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re: Why did the SEC only play 6 conference games a season up til the late 80's
Posted on 1/7/19 at 2:08 pm to mckibaj
Posted on 1/7/19 at 2:08 pm to mckibaj
quote:
After expansion to 12 in 1992, the SEC created divisions, 5 permanent division games, 1 permanent cross division game, 2 rotating home and home across division.
Two permanents 1 rotating until 2002
0
Posted on 1/7/19 at 2:09 pm to twk
quote:
. It wasn’t until expansion and creation of divisions that scheduling became controlled by the REC through their puppets at the SEC office in Birmingham.
Not just Auburn. We played Bama in Birmingham as well. We didn't play Alabama at Tuscaloosa regularly until 1999 (there had been a few super early games there but from 1930 until 1999 it was between Neyland and Birmingham)... And when we played Ole Miss it was always in Memphis at the Liberty Bowl which has the distinction of hosting games for UT, OM, and Miss St (as well as other southern teams).
Posted on 1/7/19 at 2:22 pm to FloodDawg
quote:
Here’s an article from the AJC which talks about, from the Georgia Tech perspective, about Bobby Dodd not scheduling State or Ole Miss when Tech was in the SEC.
Were it not for giving fans in Memphis a game, I'm not sure Tennessee would've scheduled the Mississippi schools as much as we did. Schools were scheduling based on money and proximity a lot -- we've played OM 65 times and State (45 times) about as much as Florida (48 times).
This post was edited on 1/7/19 at 2:23 pm
Posted on 1/7/19 at 2:43 pm to Prof
quote:I can see where UT would not have wanted to cede the western half of Tennessee tot he Mississippi schools, and would want to play in Memphis to remind those folks that they were the University of Tennessee. I sort of think that's one reason why UGA played Auburn every year in Columbus, GA--didn't want the folks in Columbus and south Georgia just being Auburn fans out of proximity.
Were it not for giving fans in Memphis a game, I'm not sure Tennessee would've scheduled the Mississippi schools as much as we did. Schools were scheduling based on money and proximity a lot -- we've played OM 65 times and State (45 times) about as much as Florida (48 times).
Posted on 1/7/19 at 2:51 pm to twk
quote:
I can see where UT would not have wanted to cede the western half of Tennessee tot he Mississippi schools, and would want to play in Memphis to remind those folks that they were the University of Tennessee.
That and the Liberty Bowl was bigger than Vaught Hemmingway. UT played Ole Miss in Memphis into the 90s when it was Ole Miss' "home game" and they'd play in Knoxville in the alternate years. Prior to 1997, Vaught Hemmingway only had a capacity of a little more than 40k. The Liberty Bowl held over 60k. Way back when, the two played in Crump Stadium in Memphis every year until the 50s.
Posted on 1/7/19 at 2:56 pm to Al Bundy Bulldog
quote:
I also noticed that would be HUGE gaps in years that certain teams played each other. It seemed that Mississippi State played Ole Miss, Alabama, Auburn, and LSU every year and that the other 2 games tended to rotate between Vandy, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Florida with sometimes playing home and home in 2 year patterns. State also used to play Southern Miss and Memphis (State) almost every year. Only playing Vandy and Kentucky twice throughout the 1980's
State played Florida every year from 1962-1993. As a youngster in the late 70's-early 80's I remember Vandy, Kentucky, UGA, and Tennessee would rotate on every two years.
Posted on 1/7/19 at 2:57 pm to Sunbeam
quote:
Tech, Florida, Auburn, Vanderbilt
We also got OM has a permanent which was kinda weird.
Woulda a made much more sense to get UT or Bama travel
wise.
Posted on 1/7/19 at 2:59 pm to lsufball19
quote:
That and the Liberty Bowl was bigger than Vaught Hemmingway. UT played Ole Miss in Memphis into the 90s when it was Ole Miss' "home game" and they'd play in Knoxville in the alternate years. Prior to 1997, Vaught Hemmingway only had a capacity of a little more than 40k. The Liberty Bowl held over 60k. Way back when, the two played in Crump Stadium in Memphis every year until the 50s.
Plus, back then Memphis was just a lot easier to access. It suited OM, UT and MSST well play there instead of at the respective Mississippi campuses. More money for everyone and easy access.
Posted on 1/7/19 at 3:08 pm to RD Dawg
quote:
Woulda a made much more sense to get UT or Bama travel
We played one another pretty regularly from 1899 until 1937 but then didn't play again until 1968. Then we played a handful of games in the 60s, 70s, and 80s and don't really start playing more regularly until expansion.
