Why did SEC teams play unbalanced schedules?

The old days were weird

I think I heard teams could choose to play more or less. Alabama scheduled more so they could win the championship more easily. That's just being smarter than the rest of the SEC schools

I blame Alabama.

If the conference schedules were uneven, it's because the conference didn't standardize scheduling back then.

During the 50's and 60's -- ironically through 1968, the SEC really only said you had to play 6 SEC games. In the 60's when Tulane and Georgia Tech left that posed some problems as in that era it truly was difficult to re-schedule games as many were set 7-10 years out.

The conference instituted a solution for "appointed conference games." Really not sure how those particular games were chosen but somehow,someway a particular team (or teams) would be chosen that were truly non-conference teams would count win,lose or tie as a conference game. LSU actually played two "designated conference games" in 1968, TCU and Tulane. Had that formula stayed in place one more year LSU and Tennessee would have been co-champs. Oddly enough both of their regular season losses were to Ole Miss in Jackson. LSU lost 26-23 and Tennessee lost 38-0.

Obviously in 1969 the 6 game minimum was eliminated. LSU did win the SEC the next year in 1970 with a 5-0 record. Uniformity didn't take place until 1972 when teams did have to play at least 6 games. But you could play more. Auburn defeated Alabama 17-16 in 1972, but Alabama won the SEC with a 7-1 record while Auburn was 6-1. Also in 1972 through 1987 conference schedules were set with 5 permanent opponents and then a sixth game would come from the remaining 4 teams on a home and home basis.

Starting in 1978 the SEC would only recognize 6 conference games. Alabama and Ole Miss' games vs each other in 1980 and 1981 were counted as 'non-conference' games.

What I never have understood is why prior to the 1972 new scheduling procedures particular teams played other SEC teams so rarely. Before 1978, LSU-Georgia and Auburn-Vanderbilt hadn't met since the 50's. Alabama and Kentucky's 1972 game was their first since the 40's. Strange.

In the old days the term "conference" was a rather loosely defined term. Schools made their own schedules and they weren't always home and home. When Ga Teck was in the conference they would not travel much at all. Auburn had to come to Atlanta every year and Teck would not travel to the Mississippi schools at all.

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LSU actually played two "designated conference games" in 1968, TCU and Tulane.

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One of our games against Texas Tech was counted as an SEC game back then.

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When Ga Teck was in the conference they would not travel much at all.

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Rambling wreck

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I had never heard of this before. What was the reason for this? Some kind of grudge?

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I don't think anyone really knows why but Bobby Dodd just refused to schedule them. All he ever said was “Whatever is there to go to Mississippi for? We like to take our fans to exciting places and Mississippi isn’t one.”

He also had a "fued" with Bear Bryant, a long time friend, and refused to play Alabama after what he deemed a dirty hit in a game in 1964, and they didn't play again until 1975.

Someday people will be looking at the 2017 season and wondering "how did bama get in the playoffs. Both bama and Auburn finished with 7-1 conference records and Auburn smacked bama by double digits."

This sounds like a great idea for Vandy; just decide to play fewer conference games. If we limit it to UT, Ark, and Ole Miss, we have a chance to be unbeaten.