quote:
Everyone points to Alabama's schedule this year as some sign of favoritism.

That's fascinating, considering the 2009 and 2010 years and what the Tide went through.

In 2009 Alabama, going undefeated, played 8 SEC teams. Of those 8, 7 had winning records and went on to Bowl Games. They also opened with Va Tech (a 10 win team), had to beat an undefeated Florida in the SECCG, and then beat an undefeated Texas in the Rose Bowl

In 2010, Alabama had to play 6 SEC squads who had a week off prior to playing them. That included drawing Florida and South Carolina from the East, as well as bowl-bound Tennessee (teams 1, 2 and T3 in the SEC East).

In 2011, after having played South Carolina twice, USCe rotated off the schedule and Vandy rotated on. Florida was in the second game of their swing against the Tide. Florida under achieved that year, winning only 7 overall games.

In 2012, Florida rotated off. Florida, of course, has a break out season. SEC officials, in an AMAZING amount of psychic power, accurately predicts this will happen when they first drew up the rotational schedule years ago.

The SEC, while making the 2012 schedule, moves Vandy off of Alabama's schedule for Missouri (an 8-5 team from the previous year, who had beaten Texas A&M, and narrowly lost by 1 score three times - to ASU, highly ranked KSU, and RG3 led Baylor). Once again, kudos to the SEC for being able to see that this team that was just shy of winning 11 games the previous year would have a worse record than Vanderbilt.

So basically it boils down to this:
Alabama has 6 West opponents (6 of 8 SEC games)
Tennessee as a permanent opponent (established in 1992, during a very good run for Tennessee)
Rotates 1 SEC East Team (previously 2 teams)

Wasn't this year's and next year's schedule made up on the spot because of the expansion? That means the schedules could be made up out of the blue with no rotation to answer to.

Any previous year's schedule can't be considered "fixed". I think the whole argument boils down to the ridiculous schedules of these two years.