I have no idea why the series is broken up like that given the proximity of the two schools. Maybe there was some internal dispute between ADs?
Posted on 1/7/19 at 3:23 pm to BHMKyle
quote:
See 1972 controversy in which Bama won the SEC Title 7-1 in SEC play with a loss to Auburn who finished 6-1 in league play. In that season, teams played anywhere from 6-8 SEC games that season.
Thank God the internet wasn't around then, because that's just ridiculous. It would have caused a bigger melt than any so-called mulligan, and people would be quite right to melt. Though I'm guessing the administrators of Auburn's athletic department, who would be in charge of scheduling, would deserve some of the blame too.
Posted on 1/7/19 at 3:23 pm to Prof
quote:
Maybe there was some internal dispute between ADs?
No idea.I always heard the AD's had a meeting to hammer
out the 5 permanent teams in the early 60's and Bear had a huge influence on who played who.
Not sure if it's true or not
Posted on 1/7/19 at 3:33 pm to RD Dawg
quote:
out the 5 permanent teams in the early 60's and Bear had a huge influence on who played who.
In the early '60s? The Bear was respected but not, well, the Bear that far back, right? It would make more sense if he exerted his influence on who played whom in the mid-'70s, I would think.
Posted on 1/7/19 at 3:36 pm to randomways
quote:
It would make more sense if he exerted his influence on who played whom in the mid-'70s, I would think
Larry Munson said it in his radio show a long time ago.
He also said Bear was a huge factor on which teams went
to which bowls. No idea how true it was.
Posted on 1/7/19 at 3:39 pm to RD Dawg
quote:
Larry Munson said it in his radio show a long time ago.
He also said Bear was a huge factor on which teams went
to which bowls. No idea how true it was.
It's always possible when talking about a good ol' boy, and the Bear was the goodest ol' boy around, so I won't dispute it or anything. Just found it odd that he would have that much influence so early in his Bama career. Granted, he had UK doing really well earlier, but that was a pretty short stint.
Posted on 1/7/19 at 3:40 pm to RD Dawg
Maybe it came from AU conspiracy theorist 
They definitely got the short end of the stick with the
5 permanent schools.UF,UT,Bama,UGA not sure of the 5th
They definitely got the short end of the stick with the
5 permanent schools.UF,UT,Bama,UGA not sure of the 5th
Posted on 1/7/19 at 3:56 pm to Sunbeam
quote:
I'd guess LSU played both Mississippi, both Alabama schools, and Tulane. Maybe. Hmmm not sure if they played Auburn too much back in the day, and the Florida/LSU game only became a thing in the 70's.
LSU played Tulane, Ole Miss, and Mississippi State regularly...Alabama and Auburn weren't regularly on the schedule until the 1970's...
Posted on 1/7/19 at 4:00 pm to RD Dawg
quote:
Maybe it came from AU conspiracy theorist
They definitely got the short end of the stick with the
5 permanent schools.UF,UT,Bama,UGA not sure of the 5th
There's always that. Southern sports breed conspiracy theories like bunnies, and not just in Louisiana. Probably because the Yankees were always conspirin' agin us.
Posted on 1/7/19 at 4:02 pm to BHMKyle
quote:
See 1972 controversy in which Bama won the SEC Title 7-1 in SEC play with a loss to Auburn who finished 6-1 in league play
Bama was always ahead of the curve!
Posted on 1/7/19 at 4:14 pm to randomways
quote:
In the early '60s? The Bear was respected but not, well, the Bear that far back, right?
Bear played @ Alabama for Thomas and am pretty sure he was on a MNC team during his tenure. He was an assistant @ Alabama and @ Vanderbilt after he graduated. He was at UK for almost a decade from the end of WWI to the mid 50's. Did a few years @ TAMU before returning to Alabama in the late 50's. He went 11-0 and won the Sugar in 61' so he had lots of history with the SEC.
When Bobby Dodds pulled Tech from the mid 60's because a dispute with the Bear it is easily plausible Bear was a power once Neyland went from coaching to AD in the 50's, opening the way for the new head man on the field in the SEC. Also, Vanderbilt created what would become the SEC and UK's president was the first person in charge of the SEC so Bear would have connections to the early leadership.
Posted on 1/7/19 at 4:32 pm to Al Bundy Bulldog
that's why I never bought into the, it is easier to win 10 games now with more games argument. Well, they actually added more conference games on the schedule. So that's not entirely true. In some cases you are playing more games against stronger opponents unless you are lucky enough to play vandy every year.
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