South Carolina figures that while the SEC is busy refashioning the conference’s scheduling parameters, it might as well address the crime of the decade.
The newly expanded SEC has some major issues to sort out with the additions of Texas A&M and Missouri.
That’s helped spur University of South Carolina board of trustee member Chuck Allen to express an interesting change to athletic director Eric Hyman.
In an official letter sent from Allen to Hyman on Wednesday, Allen proposed an amendment to the SEC rules: “For the purposes of football division rankings, intra-division games shall be valued as a whole (1.0) game and inter-divisional games shall be valued as a half (0.5) game.”
Yeah, we can’t validate teams which lose less conference games than any other in the division. It ain’t right. Particularly when South Carolina’s got to play two toughies from the West this season.
In 2012, USC gets powerhouses LSU and Arkansas while Georgia plays Ole Miss and Auburn, something Allen called the “luck of the draw.”
“This (proposal) takes the randomness out of the non-divisional schedule,” Allen said Wednesday. “It doesn’t eliminate it, but it does reduce it. It just seems fair that the team that won all its division games would be the division champ.”
The AD actually intends on trucking this to the next conference meeting.
… He said Hyman plans on taking Allen’s proposal to the next SEC meeting.
“When I talked to him his response to me was that he never contemplated it and so he said, ‘Yes, it sounds like a good idea. If you’ll put it in writing, I’ll use it as a vehicle and take it to the conference meeting and we’ll introduce the proposal, argue for it and see what we can do,’” Allen said.
I doubt this goes anywhere, but if it did somehow pass, you know what would serve Allen right? That would be for the ‘Cocks to sweep their two Western games and lose the division to Georgia because of a worse Eastern record. Now there’s some fairness that would make heads explode.
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UPDATE: The SEC essentially tells Allen to piss off.
“The philosophy of the league has always been that all conference games are weighted the same,” associate commissioner Charles Bloom told The State via email.
“Intra-divisional games are taken into account differently in tie-breakers for divisional spots in the championship game. I am not aware of those items being on the table for discussion.”
Also, this.
USC VS. THE SEC
How the Gamecocks have done against SEC teams since joining the conference:
EAST W L T Florida 3 17 0 Georgia 7 13 0 Kentucky 14 6 0 Tennessee 5 15 0 Vanderbilt 16 4 0
WEST W L T Alabama 3 5 0 Arkansas 7 13 0 Auburn 0 6 0 LSU 1 4 1 Mississippi 2 4 0 Miss. State 8 6 0
You can understand why this hasn’t come up as an issue before.
Get The Picture 
That dadgum Karma…
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Carolina has such a hard-on for Georgia that it’s starting to affect the oxygen flow to their brains.
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Suck it, Cocks!
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And when SC’s schedule with the west lightens up, we can expect them to propose to eliminate this amendment (if it ever passes – which it won’t).
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Hey wait – they can’t change the rules – I mean it’s not like their bama!
Seriously tho, thanks for putting that early morning shit-eating grin on my face Senator. I’m with Spike – no whinny babies please…
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Eric Hyman gets his first acting gig as Adam Sandler’s son in Big Daddy.
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Of course with the new additions to the conference the division schedule seems to be just as much luck of the draw as anything else. I know those Bama fans will be pissed about how far east they have to travel to get to Missouri. Rolllllll Circumnavigation Tide!
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Since when did Arkansas become a powerhouse?
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Since McFadden finished 2nd twice for the Heisman, allowing the Four-Letter to talk over and over and over and over and over about it. Toss in a couple of better than average qb’s (one drafted by the Pats) and blamo! – powerhouse.
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Still historically they are a weaker permanent opponent for USCe than Auburn is for UGA. Advantage: Cocks over time.
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What a seething mob of bitches SC fans are.
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+ 0.5 (because under the Hyman Revised Scoring System, patent pending, trenchant observations about the Gamechikins by people more than 5 miles outside the city limits of Columbia don’t really count for much. Or as much.)
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Well done.
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Screw South Carolina. You never heard them chirping about this inequity when Georgia played the tougher Western division schedule and South Carolina had the pillowfight, because their team was too shitty too take advantage of the situation. Life’s tough sometimes, Gamecocks. Meanwhile, you’re new money in a conference with teams with deep trophy cases. And, really, all you’ve done is win one division title.
Mark Richt, you need to beat the stuffing out of these guys this fall.
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And kick their ass up around their chin as well.
