Guilbeau: LSU gripes to SEC are flawed

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Florida is LSU's permanent opponent from the East. Neither Florida nor Georgia is Alabama's permanent opponent from the East, so naturally LSU is going to have more games against those two than Alabama by simple math. Alabama's permanent opponent is Tennessee so Alabama has played Tennessee and Georgia as much as LSU has played Florida and Georgia. Yet Miles pointed out last week that only LSU and Auburn in the West play Florida and Georgia the same amount of times. Well yeah, because Georgia is Auburn's permanent opponent.

Do these guys not understand how the league schedule works? Criticize it sure, but at least get it. Alleva has Bama on the Brain so much he has apparently lost the ability to argue the scheduling topic logically.

So LSU's real argument is Alabama's permanent East opponent Tennessee versus LSU's permanent East opponent Florida. And here it is. Florida does have 10 SEC East titles to five by Tennessee since the SEC went to divisions in 1992, but five of those by the Gators came in the first five years of divisional play. Since 1997, Florida and Tennessee are tied with five East titles apiece.

The Volunteers also have been just two games ahead or behind of Florida in overall record 15 times since 1992. Tennessee had a better or equal overall record to Florida 11 times since 1992, including last year. That's pretty even. Florida should be better as it has more talent in its state, but it does not always work out that way and may not in the future. See Coach Ron Zook's years, and look at where Coach Will Muschamp is now coming off a 4-8 season.

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