re: SOS of the Big 5 + A&M Since Expansion

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Actually I used AP rankings originally.... I only brought S&P+ into the equation when we began looking at teams that finished outside the AP Top 25.

The fact of the matter is Bama plays the easiest schedule in the league..... yes, it helps that Bama doesn't play itself... but its obvious that doesn't explain everything.

Bama has a distinct advantage of playing Tennessee every season while its make threats in the West (LSU and Auburn) play Florida and Georgia, annually. There is no debating that is a huge advantage.

Call it luck or call it a miracle, but Bama also ALWAYS seems to catch its rotating East opponent when they are down.

Throw in there the fact that Bama has played a very, very easy OOC schedule... especially compared to most of its SEC peers... and when you add it all together Bama has had a MAJOR scheduling advantage.

My point in all this is that things need to be evened out. The divisions are not equal. The schedules are not close to equal. There needs to be a better way of doing this.

That's my whole point.

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So what do you want your team to do? UGA's dominating the East and I don't recall seeing a single Dawg fan (other than you) complain about the inequality of the divisions or whine about UGA's schedule.

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Why does a Georgia fan care who Alabama plays. Georgia isn't winning anything anyway.

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I'm glad you posted this.

I can't fathom why a UGA fan is whining about unbalanced divisions or Bama's schedule. UGA is doing fine in their division and they play a formidable OOC opponent most yrs as well, UGA is building strength equal to Bama and they are producing on the field.

Yep I agree, Kyle brings good stuff to the board on the reg. He isn't pushing an agenda.

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2017: NO ONE 2018: NO ONE

We'll wait to see if FSU turns this ship around though. If Taggart further depletes that program from the mess Jimbo left, it might be time to differentiate a bit

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We did schedule FSU and Michigan in 2017, that’s pretty damn good whether they’re ranked or not.

But I do agree with needing to diversify, which is why we’ve scheduled the Texas and Colorado series. I’m guessing we’ll see more of this going forward too.

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Sure. But I would also think that eventually playing that difficult of a schedule wears on a team and causes some of those losses to mediocre teams.

According to S&P+, Auburn's schedule has been ranked in the Top 2 in terms of SOS strength every season since 2012.... I mean when you play a Top 2 schedule every single year, surely that is going to have a wearing down effect on a program.

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Almost all of these losses are before they even play Alabama or Georgia. Pre-November their schedule is very similar to most other schools, or easier.

It is 100% true that going 12-0 or 11-1 with their schedule is MUCH more difficult than a lot of others (Alabama and Georgia, for instance). However, their issue is going 8-4 or 7-5 and losing games in October to Tennessee and Mississippi State (and in Baton Rouge every trip down there).

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This needs repeating because half of those 25 losses in 5 yrs came PRE-November before they take on UGA/Bama.

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The second he said big 5 it was obvious he was pushing an agenda. Some Georgia fans love doing that because they are the least successful of the big 6. Tennessee has basically taken over a decade off and still lead Georgia in pretty much every category.

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I see what you are saying, and I understand that point of view. I wasn't looking at it that way.

I am only one man dammit.

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To be fair - Kyle just likes diving into things. He likes looking into interesting questions or debate topics and looking at the data behind it. I think he's just looked at all the numbers and come to a conclusion.

The fact that he is a Georgia man is really irrelevant to that whole process, IMHO.

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Bingo. Thanks SOG

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Tennessee has basically taken over a decade off and still lead Georgia in pretty much every category.

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Dude your program is a step above mediocre since Neyland retired.... this downward spiral of yours started in the 1950s and the only reason its not more obvious is Peyton Manning was able to put a band-aid on it during the 1990s which breathed a few last gasps into an otherwise dying program.

Since Neyland retired (1953):

WINS:
558- Alabama
517- Auburn
514- Georgia
511- Florida
504- LSU
499- Tennessee

WINS vs. OTHER BIG 6
154- Alabama
134- Florida
130- Auburn
94- Georgia
85- LSU
80- Tennessee

BIG 6 WIN%
62.7%- Alabama
54.4%- Florida
49.4%- Auburn
44.7%- LSU
44.5%- Georgia
40.7%- Tennessee

SEC CHAMPIONSHIPS
23- Alabama
10- Georgia
9- LSU
8- Auburn
8- Florida
8- Tennessee

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS:
12- Alabama
3- LSU
3- Florida
2- Auburn
1- Georgia
1- Tennessee

There is no doubt that in the Post-Neyland SEC, Alabama is the #1 program in the league and Tennessee is easily #6. Georgia, Auburn, Florida, and LSU all battle it out in different categories to closely rank together 2-5.

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We'll wait to see if FSU turns this ship around though. If Taggart further depletes that program from the mess Jimbo left, it might be time to differentiate a bit.

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Like Miami, USF, Texas, Michigan etc?

Foley is gone. Stricklin has been trying to add bigger games finally.

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I don't disagree in general, but they also lose games to mediocre teams.

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Playing a tough schedule opens you up to losing against inferior competition though

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This still doesn't explain why AU has lost 25 games in 5 yr with half of them coming before November when they play UGA/Bama.

Auburn loses to mediocre teams and if they didn't they wouldn't be considered mediocre. Their fans wouldn't be clamoring to shite-can Gus and pay him +$30MM to push him out.