Smart states SEC schedule ‘most overrated’ debate

May 30, 2023, 09:41 PM ET DESTIN, Fla.– Kirby Smart sounded ready to be done with the Southeastern Conference’s excellent schedule debate.

“The most overrated conversation worldwide,” the Georgia coach stated Tuesday.As is custom,

the Southeastern Conference took over a resort hotel on the Florida Gulf Coast for its spring meetings this week. The most popular subject is what the country’s hardest football conference plans to do with its schedule beginning in the 2024 season when Texas and Oklahoma join to make it a 16-team league with no divisions.The choices are sticking to an eight-game slate however moving to one yearly rivalry game instead of the current two, or going to 9 games with 3 yearly competitors. The SEC has been attempting to figure this out for more than a year.”I’m a history teacher by trade,”Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz informed press reporters.

“And every time I come to one of these meetings I’m blown away that the 13 colonies actually formed a union, however we can’t agree on a 8-or nine-game schedule.” Editor’s Picks 2 Related In either case, punting divisions fixes one huge issue for the SEC: infrequent meetings in between some league

members.The most glaring example: Texas A&M has played Georgia just once given that signing up with the SEC in 2012, and the Aggies are still waiting for a visit to College Station by the Bulldogs.”4 years, you will play everyone, house and away,”said Smart, whose group has won two straight national titles.” I get the standard rivalries, you have three, you have 2, you have one. You have this, you have that. You men require something to write about bad when you begin discussing this. “Regardless of Smart’s uncertainty, the eight-or-nine conversation does matter a lot to fans.With an eight-game schedule that protects just one yearly challenger, Auburn-Georgia– the

Deep South’s oldest competition, played 127 times– Alabama-Tennessee and perhaps the renewal of the

Texas-Texas A&M rivalry are amongst the significant matches most likely to become every-other-year games.Aggies coach Jimbo Fisher said when the Longhorns show up, he would like Texas A&M’s annual rival to be Texas. However that would suggest shelving Texas-Oklahoma every other year.”LSU’s become a terrific competition for us,”Fisher said.

“But as you go traditional rivalries of A&M you ‘d state Texas.”While LSU coach Brian Kelly stopped short of totally devoting to a variety of conference games, he said he wouldn’t want to quit playing Alabama every year, and the only method to do that would be with a nine-game conference schedule.The SEC football coaches and

athletic directors satisfied independently on Tuesday and will gather together Wednesday with the hope of lastly deciding before conferences wrap up on Friday.Drinkwitz is one of the couple of coaches to decide, siding with nine.Kentucky’s Mark Stoops is probably the most singing advocate of sticking to 8, keeping in mind that the school’s annual in-state rivalry with Louisville of the Atlantic Coast Conference means the Wildcats are currently locked into at least 9 games versus Power 5

opponents.” I’m a history teacher by trade. And each time I come to one of these conferences I’m blown away that the 13 colonies actually formed a union, however we can’t agree on an eight-or nine-game schedule.” Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz There is no warranty the schedule concern will be settled today. Commissioner Greg Sankey has stated there is still time for more factor to consider. He even acknowledged the possibility of a short-term solution, landing on a model however with a dedication to it for only a year or two.Sankey met football coaches Tuesday to go over a wide range of topics, consisting of the schedule.”I noticed a trust level in our decision-making

procedure, “Sankey said.Alabama coach Nick Saban has promoted playing schedules with nothing but Power 5 schools and seemed to be a fan of 9 conference games over the previous year.Now, he seems concerned about what it might mean for Alabama’s nonconference schedule in coming years. The Tide have home-and-home series with Wisconsin,

Florida State, Ohio State and Notre Dame– among others– set up between 2024 and 2030.”If we go to 9 games, we’ll

need to unwind that, “Saban stated.” My offer has always been to play more SEC games

due to the fact that we could not get more individuals to schedule. So now I think there are more individuals who want to schedule. So having a balance is probably most important.

“Sankey has said he wishes to” land the aircraft “this week, however he likewise remembered the last time the SEC expanded. Texas A&M and Missouri were given membership in the fall of 2011 and began playing in 2012, giving the conference less than a year to figure

out the football schedule. “So we got a lot of reserves in the wings of that plane, “Sankey stated.”However we’re going to be more timely than that. “