From Playoffs to Drankin', Issues Abound at SEC Meetings

The SEC Spring Meeting is taking place in Destin, FL, this week. Football issues being discussed by coaches and presidents include a playoff to replace the BCS, an early signing period for recruits, a fifth year of eligibility for players, and a league-wide discipline policy for underage drinking (ok, that last one's pretty much unofficial). A look at what's been going on...

OF COURSE VANDY DOESN'T SEE THE NEED FOR A PLAYOFF ...

Apparently, the lines of support for a playoff system are drawn roughly on the success of the coaches. In full support of a playoff are Auburn's Tommy Tubberville (whose 2004 undefeated Tigers didn't win a national championship), and LSU's Les Miles (whose Tigers were among the hottest teams at the end of last season). Nick Saban, who surprisingly does have time for this [expletive], wants a playoff as long as it doesn't upset the bowl system. Joining Saban in support of the plus-one model are Houston Nutt and Phillip Fulmer, though all three of those coaches have some work to do before their teams get to a one, not to mention a plus-one. Ultra-uncontroversial Mark Richt and Florida's Urban Meyer have remained neutral on the issue; even though Florida's president, Bernie Machen, is the one who started all this talk to begin with.

Obstinately against a playoff are Rich Brooks, Ed Orgeron, and Sylvester Croom, whose teams are nowhere near needing to worry about a playoff. Steve Spurrier, who supported a playoff back when he was coaching Florida, gets that sentiment: "Right now, I'm at a school that doesn't need to worry about it, so whatever they decide is fine with me."

And then there's Vanderbilt and president Gordon Gee, who in a very Vanderbilt-y statement said "I am totally, unequivocally opposing [a playoff]." The Tennessean also reports that Gee wants to go back to "the old bowl system" and -- I'm just guessing now -- the year 1915, when Vandy was good at football.

There are some other issues on which the SEC coaches are finding more common ground, however.

IF 'IFS' WERE FIFTHS, WE'D ALL GET AN EXTRA YEAR OF ELIGIBILITY

Another proposal being discussed in Destin is an extra year of eligibility for football and basketball players, a possibility that the coaches are way, waayy excited about. Rich Brooks' argument in favor sounds a little like an endorsement for youth soccer: "With a fifth year, you don't have to strategize at all about redshirting and who you redshirt. Everybody can play." Less strategery! More playing! Pizza and ice cream after the game! Urban Meyer? "It just makes too much sense." TOO MUCH SENSE! But outside of coaches, not everyone agrees, and the conference presidents have rejected such a proposal before. Meyer again: "In the SEC, you get guys beat up. I'd love to see that proposal go through." You get guys beat up? Was that a threat, or an actual statement of what happens?

DO NOT WANT

One issue that SEC coaches have almost unanimously shot down this week: an early singing period for recruiting. Nine coaches were against the early signing (only Johnson, Miles, and Brooks were for), mostly citing the time that recruiting would take away from coaching during the season -- as if these guys aren't already doing both.

Also, Dawgpost.com asked around the meetings and found that nobody wants a league-mandated disciple discipline policy. The question came from the dismissal of Georgia linebacker Akeem Hebron, as per UGA policy, following his second charge of underage drinking this spring. SEC commissioner Mike Slive said the conference has no place mandating those kind of rules. I'll drink to that.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

5-31-2007 @ 6:48PM

Acid Reign said...

.....Early signing periods would only mean less opportunities for prospects. Once you sign, it's a done deal, or else you go to junior college. The school, of course, can cut you loose at a whim.

.....College drinking policies: that's a tough deal. There was SO much alcohol around when I was in school... I think that most college kids are going to at least try it. And some, including athletes, are going to screw up and embarrass themselves and the university. A league-wide policy is only going to encourage have-nots to play cover-up!

.....Best thing I've heard all spring on the rules, is the dropping of the idiot clock rules instituted last year. Good riddance. How many of you paid $50 a ticket to watch three minutes of knee-taking at the end of games?

.....Now as to a "disciple policy," if it would keep those Campus Crusaders from knocking at my door, I'm all for it.

5-31-2007 @ 8:04PM

Andy Katzer said...

Good points.

And disciple, discipline, who's counting? (damn spellcheck... )

5-31-2007 @ 9:56PM

Carmen said...

I'm all for a play-off system. Bring it on!

5-31-2007 @ 9:57PM

If we're going to pick on Andy's spelling, what's this about an early "singing" period? (damn spellcheck) That's okay, it happens to all of us.

5-31-2007 @ 11:09PM

.....I'm as guilty as anyone of malformed posts. That disciple joke popped into my head like bad standup, and I had a moment of weakness...

