Can somebody explain to me the 1972 Season?

Yes. 7-1 > 6-1

inb4SECofficeisinBham

I can't really help you. I just want to add that I think the same thing happened with UGA one year when they only played like 5 SEC games. No one really knows too much about this stuff though. A few weeks ago I asked why LSU went decades without playing UGA, Vandy or Auburn and no one really knew a good answer except that the SEC was just different back then.

Because the SEC office is in BHam.

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Can somebody explain to me the 1972 Season?

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The Dolphins finished the season undefeated and won the Superbowl, they are the last NFL team to finish the season undefeated and to this day meet to celebrate with a toast when the last unbeaten NFL team loses their first game.

The SEC had really unbalanced schedules until 1978. You are correct in Alabama 7-1 and Auburn 6-1 with Auburn winning the 17-16. game. But that wasn't uncommon. Tennessee won the SEC in 1969 with a 5-1 mark while LSU was 4-1. Both teams lost to Ole Miss. Tennessee was blown out 38-0 and LSU lost 26-23. After Tulane's departure in '65 there had been an attempt to make sure teams had 6 "conference games" so there were some 'designated' conference games. For instance, Vanderbilt's and LSU's games vs Tulane were counted as an "SEC" game and State's vs Texas Tech was as well in 1968. That practice ended in '69.

Now, I really don't know the "why" anymore than the odd scheduling with member schools. LSU and Auburn met in 1969 for the first time since the 40's. Miss State and Georgia Tech never played as SEC opponents. Oddly enough, starting in 1972 teams did start a "rotation" of sorts where they had 5 fixed or permanent opponents and at least one opponent to play home and home for two years and then continue the process until that was completed.

For instance, Auburn played LSU in 1972 and 1973,Kentucky in 1974 and 1975, Ole Miss in 1976 and 1977 and Vanderbilt in 1979 and 1979 and the process started again with LSU in 1980.(Auburn and Ole Miss did play in '72 and '73 in addition to this format --for the first time since 1953).

Alabama and Ole Miss met each other in 1980 and 1981 but those games were not counted as SEC games.

I-59 could explain this

***not in before I-59

Auburn actually helped Alabama with the Sugar Bowl following the 1978 and 1979 seasons. The contract did not have a provision for ties other than "most recent appearance" rule that the Cotton with the SWC and Orange with the Big 8 had.

The "Goal Line Stand" almost didn't happen. Had Georgia beaten Auburn instead of tying them in '78, 22-22, Georgia at 6-0 would have gone to the Sugar instead of 6-0 Alabama.10-1 Alabama almost went to the Fiesta. Now, you would have thought the SEC and Sugar Bowl would have addressed this in the off-season but they didn't.

At least the 1978 Georgia team was a good one. 9-1-1 and ranked. Again, it came down to the Georgia-Auburn game with Georgia at 5-0. This time Georgia had lost ALL of their OOC games, Wake Forest, Clemson, South Carolina and Virginia. They were 5-4 and a win over Auburn --even with a loss to Tech the following week would have put them in the Sugar. But, Auburn won, 33-13.

It was Bear Bryant once again being smarter and "playing" the rest of the SEC and the SEC Commmish and offices (in B'ham, natch) allowing him.

Don't hate him for pushing the rules if the SEC stepped back and let him run the sand box.

Bc AU was scared to schedule another SEC school. It was a way to try and sneak an SEC title by not taking as many chances to lose.

In reality, I don't know. I know Bama and Ole Miss didn't play each other for a few years in the 60s bc both teams were really good and they wanted to be able to get bowl bids/win the SEC. Vaught and Bryant cooked that one up.