ESPN's Campaign for the Removal of Divisions

[jabohog]

seems to be more of a campaign for ESPN controversy, top tier teams, and viewership than what is good for college football. Alex Scarborough gives an argument against doing away with divisions in the SEC, even though he closes with "the fans would be the only winners". Historically it would seem Arkansas has benefitted from divisions. I am in favor of a nine game conference schedule, but something just smells about ESPN pushing this like an agenda.

Aschoff has an article in the SEC blog on ESPN's site. He links to a lot of the articles about this if you are unfamiliar with the subject.

I wondered what some of the deeper thinkers on this board have to say about it?

[hoggusamoungus]

seems to be more of a campaign for ESPN controversy, top tier teams, and viewership than what is good for college football. Alex Scarborough gives an argument against doing away with divisions in the SEC, even though he closes with "the fans would be the only winners". Historically it would seem Arkansas has benefitted from divisions. I am in favor of a nine game conference schedule, but something just smells about ESPN pushing this like an agenda.

Aschoff has an article in the SEC blog on ESPN's site. He links to a lot of the articles about this if you are unfamiliar with the subject.

I wondered what some of the deeper thinkers on this board have to say about it?

A short thread from the SEC forum.


http://www.hogville.net/yabbse/index.php?topic=592530.0

[Pig in the Pokey]

We would NEVER EVER EVER  get a decent schedule like that but then again we has the worst schedule in the country year in and year out anyway.

[WorfHog]

The removal of divisions didn't hurt basketball. I think it could work, but it'd really need to be rules based and not just the Alabama SEC home office setting a schedule that benefits the "best" teams every year.

[HamIAm]

Did it help basketball?   I haven't seen it. 

I'd rather know a team earned it's way to the championship than having been selected by someone with ulterior motives.  If you think you could trust ESPN or the SEC head office to make the playing field level you haven't followed college sports very long.

The removal of divisions didn't hurt basketball. I think it could work, but it'd really need to be rules based and not just the Alabama SEC home office setting a schedule that benefits the "best" teams every year.

[Mike_e]

With Jeff Long on the commission and CBB coming on strong right now would be the time  for us to ride this pony if we've got to at all.  We have as much clout right now in how we're treated as we've ever had.

This ain't Danny Fords Arkansas and that's a very good thing.

[redeye]

I like the divisions and the SECCG.  Good or bad, they make competition inside the conference more exciting and that have something to do with why the conference has improved so much since '92.  Unfortunately, they had to add more teams and mess it up.

I also really dislike any model where teams don't play every other team and there are no divisions.  It's one thing to win your division playing a soft schedule, but winning the entire conference with a soft schedule makes it less of an accomplishment.

I would like to see us play 9 games, though.

[DEVIL DOG HOG]

I like the divisions and the SECCG.  Good or bad, they make competition inside the conference more exciting and that have something to do with why the conference has improved so much since '92.  Unfortunately, they had to add more teams and mess it up.

I also really dislike any model where teams don't play every other team and there are no divisions.  It's one thing to win your division playing a soft schedule, but winning the entire conference with a soft schedule makes it less of an accomplishment.

I would like to see us play 9 games, though.

Plus 1.

[HogWall Jackson]

King of the SEC, Bear Bryant for many years and other Power Brokers from the SEC controlled things by controlling their schedule for years. Example, Johnny Vaught and The Ole Miss Rebels were a Tough Outfit back in the 60s, Bear Bryant and Alabama rarely played those Ole Miss teams. Wally Butts from Georgia and The Bear controlled their destiny this way for years.

I say leave things the way they are. I am against the SEC Championship Game being played in Atlanta every year. It favors the East. New Orleans and Dallas should be considered, may be even Houston. Just some thoughts.

[RoyInSpringdale/MizzouFan]

I say leave things the way they are. I am against the SEC Championship Game being played in Atlanta every year. It favors the East. New Orleans and Dallas should be considered, may be even Houston. Just some thoughts.

I agree,,,playing in Atlanta has been a considerable advantage for Mizzou the last two years.

[online-with-swine]

I would have no problem with 3 permanent rivals and then alternate the next 6 every other year.  The only caveat would be making a schedule out for a couple rotations through the league and leaving it untouched.

Us vs LSU, Mizzou and Tamu every year then rotate the next 2 years between 6 other Sec teams.  For most of the SEC there would be 5 home games one year and then 4 the next.  The exceptions would be us vs AM at Dallas and Florida Georgia in Jacksonville.  We would have 4 home and a neutral site game each year.

[Locutus_of_Boar]

ESPN is driven by manufactured controversy in the short run and programming inventory in the long run.  They will always pedal the one division, 9 game schedule because it meets both these goals.  They care more about the 9 games though so they see stirring the one division argument as a negotiating tactic.

Ever greedy administrators know that the nine game schedule is coming but want to stall as long as possible to extract what concessions they can from TV in the process.  The one division is a part of that same argument, just another negotiating tool from their perspective as well.