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I don’t agree with the proposed change, but we should admit that we probably owe our division title to scheduling. I mean, that’s hard to deny.
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Eh, South Carolina played Arkansas. That’s the only scheduling difference. I’m not convinced Arkansas was any better than Georgia last year, and if South Carolina had beaten a very average Auburn team (that Georgia beat by 38), they’d have won the division. There’s nobody to blame but themselves. It’s not like they had Florida’s schedule.
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BUT IT AINT FAIRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!
sheesh. I guess whatever kind of Chikins they have in Columbia, none of them have any nuggets, if you get my drift. Maybe Spurrier can get the name of a jeweler from Paul Johnson and have some rings made to commemorate the glorious 2011 season. Any word on if Eric Hyman is planning on hanging a banner proclaiming S Carolina the 2011 SEC East CHAMPIONS under the Hyman Revised Scoring System?
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‘Hyman Scoring System’ there’s a joke in there somewhere?
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At the very least, there’s a lexicon entry a-brewing pending the outcome of this ridiculousness.
I’ve said it before. I’ll say it again…
Gamepenises, no one is listeneing.
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You can start with his nickname. It’s “Buster”.
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does one receive extra points for penetration under the HRSS? I’m just asking.
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I’m convinced Arkansas was better than UGA last year. They beat everyone on their schedule except the two teams that played for the BCS National Title. UGA won the East primarily due to scheduling. To say otherwise is blind homerism.
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No, it isn’t. Arkansas may have been marginally better than Georgia, but just because they beat South Carolina and won their bowl game is not enough to convince me they would have beaten Georgia head to head.
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RIGHT, Ark lost to LSU and beat Vandy by about the same score/difficulty we did and we played them to the wire just a year earlier when we were far weaker.
I think they were both very similar last year.
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Didn’t Ark have to come fom behind to beat Vandy?
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I’m thinking a Vandy FG bounced off the upright to seal the victory for Arkansas or to send the game to OT.
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Vandy missed a game-tying field goal, yes. They also fumbled inside the five when they were about to go up by 15 early in the fourth quarter. A fumble that Arkansas returned 94 yards for a TD, giving them a chance to win. It was your standard game where Vandy snatches defeat from the jaws of victory.
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Bull stuff! the only thing I would admit is that we beat the stuffing out of Auburn, and South Carolina didn’t. That is why Carolina didn’t win our division.
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Poor Eric Hyman. Everybody, and I mean everybody, in South Carolina thinks he’s a pussy because of the new schedule. He’s probably ready to dance to anything.
Chuck Allen is on the board of trustees for the entire university, and he’s got time to write letters about football scheduling. Good priorities there Chuck.
I’m heading over to Garnet and Black and throw a few dog turds in their sandbox if they bring this up. The most delusional aspect of the proposal is the implicit idea that there’s a long term power shift in the SEC East, and South Carolina will be the perennial king.
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“The most delusional aspect of the proposal is the implicit idea that there’s a long term power shift in the SEC East, and South Carolina will be the perennial king.”
Seriously. People who have never won a conference championship should go to these meetings and just sit and say nothing. Just nod your head in agreement and be happy to be at the dinner table. As soon as you win a conference title, you’ll be allowed to speak at meetings.
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why stop there, Chikin fans? Why not make a ROAD non-division game worth only .437 of a division game? Why not take into account the mileage from Columbia (but ONLY from Columbia)? Therefore, when South Carolina plays at Texas A&M, the mileage deduction will only make their loss worth .139 of a division game.
Heck, why stop at wins and losses? If S Carolina gives up a fluke touchdown, because, you know, someone like David Pollack from UGA made a lucky play, why should they get docked 6 points? That’s worth 2 points at most. And if someone from S Carolina make “A AWESOME G*&#@MN PLAY” to score, why not reward the awesome with, say, 9 points? If it’s a fluke on the road, less points to the fluke recipient, because, well, you know, THEY GOT THE HOME CROWD AND IT AINT FAIR TO THE COCKS!!!!! If’s it Chikin AWESOME on the road, more points to the Chikins, because, well, you know, WE GOT TO OVERCOME ALL THAT ROAD CROWD STUFF!!!!!
None of this would apply to any UGA games, of course, because, well, you know, SPURRIER OWNS UGA!!!!!!!
