Georgia - 0.579
10 Mississippi St - 0.576
11 Ole Miss - 0.573
12 Vanderbilt - 0.573
13 Oklahoma - 0.568
14 Arkansas - 0.559
15 South Carolina - 0.557
16 Missouri - 0.529
This post was edited on 3/7/23 at 3:23 pm
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Posted on 3/7/23 at 1:13 pm to The_Ultimate_Warrior
Saban scared.
Posted on 3/7/23 at 1:22 pm to The_Ultimate_Warrior
quote:
Look historically over a 25-year history, and the three best teams in the East are Georgia, Tennessee and Florida. You look historically at 25 years, Alabama, LSU and Auburn are the three best teams in the West. So we’re playing them all.”
Honest question; has Tennessee been the 3rd best team in the east over the last 25 years?
Posted on 3/7/23 at 1:23 pm to wadewilson
No.
Posted on 3/7/23 at 1:28 pm to momentoftruth87
quote:
No.
Yes, TN was the 3rd best program in the east from 1997-2022 and it isn't even close.
Posted on 3/7/23 at 1:29 pm to The_Ultimate_Warrior
“He was scared, I was scared”
That’s how he felt about a 19 year old girl.
That’s how he felt about a 19 year old girl.
Posted on 3/7/23 at 1:30 pm to momentoftruth87
Scared of lsu? 
A team we play every year already? Has there been a year since Coach Saban has been at Alabama that the two have not played? All it would do is eliminate one team or the other from championship play every time they meet. Not being permanent opponents benefits lsu as well as Alabama. Would Kelly be ok with UGA, Alabama and Texas as his permanent opponents? He want to play the best, right?
Does he consider OM and A&M "the best"? Does ANY lsu fan?
A team we play every year already? Has there been a year since Coach Saban has been at Alabama that the two have not played? All it would do is eliminate one team or the other from championship play every time they meet. Not being permanent opponents benefits lsu as well as Alabama. Would Kelly be ok with UGA, Alabama and Texas as his permanent opponents? He want to play the best, right? Does he consider OM and A&M "the best"? Does ANY lsu fan?
This post was edited on 3/7/23 at 1:31 pm
Posted on 3/7/23 at 1:33 pm to elit4ce05
Little Nicky is a whining bitch.
Posted on 3/7/23 at 1:37 pm to wadewilson
quote:
the three best teams in the East are Georgia, Tennessee and Florida. You look historically at 25 years, Alabama, LSU and Auburn are the three best teams in the West. So we’re playing them all.
He’s playing them all?? Where and how often is he playing Georgia and Florida? And quite clearly Georgia and Florida have been demonstrably better than Tennessee the last 20 years.
Posted on 3/7/23 at 1:41 pm to Notrub14
quote:
Yes, TN was the 3rd best program in the east from 1997-2022 and it isn't even close.
This is correct.
SEC wins since 1997:
Georgia - 157
Florida - 145
Tennessee - 113
South Carolina - 91
Kentucky - 66
Vanderbilt - 40
From 1997 to 2002, Tennessee played for a conference title five times, won it twice, and won it all in 1998. South Carolina only played for a conference title once.
Tennessee is also 17-9 against the Cocks during that span.
It's not even close.
This post was edited on 3/7/23 at 1:44 pm
Posted on 3/7/23 at 1:45 pm to LSUgrad88
quote:
He’s playing them all?? Where and how often is he playing Georgia and Florida? And quite clearly Georgia and Florida have been demonstrably better than Tennessee the last 20 years.
Under Saban, Bama has played both Georgia and Florida nine times.
Posted on 3/7/23 at 1:47 pm to elit4ce05
quote:
Has there been a year since Coach Saban has been at Alabama that the two have not played?
Bama and LSU have played every season since 1964.
Posted on 3/7/23 at 1:57 pm to The_Ultimate_Warrior
Saban is worrying about the 4 team playoff scenario which would penalize a team for 2 or more losses. Kelly is thinking about preparing a team for a 12 team playoff. Both are correct but what this really tells you I’d that Kelly isn’t planning on leaving LSU without a title and is thing 5-10 year trend while Nick is thinking 2-5 years for obvious reasons.
Posted on 3/7/23 at 2:02 pm to Tornado Alley
quote:
Under Saban, Bama has played both Georgia and Florida nine times.
We are talking regular season here.
Saban has played UGA 4 times during the regular season. 2007, 2008, 2015 and 2020.
Same story with Florida. 4 times during the regular season. 2010, 2011, 2014 and 2021.
It's great they have met so often in Atlanta and beyond. But that ain't the topic at hand.
Posted on 3/7/23 at 2:04 pm to TutHillTiger
Kelly would change his tune if they swapped Ole Miss for Texas.
Posted on 3/7/23 at 2:05 pm to The_Ultimate_Warrior
Saban is in the twilight of his career, he wants to exit slowly and easily, like an old an entering a warm bath.
Posted on 3/7/23 at 2:05 pm to The_Ultimate_Warrior
I get Saban bringing it up as it's his responsibility to put it out there but I hope this is the last time it's discussed by him. It's not a big deal in the grand scheme of scheduling with the rotation of every team every 2 years.
And I'd prefer playing LSU than State every year anyway. While State is close and we have the most games against each other, we've played LSU basically every year for like 65 years. It's not some post-1992 matchup.
And I'd prefer playing LSU than State every year anyway. While State is close and we have the most games against each other, we've played LSU basically every year for like 65 years. It's not some post-1992 matchup.
This post was edited on 3/7/23 at 2:09 pm
Posted on 3/7/23 at 2:09 pm to TutHillTiger
quote:
Saban is worrying about the 4 team playoff scenario which would penalize a team for 2 or more losses.
Why would you think this?
The CFP expands to 12 in 2024, the same year the SEC schedule will change to the 3-6 format.
Surely Saban is aware of this.
This is all just posturing and politicking.
Deep down Brian Kelly is happy Ole Miss is a historic rival so we got out of playing Florida every year. But the beauty of the new format is that you have to play everybody at worst every other year and that is much more fair versus the current format where the SEC Least gets off easy.
Posted on 3/7/23 at 2:11 pm to momentoftruth87
quote:
Saban scared.
Scared is a good thing in a CFB coach. Bobby Bowden was scared of the SEC and became a legend at it. Saban has won more natty's than Kelly has championships of any kind. Might have something to do with Kelly wanting to play the best because your apt to get whipped playing the best. Saban knows this first hand...Kelly, having played many years against no one, may not....
Posted on 3/7/23 at 2:11 pm to BrerTiger
quote:
But the beauty of the new format is that you have to play everybody at worst every other year and that is much more fair versus the current format where the SEC Least gets off easy.
Exactly. The permanent opponent thing is much less consequential than the old perm opponent (or even divisional alignment) was.
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