.....Hey, we got a quality post on the Auburn blog. I shouldn't complain!

6-01-2007 @ 10:26PM

Results of SEC meetings:

No to playoff.
No 5th year eligibility.
No early signing period.

No progress. (Not that I think the early signing period is a good idea)

6-02-2007 @ 11:15AM

bncafego said...

Why is everyone so dismissive about returning to the old pre-BCS bowl system? Short of an eight team playoff, is there anything better? So we occasionally will have two co-champions, a little ambiguity is a good thing. I miss the SEC champ playing in the Sugar Bowl. I miss when the New Year’s Day bowl games actually were important. I miss when the ultimate goal was to win the SEC, everything else is still mythical. As the bard said, “Striving for better, we oft mar what is best.”

6-02-2007 @ 12:14PM

Gary L. said...

I'm all for a national playoff, BUT from the proposal I read, it seems that the 'good ol' boys' we call university presidents will profit most. The proposal I read called for the formation of a LLC corporation by the presidents, and the game would not be connected with the NCAA...

I AM OPPOSED TO THE PROPOSAL I READ...THIS IS COLLEGE FOOTBALL!

YES, to a structured, much needed NCAA supported national playoff!
NO, to a LLC corporation of university presidents using my tax dollars and students tuition!

6-02-2007 @ 12:41PM

shane said...

every sport has a playoff system. except college football. it can be done, and still retain value to the bowl system. its not being done because the blue hairs are just that "blue hairs" let the book burning begin.

6-03-2007 @ 6:06PM

.....The SEC champion still does play in the Sugar Bowl, a lot. If not for a Trojan choke, it would have happened again last year. Generally, now the non-title games follow the old alignments. Big 12 to the Orange, SEC to the Sugar, Big Ten and PAC Ten to the Rose, etc.

.....Since the Rose was added, the SEC champ has played in the Sugar Bowl (2002-2006) every year, except 2006. And LSU DID have the look of an SEC champion against Notre Dame... The BCS has been played out for 12 years, and the SEC has had a team in the Sugar Bowl 8 times.

.....And don't tell me New Year's Day isn't important. It has to be important to get me out of bed with a pounding head and 4 hours of sleep to watch those Bowls! Auburn's played on New Year's Eve or later every year since 1999. Tuberville has put together a bowl appearance string that's only two bowls short of Dye's nine in a row for the all-time Auburn record.

.....The old bowl system was more unfair than the BCS. What happened to Auburn in 2004 was unfortunate, but that was a strange year with 5 unbeaten teams headed to the bowls. 1983 was worse. The top three teams in the nation went to three different bowls. A one loss/one tie team (who played two bowl teams) leapfrogged a one loss team (who played nine bowl teams). Auburn was ROBBED in '83.

.....In 2004, we lost out to Oklahoma due to playing the Citadel, and less than impressive showings at crunch time. Had we been able to run it up against Bama and Tennessee, we might have supplanted Oklahoma. Instead, two teams with third-team QBs gave us fits, and we lost ground.

6-04-2007 @ 3:43PM

chris said...

Andy:

There is not going to be a playoff system in D-1 college football in the forseeable future. It is always about the money. Right now the bowl money goes to the conferences. If there was a playoff the money would go through the NCAA.

The conferences will never allow control of the money to go to the NCAA. Hence, no playoff.

6-10-2007 @ 5:08AM

WesCrimson said...

It would be great to have some limited championship playoff in college football. It may come in baby steps, by first adding a "play- in" game to the national championship game, then maybe a four team playoff will come later. The BCS should be able to pick the top 3 or 4 teams in the nation and there is no need to involve the NCAA or split the money with them or any teams other than the participants in the BCS playoff and possibly their other showcase bowl games. Whatever is done should be done through the existing Bowl system.

An additional limitation that needs to be instituted is that as long as the play-off is under 8 teams, only one team per BCS conference or the Independents/Non BCS conferences as a separate group can participate in the play-off. There should no repeat of the 2007 Championship game where many just thought it ought to be the Big Ten championship game and national championship combined. It is already unfair that all BCS conferences do not have championship games ( B10 and P10).

6-09-2007 @ 12:49AM

.....I would have to agree, Wes. That fine logic, and probably the best post-season idea I've heard in a while. You should be a university prez.

.....The NCAA has no clue. Were your proposal to pass, they'd probably sue again, like they did against the CFA. Which, ironically, would cement the validity of the idea.

6-10-2007 @ 7:18PM

.....Ok, that's weird. My post was in response to the one by WesCrimson. I knew this computer I have is powerful, but I didn't know it had Deja-vu powers!