Les Miles wants divisional records to decide divisional champs

[jbourque]

Makes sense to me, especially if you are playing a tougher non-conference schedule.

As John has noted before, the SEC still hasn’t decided on whether to adopt an eight or nine-game conference schedule for 2013 and beyond. It doesn’t appear the conference will make any decisions before league meetings in Destin, Fla., at the end of this month, either.
Still, that didn’t stop LSU coach Les Miles from showing his support for an idea originally proposed by South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier: to count only divisional records when deciding SEC East and West champions, not overall conference records.

Les Miles wants divisional records to decide divisional champs | CollegeFootballTalk

[VVextreme]

I have a mixed opinion on this. It almost seems like darned if you do, darned if you don't. The fact that we have expanded to 7 teams on each side makes it even more complicated. If the BCS has taught us anything, it's that the virtually impossible WILL happen at the most inconvenient times.

Pro's -
1.) With the wider pool of selection, you know eventually team A will have an East schedule that features Vandy, Kentucky and Mizzou while team B has to play Florida, Georgia and USC. Now how the heck would THAT be fair? We have to play Florida every single year, so I see why Les Miles wants this.

2.) Counting only Division appointments ensures that you are comparing apples to apples.

Con's:
1.) It basically means that half of your conference schedule no longer means a DARN thing, especially going to a plus-one BCS championship playoff. *yawn* That also translates into lost viewers. Do you really wanna watch that LSU Kentucky game if you're an Alabama fan praying for LSU to lose because you no longer need that extra win?

2.) You just know that at some point a one-loss LSU team would lose out to a four/five loss Alabama team that lost a couple of OOC games and ALL of their East games, but went undefeated in the West in a squeeker of a loss at Alabama.

Conclusion: I think you are better off counting more of your schedule than less just from a conference perspective. Yes, there will be years you send a Georgia to Atlanta over USC... but I think the conference as a whole wins as it is more likely that you will send the highest ranked team to Atlanta.

The best answer is probably somewhere in the middle though. I'd like to see the entire schedule count, but some way to slightly discount Eastern conference wins over Western conference wins. Perhaps have the East count as half a game? But then again, overly complicated alienates drunken fans. This is where having a mega-conference in football starts becoming a problem given the small amount of games actually played.

I know conference championships don't appear to mean a whole lot given our string of BCS championships, but eventually sometime in 2318 the SEC won't be competing for the national championship and the conference championship will mean everything!

[44slayer]

You can go 0-6 against your division in the NFL and still win the division.

I dont see whats wrong with the SEC the way it is. Its so far and away the best conference in the country. Dont mess with a good thing.

[VVextreme]

Originally Posted by 44slayer

You can go 0-6 against your division in the NFL and still win the division.

I dont see whats wrong with the SEC the way it is. Its so far and away the best conference in the country. Dont mess with a good thing.

Well the thing is, we've already messed with it...

The only question left is how do we maximize it?

(And how can you go 0-6 and still win your Division? I would have to think you'd at least have to win a single game somewhere in that Division?)

An 8 game conference schedule will help reduce the magnitude of the non-divisional variances on your comparable SOS, but the future of the conferences seems to be towards 9-game schedules.

Unfairness is GOING to happen and teams are GOING to get hosed. A game you might win on a neutral site or home site, could easily be lost at their homefield.

I'm with you though, I'd lean on the side of caution and only make minor adjustments.

[44slayer]

You go 0-6 in the division, and win the other 10, you are 10-6. The 2nd place team could win all 6 and go 3-4 outside and finish 9-7. 0-6 in division games, and they would win the division and the playoff spot while the team undefeated in division could end up staying home.

As far as unfairness, if thats what your goal is, you will never attain it. We played a North Carolina team to open up the season with half their team suspended. Lets say those players came back and beat Alabama by 3 - is that a fair judgment of LSU and Alabama in a common opponent scenario? The key to the entire CFB is timing, win or lose at the right time and you are golden. Alabama won the national title because they lost at the right time while other teams didnt win at the right one, and also with some help from Les Miles. Could OSU have beaten Bama or LSU? They could have found out if they lost and/or won at the right time. I mean you can dig all you want but youll never get rid of variables that make a college football season. Youve got weather, injuries, hurricanes, etc.

I just worry that theyll go too far in trying to find a balance that it will ruin what has otherwise been a great sport and conference. Im all for minor tweaks, but just deal with the fact that you cannot iron out variables all day long.

[VVextreme]

Originally Posted by 44slayer

You go 0-6 in the division, and win the other 10, you are 10-6. The 2nd place team could win all 6 and go 3-4 outside and finish 9-7. 0-6 in division games, and they would win the division and the playoff spot while the team undefeated in division could end up staying home.

As far as unfairness, if thats what your goal is, you will never attain it. We played a North Carolina team to open up the season with half their team suspended. Lets say those players came back and beat Alabama by 3 - is that a fair judgment of LSU and Alabama in a common opponent scenario? The key to the entire CFB is timing, win or lose at the right time and you are golden. Alabama won the national title because they lost at the right time while other teams didnt win at the right one, and also with some help from Les Miles. Could OSU have beaten Bama or LSU? They could have found out if they lost and/or won at the right time. I mean you can dig all you want but youll never get rid of variables that make a college football season. Youve got weather, injuries, hurricanes, etc.

I just worry that theyll go too far in trying to find a balance that it will ruin what has otherwise been a great sport and conference. Im all for minor tweaks, but just deal with the fact that you cannot iron out variables all day long.

I've already accepted the fact that "fairness" is impossible, but that seems to be the goal of fans everywhere and so I discussed it. However I do think you should try to level the playing field as much as possible in conference play to keep it interesting.

I agree with you though ultimately. I prefer small tweaks, but adding two teams just made massive changes rather quickly. I mean, the fact that we even have to pretend about Mizzou to begin with, is just enormous!

But although what's best for Les Miles is not what's best for the SEC here.

[MLU]

Les is just trying to be the first 3-loss BCS Champ...

[JimEverett]

if we went that route I would like to see that if there is a 3-way tie the very first tiebreaker is overall conference record. That would make sure there is at least some importance in all conference games for getting to Atlanta.