I guess it’s true what they say about Chikens not being able to do simple math. The team with the most points when the game is over wins the game. The team with the most conference wins when the season is over wins the division. The team that wins the SEC title game wins the SEC.
whew. I bet if you gave these geniuses a litlle time to adjust their formula, S Carolina could lay claim to the 2010 SEC title because, you know, THEY REALLY BEAT AUBURN WHEN YOU MAKE IT FAIR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Passion + Truth + Humour = A Premium Blogging Read. Thumbs up for the emotional screed.
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+1. I wish that I could wipe that from my memory so that I could read it all over again and enjoy it just the same.
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Just a reminder Dear Cocks, our Western Division rival (Auburn) has three undefeated seasons since USC joined the conference.
vs.
Your Western rival, Arkansas, which has a conference record around the 50% mark since joining the SEC.
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This was Arkansas last season: They were uncompetitive in blowout losses to Alabama and LSU, should’ve lost to aTm, should’ve lost to Vanderbilt, and spotted Ole Miss a 17-0 lead. They also trucked Auburn and, of course, South Carolina.
That’s the only difference between our schedule and South Carolina’s. (I like how the writer brings up that we didn’t play LSU or Bama, like USC did or something.) Just Arkansas. Whoop-de-damn-doo. Beat Auburn next time, Cocks.
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no, UGA didnt “not play Arkansas,” UGA “avoided” Arkansas, according to the quote. You know, like we manipulated the time-space continuum to dodge them 20 years ago when permanant cross-division rivals were set up, because UGA knew that Arkansas would be an awesome powerhouse in 2011. Plus, we snatched AU as UGA’s cross-division team, because we knew how bad they’d suck all these years. The fact that they’ve gone undefeated 3 times since then and won a national title and two more SEC championships than Arkansas in that time is really just beside the point, which is SOUTH CAROLINA GOT HOSED BY UGA IN 2011.
Dont worry, Chikins. I hear Michael Moore is about to make a documentary hailing your 2011 championship season. Mazel tov!
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Chicken fans are just not qualified to talk CFB, they lack a pedigree to ever be listened to. Arky is NOT a powerhouse by any definition. You want to say they were better than Auburn this past year, fine, but they have like SC they have NEVER won as SEC, and rarely made it to Atlanta. When they did, they filed badly. This is a really bad argument by SC, but what is surprising about that?
Frankly, I think Arky was lucky to avoid UGA in 2011. They had already lost to the two best defenses in the country, what is illogical about expecting them to lose to the 3rd best defense? As for SC, they got manhandled in the game in Athens and even with the gift of 24 points, only managed to win by 3 in a game their HC said they were very lucky. Even Vandy and KY turn up some decent teams occasionally so SC and Arky shouldn’t get too full of themselves.
With A&M and Mizzou, they probably fear not even being in the Top 8 in the conference because they had never cracked the Top 6 before. As badly as I hate Auburn for their cheating ways, they are a tougher opponent than the Cocks almost every year. Looks like SC got the easier part of designated rival scheduling to me. They should STFU.
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Envy much, Mr. Allen?
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Do these morons not realize that they too will benefit from the schedule at some point too and that this could actually cost them a championship? It’s as if they already know that 2012 might be their last shot at a SECCG berth for a long time after losing Lattimore and are going “all-in” to make it happen. Let the chips fall where they may for decades to come. It’s all about this year…the here and now.
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Just got back from lunch and was listening to 790 the zone in the car. Mr. College Football (talk about egotistical) and the Tech homer were actually entertaining this idea as logical and acted like it should gain traction. Really, Tony? I can expect that out of a Tech man, but I figured Mr. College Football himself would know better. I’m glad they told USC to piss off, what a freaking joke.
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Since when does anybody in South Carolina, a half-Cocked state with a long history of backwardness, know how to do fractions?
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+1
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If we’re going to talk history, let’s not forget that Georgia is a penal colony.
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“a penal colony.”
coming from a Cock I can’t tell if that’s an insult or a compliment…
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Oh, give me a break, people. Although undoubtedly motivated by resentment, this isn’t a bad idea. The scheduling system, as currently conceived, contains a built-in element of bias towards teams that get an easier inter-divisional draw. This idea would eliminate some of that by tying division standards to common, shared opponents. That’s more fair. Next time UGA suffers from an unduly difficult schedule, which it has in the past, you’ll all agree.
Remember last summer when I joined the anti-oversigning crusade, despite the fact that oversigning benefits USC? It is possible to be a fan and to think about these kinds of issues in a non-partisan fashion. Don’t be such blind homers.
Also, those of you who think Georgia was as good as Arkansas this year–please.
