Phil Steele breaks down the SEC schedules for this season here. His South Carolina analysis tells us something we already knew.
South Carolina-Head coach Steve Spurrier has been quick to note that the Gamecocks have the best record against their SEC East competitors over the past 2 years but have failed to make it to Atlanta due to the uneven crossover division schedules. This year that all changes as the Gamecocks avoid all 3 of the best teams in the SEC West, but they do open up with B2B games against North Carolina and a road trip to Georgia. They do get an all-important bye prior to a home game against Florida and then also get in-state rival Clemson at home in the finale.
Hopefully, Spurrier will be honest enough to admit things broke his way this year when the scheduling questions come flying at SEC Media Days.
Miles will probably still be grumbling, because LSU pulls Florida and Georgia, while Alabama manages to dodge the big three in the East again while drawing Tennessee and Kentucky. But the folks who really have grounds to complain are at Arkansas.
The Hogs play Florida and South Carolina from the SEC East in back-to-back weeks and those two games are sandwiched between Texas A&M and Alabama, which gives them arguably the toughest 4-game stretch of any team in the country for 2013.
Arguably? I’d hate to see who’s got it worse than that.
Get The Picture 
Paul Johnson would like a “word.”
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Arguably indeed. As a fan, I’d love to see us play those four teams in a season. But all four in a row? That’s tough. They’re going to find out what their guys are made of, that’s for sure.
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I think the schedule talk about SEC teams has been much ado about nothing. Are there variable strengths of schedules from year to year? Of course, none of which can be foreseen. But the bottomline is there is no “cheap” way to win an SEC title, all teams have to play 8 conference games then face the winner of the other division. It is earned, end of story. STFU Spurrier, your whining made you look like the village idiot.
Schedules do indeed help, or hurt, teams every year. That happens to some degree in every conference, but the SEC should never accuse each other of having an easy path. Either man up, or retire Stevie. Some athletes play to long and damage their legacy, SOS has stayed to the point where he has begun to lose his manhood by whining and selling his integrity. Stupid statements after stupid statements every year now from him.
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Last year Spurrier knew he had Lattimore and Clowney together for the last time. Proposing to change the weight out of division games were accorded, in combination with his assumption that Fl. and Tenn. would be down (wrong in the case of Fl.) and that Ga would be his chief competition in the East, was nothing more than a calculated gamble that this was USC’s best chance to get to the SEC championship game before he called it a day.
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His whining made him look like the village idiot to us, but it unfortunately defined the Narrative for the Bulldogs for the entire season, at least until we went toe-to-toe with Bama.
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Bingo.
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So, Mac…how do you feel about Spurrier?…
Hah. I agree with everything you typed. I think Spurrier’s classless comments about Clemson (concerning the Lattimore situation) cost him a lot more than first imagined. When he speaks, people will now consider the source as less admirable than before.
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That does it! You’ll never golf with Steve again
http://coachingsearch.com/bio/2161-steve-spurrier-not-up-for-grinding-says-its-golf-season.html
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You are probably right, and I won’t care. Steve and I have played a lot of golf together, and I respected him despite his love of going all out to beat the Dawgs. He was a better person than many UGA fans gave him credit for because they were blinded by his obsession and taunting, I defended him many times. But his changes at SC have turned him, imo. He is no longer deserving of defending because he has sold the character and integrity I once found in his actions. Steve is a smaller man than he was 7 years ago, I wish he had walked away from the game and kept his reputation in tact. The changes go way beyond the pathetic whining about the schedule differences. So no, I doubt we play golf, break bread, or tip one together ever again. And I am fine with that, my standards haven’t dipped to that level.
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That my friend is really going to harsh the mellow of Steve*. You should know that his reptilian rooster brain is not wired to forgive and forget so I guess you’ve also ruled out sitting around the campfire singing Boys of Ol’ Florida with him.
*Never golfed with Steve but did rent a room from the Florida Field’s “Heeeeeeeeeeeeeere come the Gators!” PA announcer in his not-so-***king-awesome house on outskirts of Duck Pond. Other house roomers were a journalism major who never met a Will Trane that he didn’t like and a charming lesbian couple who refused to change teams or even do a three-way. Other bad part: the shitters rarely worked because PA announcer too ***king cheap to call a plumber and tried to fix it himself. Good part: PA announcer disappeared himself and all his rowdy alcoholic friends to Ocala during Jai-Alai season.
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Please tell me you don’t think Spurrier will talk about how easy his schedule is, and to be fair to Georgia and Florida, he still thinks the East should be decided by East games only. I can’t wait to hear what crybaby excuse he trots out at media days, his newest weak quips, and the lame reason they’ll point to when they fail to reach Atlanta, again (unless we’re talking about the Peach Bowl).
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You know, Mr. Sanchez..as much as I disdain him, I’m going over to Spurrier’s side on this for this year…as a trial. I think CMR should endorse the idea, even if it is a year late.
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Welcome to the SEC Bielima… 🙂
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I wrote the same thing in response to one of the Senator’s posts when Bielema got hired. Looked at that schedule, and didn’t see a whole lot of Minnesota or Indiana in the mix. He’s gonna feel like the pig at a pit barbeque this season.
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Upon learning today of the brutal trifecta +1, Bret Bielema alone decides to call his platoon of one to order to tell Jeff he’s got a bad feeling about this one (and he wants to take a couple of days leave because Mississippi State wants to interview him). Jeff denies leave but gives him a $275,000 pay raise to take the pain away.
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Completely off topic, but was watching a show called “Suburgatory” last night with the wife and they trotted out a great little line that made me laugh. A brother and sister on the show were discussing college choices of the brother (who’s character is not very bright) and his girlfriend (who is very bright) and here was the sister’s response:
“Tessa’s going to attend a school that values a curious mind, creativity, hard work, intellect, whereas you’re most likely going to attend the University of Florida.” – Lisa
See, even Hollywood hates the gayturds.
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Also this:
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Hmm, let me try this again …
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Outstanding! As a fan of Family Guy, I can’t believe I’ve never seen this.
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“If there’s one thing that’s worse than chlamydia, it’s Florida.”
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Still awesome…
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+1.
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There’s a reason the old Tim Allen movie, “Big Trouble”, is a personal favorite.
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Don’t leave ’em hanging!……..Mr. Sanchez.
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We watch Suburgatory every week and have since the beginning. The brother is Ryan Shea who is the captain and star of the football team. From the first time since he appeared on the show, I told my wife that the actor playing Ryan Shea could be Tim Tebow’s brother.
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm1990570240/nm2875233
Given that bit of dialogue and his character story, I don’t think I am the only one.
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