With two teams winning trophies each year there is a slightly lower chance of any particular coach getting fired.  For example Mizzou's success these past two years is nearly completely a manufactured creation of the division system.  The coaches will never willingly vote for one division.

It's a mixed bag for fans.  The chief benefit is a faster rotation of rarely seen opponents weighed against possible loss of established rivalries inside the division.

Bottom line for Arkansas the chances f getting to the SECCG get better but the odds of winning the SEC go down.  That should be the goal of all Arkansas fans and of course is the stated objective of CBB.

 

[BigSexyHog]

9 conference games are stupid.  8 is enough 

[jabohog]

A short thread from the SEC forum.


http://www.hogville.net/yabbse/index.php?topic=592530.0

Thanks for the link. Seemed mostly pro division removal.

ESPN is driven by manufactured controversy in the short run and programming inventory in the long run.  They will always pedal the one division, 9 game schedule because it meets both these goals.  They care more about the 9 games though so they see stirring the one division argument as a negotiating tactic.

Ever greedy administrators know that the nine game schedule is coming but want to stall as long as possible to extract what concessions they can from TV in the process.  The one division is a part of that same argument, just another negotiating tool from their perspective as well.

With two teams winning trophies each year there is a slightly lower chance of any particular coach getting fired.  For example Mizzou's success these past two years is nearly completely a manufactured creation of the division system.  The coaches will never willingly vote for one division.

It's a mixed bag for fans.  The chief benefit is a faster rotation of rarely seen opponents weighed against possible loss of established rivalries inside the division.

Bottom line for Arkansas the chances f getting to the SECCG get better but the odds of winning the SEC go down.  That should be the goal of all Arkansas fans and of course is the stated objective of CBB. 

Amen to the ESPN manufactured controversy. We reached the SECCG three times( 1995, 2002, 2006) and was destroyed in the first two. Should have won the third IMO, so your opinion of getting there seems about right. I also agree on every fans goal being to win the SECCG.

I like the divisions and the SECCG.  Good or bad, they make competition inside the conference more exciting and that have something to do with why the conference has improved so much since '92.  Unfortunately, they had to add more teams and mess it up.

I also really dislike any model where teams don't play every other team and there are no divisions.  It's one thing to win your division playing a soft schedule, but winning the entire conference with a soft schedule makes it less of an accomplishment.

I would like to see us play 9 games, though.

This is about the way I feel. No divisions would give the controlling teams in the SEC even more control. 9 games would put your team playing everyone in conference in a shorter time frame, which I think is how it should be.

[NaturalStateReb]

Did it help basketball?   I haven't seen it. 

I'd rather know a team earned it's way to the championship than having been selected by someone with ulterior motives.  If you think you could trust ESPN or the SEC head office to make the playing field level you haven't followed college sports very long.

Agreed.  I think it just made basketball schedules weird and didn't do a thing to improve bids to the NCAA.  The bid picture only improved when the SEC office demanded upgrades to basketball scheduling.

I wish they'd bring back the divisional format in basketball.

[online-with-swine]

Ideal would be adding 2 more teams and then going to pods with four teams in each.  But, that is another discussion.

[DeltaBoy]

We need to leave it alone.

[HamIAm]

We need to leave it alone.

Yes. I laugh every time I turn on a sports talk program and the host is discussing a sport that is riding the crest of popularity and they have ideas on how to fix the sport. This seems to fall into that category.

[thirrdegreetusker]

Wally Butts from Georgia and The Bear controlled their destiny this way for years.

Seems like I read that Hershel Walker spent three years at Geo, never played Bama.

[Lake City Hog]

We get screwed by the conference enough, no divisions?? Just another reason to "shuffle" the schedule again and try to imagine how that turns out for us.

Last year we open the season on the road at Auburn, this year the season opens with NO conference games. For 2015 only 5 teams have no back-to-back road conference games, 8 teams have 1 back-to-back road conference games and only 1 team has 2 back-to-back road conference games. Care to guess which team has 2??? Care to guess one of the teams with NONE?

Hint, both start with the letter A.

Eliminate divisions and somehow Bama will get road games to the "easiest" 4 teams and their tough games will be in Tuscaloosa. And it will be "just a
how it fell"!

[hoghiker]

We get screwed by the conference enough, no divisions?? Just another reason to "shuffle" the schedule again and try to imagine how that turns out for us.

Last year we open the season on the road at Auburn, this year the season opens with NO conference games. For 2015 only 5 teams have no back-to-back road conference games, 8 teams have 1 back-to-back road conference games and only 1 team has 2 back-to-back road conference games. Care to guess which team has 2??? Care to guess one of the teams with NONE?

Hint, both start with the letter A.

Eliminate divisions and somehow Bama will get road games to the "easiest" 4 teams and their tough games will be in Tuscaloosa. And it will be "just a
how it fell"!

This. Nothing in this for Arkansas. Scheduling gerrymandering would be at full tilt boogie mostly learning toward the blue bloods of the SEC. Leave it alone.