SEC Coaches Meet To Discuss The Future
June 17, 2013 in Sports News
The 14 football coaches of the SEC got together for a little meeting recently down at Destin, Florida to discuss the future of the league and other important issues. Of course, the coaches are not the real decision makers where real SEC policy is concerned, still, everyone is most interested to hear what they had to say.
One of the principal topics of discussion was the inevitable move to a 9 conference game schedule which would have each SEC team playing one more conference game than they now play.
Alabama’s Nick Saban was the only out-spoken proponent of the switch-over to 9 games although it was generally accepted that several others were sympatric to the additional conference game on their schedules.
Currently, each SEC team plays 6 games with their divisional opponents and then one permanent cross-divisional rival and one rotating cross-divisional rival. There is also a move afoot to change this long standing set up to a straight 6-2 with both of the non-divisional games being scheduled on a rotating basis.
The formation of the SEC Network with ESPN is going to change the complexion of the conference. First of all, there will be a lot more money to deal with. That’s good… but it’s also bad in a way.
More money to spend means better facilities, better scholarships and a better all-around quality program for the universities. But, it also means that fewer and fewer decisions like scheduling will be left in the hands of the people closest to the action on the field. As the monetary considerations increase, more and more decisions will be made based on business considerations rather than the athlete’s well being.
Another discussion was put forth and led by LSU coach Les Miles calling for an end to scheduling games that are obviously not the quality games that the fans are looking for. LSU verses Towson, just to name one example. Why would they do that? Surely not to get the fans in Baton Rouge all worked up.
On a lighter note, the coaches seem to have made an informal agreement to stop bashing each other in public….or at least to ease it up a bit. Recent off the cuff comments have been taken up by the media and turned into national headlines… often taken out of text… occasionally harmful.
It remains to be seen if these characters can actually resist taking jabs at each other in public… I’ll take the over!