re: Yahoo - Does Alabama have a legitimate gripe about early kickoff times?

I think the point is to push back a bit on the narrative displayed literally directly above us : Bama just wants something in their favor that nobody else gets. Bama actually wants the same thing everyone else (except UGA) gets.

The truth is everyone else gets it (except Georgia), and LSU just happens to be the biggest disaparity. There are plenty of SEC vs Trash games shown at night, so there's no need to make LSU move.

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You can decide that doesn't matter if you want but the facts are plain as day.

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AyyyyOooooo!

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The facts as clear as day, we never play September night games and everyone else in the league besides Georgia does - and they do it against terrible teams.

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I will swap LSU game times with Alabama, in exchange for moving the SEC office to New Orleans.

True Tiger

I think part of this goes back to when the SEC formed divisions in 1992. The concession that LSU got to play its non-conference game at night was a result of several issues that LSU had raised going back to when Division play started in 1992. At that time, you had the following games played on the last Saturday after Thanksgiving
1) Bama-Auburn, 2) UGA-GA. Tech, 3) UF-FSU, 4) Ole Miss-MSU, 5) TENN-Vandy and 6) LSU-Tulane

UK-Louisville (not sure at that time) but they started playing each other again I think in 1993 and in the last 10 years or so that game is now the part of the Traditional Saturday after Thanksgiving in-state rival games that most SEC teams play.

So, you had all the in-state rival games played that weekend. When the SEC went to 12 teams, LSU was pressured to play Arkansas on the last week and that game was set at 1:30 on Friday after Thanksgiving. Period. That did 2 things, 1) it started the end of the Tulane-LSU series as from that point on it became a problem where LSU and Tulane wanted to play the game and 2) LSU lost a night game. From 1992 to 2008, LSU played that game on Friday. That was a travel nightmare for the visiting team whereas teams that were playing in-state rivals were playing on Saturday. From a travel perspective, LSU had to leave Thanksgiving Day and it was not game that the travel fans could move. LSU had been complaining about this game going back to DiNardo’s last years. In 2009 and 2010, Bama and Auburn played on that Friday and they did not like it (even though travel not an issue since in-state) and LSU-Arky was moved back to Friday for 2011-2013. With the expansion to 14 teams, LSU raised the scheduling issue again, given that it was now a 6-1-1 format. Under that format for example, LSU who played TENN in Knoxville in 2016 will not return their again until I think 2029. That is crazy. LSU fans had made the trip to Knoxville in 2001, 2006, 2011(I made 2 of those). So, while it in public was about UF-LSU it was more than that. Other teams were willing to put the scheduling issue to the floor in back in 2013-2014. Texas A&M did not want MIZZOU to be their permanent SEC-EAST team (they wanted a different experience). South Carolina wanted to play Texas A&M to get then in the Texas footprint. And the league office did not want the question of The SEC scheduling to go to the floor. So, LSU backed off the 6-1-1 format and got 2 concessions, 1 LSU would not play Arky on Friday after Thanksgiving, LSU-Texas A&M (campuses are only 4.5 hrs. apart). ARK would play MIZZOU (campuses are closer) and every other SEC team would play their in-state rival games that weekend (Bama-AUB, UGA-GA. Tech, UF-FSU, UK-Louisville, TENN-Vandy, USC-Clemson) and Ole Miss-MSU put their game on Thanksgiving night (campuses are only 1.5 hours or so apart).

The other concession was LSU said ok, we understand Bama-TENN TSIO tradition, the UF-UGA game played on its traditional date, UGA-Auburn the oldest rival game in the South, etc., but LSU’s tradition of playing night football goes back to 1931, before any other SEC team did it. That is LSU’s tradition, so the only concession is that for LSU-OOC games, the league agreed to ensure those LSU games would be at night since the SEC league games can be moved by CBS to the 2:30 slot and LSU must comply (as they should).

I think in recent years other SEC fan bases are beginning to complain about the 6-1-1 format. I know many Auburn fans wish they were in the SEC-East as they no longer play Florida and TENN like they use to. Auburn goes to UF this year, the next time will be sometime after 2030. THE SEC gets hammered in the media for its 8 game SEC schedule and some of its OOC games, etc. I think a 6-1-2 format with a rotation every year would be good, that means within a 4 year period, you would play every team in the league twice.

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How many times has LSU been on ESPNU or the alternative SEC Network at night? Bama gets the 11am kickoff because they bring the ratings. You can't put a cupcake game on at night on the main networks, so they'll squeeze them into the less desirable, but still on the big network, daytime slot.

Edit: Juts checked, just last season alone LSU had TWO games on ESPNU. Normally a program wouldn't want to appear on that channel, but obviously LSU has conceded that the trade off of more night games is better for them and the fans.

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I agree and you are correct, LSU is willing to stuck in ESPNU (which lots of people don't even have as part of their Cox package) to ensure LSU's tradition of playing night football is maintained. With the SEC league games, you have to move them if CBS wants them at 2:30 or ESPN wants them to start say around 4 or 5 pm, etc.

Alabama fans jealous of LSU night games. Really sucks for them. LOL

My point was Forde only writes about it because he wants to carry Bama water. I have no idea why Bama decided to complain about it this year, as they have always had more day games than night.

I don't get the bitching. I looked back the last 5 yrs and Bama has had one 11:00am game (SECN) in Sept with a couple 2:30 games (CBS), and at least one late kick on ABC or ESPN. This year we don't get a night game in Sept, it sucks, but it's not the end of the world.

Pat Forde is a horses arse.

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Two of my favorite parts of the article are Gus Malzahn's ribbing of Saban.

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Cecil Hurt had a great response to Malzahn's comment: "For me, I think it’s a great idea. I think every Auburn game should start at noon. I think [Malzahn] does need an extra six hours of preparation."