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this is a sterling example of Chikin Logic (sic). Nothing more need be said, save for this: ahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahaha
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And the next time S. Car. beats Alabama, you’ll regret it. 😉
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Well played, Senator.
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Do you have any examples of other sports that count losses outside of the division less than losses within the division?
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Gamecock, your rationalization is so wrong, and so transparently homer, I don’t know where to start. This is a terrible idea, just terrible, borne of the one season in which your team suffered a so called injustice. You coulda beat Auburn pal. It wasn’t that hard.
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+1000
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gamecock man, IF THAT’S EVEN YOUR REAL NAME, calling us homers because we are mocking something as homerific as this proposal is laughable.
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“Also, those of you who think Georgia was as good as Arkansas this year–please.”
The two aren’t that un-comparable.
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“Next time UGA suffers from an unduly difficult schedule, which it has in the past, you’ll all agree.”
I recall after Georgia played LSU and Florida back-to-back in ’08, and absolutely shat the bed in Jacksonville, Bulldog blogosphere getting completely up in arms about….the unfair scheduling, totally in lieu of its own crummy play.
Except that actually didn’t happen.
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Let me preface this by saying that I don’t think South Carolina “won” the East this year. I’ve never argued that; the rules are the rules and UGA won fair and square.
That said, going back to 2008, UGA had no argument for being better than Florida that year. You got thumped by UF (don’t calling it shitting the bed; you got crushed by a better team), and you lost to GT. On the other hand, although UGA won the East this past year, USC did have an argument for being a better team, an argument built on a head-to-head victory on your home turf. Therefore, you’re analogy doesn’t hold up.
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That’s a different point. The scheduling idea is still homerism and terrible.
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gameycock – I’ve enjoyed some of your good reasoning and fair blogging manners in this arena before. I have no reason to differ with you now since I understand that you are on some humpin’ mj. Wanna swap seeds? I’ve chanced into some shitkickin’ stuff as well. While it has good red hairs and chrystals, I’m sure it can’t approach that prize dooby makin stuff you’re on today. What say, dooby bro?
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Ha! Well played.
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It’s just Genny Lite, if you must ask.
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Do you guys really all believe that scheduling is fair and square in the SEC? I ask that as a serious question.
Also, ridiculing my position because it comes off the heels of a year when the rule change would have helped us is pretty silly, considering that I don’t seem to recall any UGA fans complaining about oversigning until the West took over the SEC and USC won the East. UF and UGA didn’t seem to mind oversigning when they were winning the championships.
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Scheduling is ‘what goes around comes around.’ Ridiculing your position has no equivalence in oversigning. Your position is ridiculous because counting some games more than others is a terrible idea, and only homerism would support it.
Good trolling BTW. This is what I mean by a lively discussion.
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I don’t think there is any questioning that: SEC scheduling is indeed fair. It is fair because the rotation was never, ever tampered with to slant it one way or the other. So fair, yes. Is it equally balanced every year? Absolutely not, and there is no, zero, way to do such a thing. Which is why the argument from Cock fans is so absurd. Spurrier seems to be the only man among your group, he hasn’t whined about it. I mean, I lost an an “all in” pot with four fricking aces to a straight flush. That might suck, but it was fair, and you just have to suck it up.
As to your earlier question, I think UGA would have beat Arkansas this year. I don’t know if that means we were “better”, but I like the match-ups of our defense against their offense, and feel our offense would have scored plenty on their defense. As everyone has pointed out to you, they lost to both good defenses they faced, and were fortunate to win against Vandy, A&M, and even Old Miss. I think your viewpoint is distorted by the way they blasted you. Cannot take any one game and make and assumption like that. Arky was a good team, but very over rated, imo.
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Maybe they should change their mascot from the Gamecocks to the Gamec*nts. There’s more estrogen in this one proposal than in the entire Twilight series.
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Here’s what South Carolina is really saying:
“Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee dominated this division for years and held their own against the West. Now, Florida and Tennessee are down and Georgia has been re-building. The West is dominant now. It’s not fair that we have to play them and ruin our chances of gettin’ while the gettin’s good.”
Frankly, it sounds like a AAA high school complaining that they have to play a couple of AAAAA schools. Weak sauce.
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Cock: you are a pansy, we would never even think about this proposal let alone submit it.
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So, by this reasoning, getting your ass kicked by the western opponents doesn’t mean as much? So, if you lose the SECCG, its still only half as bad?
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