“… we should have about 60 or 70 teams that are in the NCAA super-welterweight or whatever-you-want-to-call-it division and every game that you play, you have to play against one of those 60 or 70 teams,” Saban said Saturday in an appearance at SEC Beach Fest. “If you lose a game – and for sure, if you lose two – and somebody else goes undefeated, even if they haven’t played the quality of teams that you have, they’re going to get in the game and you’re not. And I’m not sure that’s fair.”
At the heart of Saban’s irritation about the inconsistency of scheduling in the Football Bowl Subdivision is his desire that in a newly expanded 14-team SEC, all schools would get to play each other at least once in the careers of each of their players.
“The fact that we only play eight conference games and we increased the size of the league by 15 percent, I don’t think it’s fair to the players,” he said. “I think every player that comes through in the SEC ought to have the opportunity to play against every other school in the SEC – east or west.
“So I’m for playing more SEC games. If we’re going to do that and make it fair in terms of this four-team national championship playoff, then everybody ought to have to have the same quality of schedule that some of us do.”
Wishful thinking, or a roadmap for Mike Slive if the TV money from expansion is not where he wants it?
Get The Picture 
It’s an intriguing thought, but too the World should stop paying heed to Saban. I mean, given his roster practices why would he not be for loading up on a stiffer slate of games while fellow conference members manage their squads with more restraint?
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Say what you will about St. Nick, he knows his college football. Expand the conference, you should add a conference game–that’s so simple an equation even the Bammers get it. And canning the cupcakes would be fine with me. College football has had the best regular season in American sports, and the effort should be in increasing the value and interest of those games, not in decreasing them, which, unfortunately, is what the unholy combo of TV, realignment and NCAA foolishness is doing.
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Good post.
~~~
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He is right about playing more SEC games/teams, and he is right about the segregating the Top 64 (the four 16 team conference idea) and requiring all games to be between those schools. It solves so many problems: quality matchups, no more “true” cupcake games, allows better comparison of team strengths, can treat players differently from smaller programs with monthly allowances, and would allow four teams to earn their way into a playoff. I can give him credit when he is right while still feeling what he does with grayshirting/over signing is repulsive and should be addressed by both the SEC and NCAA.
I also want to say I heard an impressive interview with Big Game Bob yesterday on satellite radio where he gave his position on playing more quality OOC opponents (OU sets a good standard for this), and only redshirting players if they cannot compete at the college level. I have to admit the little smirk he has on his face so much of the time caused me to root against him but he deserves credit for his remarks when the college sports group visited Norman.
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I thought even with a puny sample size like our American history it has been clear that consolidation of Power is always a danger. It also is never generally good for consumer/viewer/man on the fringes.
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I don’t accept that as a truism at all. There are examples both ways bu that isn’t the relevant point here. Having teams/programs that have similar assets, goals, and strengths would have many benefits. The model is already there in the lower classifications, it is just D1 that has such a huge disparity from the top to bottom, all you are doing is adding another level. When we played Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl they had a recruiting budget of $50K, how are they comparable to a USC, OU, tosu, TX, or schools in the SEC? And they are powerful compared to the D1AA lambs that come into play top programs every year. It is a joke to allow that to continue.
If someone wants to take some the NCAA BB money, or BCS money and sprinkle it down to the D1AA schools to make up for some loss revenue, that would be fine with me (don’t think they will, but they will still be competing with programs their size so I don’t see the harm.) Programs that cannot be profitable should drop football and concentrate on sports that do not cost as much. The market will settle it out, just as it should. I don’t care if Ga State or Valdosta has a field house, 65 scholarship players, or a coach that makes $250K or not. Why should we feel obligated to keep them afloat?
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But let’s take it a little further and make the rules of recruitment and discipline punishments equal among those schools.
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Would Tech make the top 60? Guess they would right now. What about the Ga Southerns and Ga States of the world. How do they build/maintain a program if they can’t occasionally schedule the big guys?
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They would exist like other “minor” level programs and play their equals. The minor league baseball programs don’t try to compete with the major league teams, and many collegiate programs (Ivy league, D2 and D3 teams do not sacrifice themselves for a payday in Athens, Baton Rouge, Tusclaloosa, etc. Some of the !AA teams would miss a $400K check once a year but they will survive and not risk their players’ health. The boosters can step up with donations, and they will get another home game most years. Sometimes you just have to admit you don’t belong under the bright lights, everyone just can’t make it to the big time.
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Breaking the top 60 or 70 teams in CFB into their own separate division has to happen at some point. California, Texas and Florida could field their own conferences at this point with FBS programs. States like North Carolina, Michigan, Ohio and Georgia aren’t too far behind. If something doesn’t happen soon, the FBS division is going to have 10 East Carolinas, Central Michigans, and Toledos for every major state school.
I think it’s great that all those schools want to run an athletic department. But when your “upper division” is looking at 200+ teams within a decade, that’s a mess.
I would love to see more conference games. And if it means Georgia has to go play a team like Duke every other year instead of a rent-a-win at home, then that’s an acceptable price to pay in exchange.
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Amen.
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