The Absurdity of Auburn’s schedule

[jmcrosson 203]

After reading @StatTiger‘s post upon further review, it hit me how insanely difficult it is to run through Auburn’s schedule. Looking back at our locked in east rival, THUGA, it is conceivable to believe that they will be consistently good and in the SEC championship more than they’re not in the garbage east. 

What this means for us is that, more than likely, we will have to play a top 5-10 Georgia team, a top 1-10 Alabama team, and a top 5-10 Georgia team again. Even if it’s not Georgia, it will be another ranked eastern division champ (probably Florida, if history is an indicator). 

This is just November, to say nothing of if LSU returns to form. 

Should we make the playoffs, we will consistently have to beat - as we would have this year- a murderer’s row of top opponents that no other team in the country would have to face. The problem is that none of this will change moving forward. 

I think at the very least if we insist on keeping Georgia as a locked in rival, they should be moved to the front or middle of the schedule. It’s incredibly disheartening looking at this to see all that we have to overcome to even compete for a title. 

I’m interested to hear any other thoughts regarding this. 

[Farmer Brown 2,391]

I agree wholeheartedly. You should have to win your conference to get in, also. Saban is a hypocrite on that issue.

[SCTiger2011 1,277]

And then to top it off, next year has the murderers row BOTH ON THE ROAD, in addition to what would today be a #7 vs #11 matchup opening against Washington in Atlanta next year.  Yes, it's the gauntlet that so many love the SEC for, and what gives the conference so much respect, but I've always hated the Novembers since Mizzou and TAMU joined.  I hate those Novembers more now after it being confirmed about two hours ago that Auburn could be the best SEC team, be out of gas and lose an SEC championship, and have a team who played Tennessee and Vanderbilt coast right in.

[AUFlyer99 647]

Time to move to the ACC.  

[AUDynasty 585]

I agree that we need to move Georgia earlier, but I doubt they'd agree to it.

Next year we'll be facing the following teams: Washington, Texas A&M, LSU, and FOUR away games at Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Georgia, and Alabama. 

This is downright brutal and punishing. 

[Grumps 3,704]

I agree. It is virtually impossible for ANY team to play a top 4 team 3 times in 4 weeks (and twice in 2 weeks) when the last team you are playing only had two relatively easy weeks to prepare and heal. If UGA stays a good team (they have 31 seniors so I think they are one and done for a while) then our odds of making a playoff are REALLY slim unless we move UGA earlier in our schedule or play UAT a week earlier (but not the week after UGA. I breaks my heart that our guys had to play on fumes when we all know that we are better than UGA with adequate rest.

[gr82be 14,423]

4 minutes ago, jmcrosson said:

After reading @StatTiger‘s post upon further review, it hit me how insanely difficult it is to run through Auburn’s schedule. Looking back at our locked in east rival, THUGA, it is conceivable to believe that they will be consistently good and in the SEC championship more than they’re not in the garbage east. 

What this means for us is that, more than likely, we will have to play a top 5-10 Georgia team, a top 1-10 Alabama team, and a top 5-10 Georgia team again. Even if it’s not Georgia, it will be another ranked eastern division champ (probably Florida, if history is an indicator). 

This is just November, to say nothing of if LSU returns to form. 

Should we make the playoffs, we will consistently have to beat - as we would have this year- a murderer’s row of top opponents that no other team in the country would have to face. The problem is that none of this will change moving forward. 

I think at the very least if we insist on keeping Georgia as a locked in rival, they should be moved to the front or middle of the schedule. It’s incredibly disheartening looking at this to see all that we have to overcome to even compete for a title. 

I’m interested to hear any other thoughts regarding this. 

The conference championship is the fly in the ointment when you have rematches, specifically 3 weeks apart. I don't like that part of it but not sure what the answer is. I remember old Amen Corner and that was even tougher then. The only thing you can do is play your schedule. I would like to see Georgia moved up earlier in the season. One thing is for sure though. Auburn was part of the schools in the mix for the NC this year and the schedule we played was the reason why. 

[AUFlyer99 647]

The SEC Championship game was designed to have both teams playing on fumes.  The East isn't holding up their end of the bargain.  

 

That being said, if the UGA game can't be moved to a bit earlier in the year, I'd be petitioning the ACC as painful as that is.   The SEC is always going to be UAT and everyone else.  

[jAUSon 2,836]

Really. I'm pissed off at our schedule. The only team in the country that can't make it even when we're good enough. Move the UGa game. West to Uga to Bama to Seccg to Cfp game 1 to Cfp game 2? It's bullshart. When we watch the cfp's with an asterisk, because of all the teams in there with 1 tough game under their belt, some of whom actually lost that game.

[around4ever 4,139]

7 of our 14 games (including the bowl) have been against ranked teams in the final poll.  I challenge anybody to find another team with more than 4.  There may be one but I didn't find it.  We played 3 of the playoff teams in 4 games, splitting 2-2.  Nobody even comes close to that either.  War Eagle!!

[AUwent 3,747]

Starting to see why I’ve been saying a 9 game SEC schedule plus P5 OOC game is a bad idea?

We’ll have Alabama State, Liberty and Ole Miss next year. So that’s three cupcakes.

[bigbird 60,479]

I would turn that into my recruiting pitch. 

If you want to be the best you have to beat the best and no other team in the nation gives you the opportunity to display your talent against more top teams than Auburn.

#thescoutswatchallourgames

[weagl1 1,782]

To see the absurdity you just have to look at this year's playoff.  We played 3 of the final 4 and one of them twice.  So we played 4 games against the top 4.  And who was our last game last year?  The other one.  Yes, as bird says " the scouts watch all our games."  

[AuMarine 1,372]

Yep we play the tough schedule.. go on the road and play  non conference top ten teams at their place  (something Alabama refuses to do) 

[Newbomb 193]

I started to create my own thread but I saw this and decided to tag on my thoughts here.

1) The east is least.  Currently the SEC east is horribly down.  The problem being Georgia is on the rise.  Florida is a mess and just got a new coach.  Tennessee is a four alarm dumpster fire with no coach yet.  Missouri might be in an even worse situation their enrollment is so far down they rent our dorm rooms for football weekends.  Vandy is Vandy and Kentucky is a basketball school.  South Carolina is improving but still is far behind Georgia. 

2) Schedule/Rivalry week does us no favors turning the SEC championship into an automatic away game especially if it is against Georgia.  Georgia plays Georgia Tech;  South Carolina plays Clemson, Florida plays Florida State all have no SEC championship implications.  Meaning that the East is decided prior to the Game that continues to decide who goes from the West... The Iron Bowl.

2) a) I know that the SEC championship is supposed to be a neutral site game but the example that was shown to us this weekend showed at best 60/40 Georgia..

3) Schedule schedule schedule....  We turn Amen corner with Georgia, a directional school and Alabama.  If we win we get to go to an essentially an away game.  Georgia is loading up now after they play us each year the play a patsy and a rival that's a patsy.  

3) a) We saw an example of the road that we will face every year.  It appears Georgia will be a top 10/top 5 team every year when we face them.  Our last four games we #1, a patsy, #2 and #6.  Simply said we need the east to get better and give Georgia problems if we want to make it into the playoffs.

4) Schedule again...  We every other year we will play Georgia and Alabama on the road...

[WDE Matty 30]

1 hour ago, jmcrosson said:

After reading @StatTiger‘s post upon further review, it hit me how insanely difficult it is to run through Auburn’s schedule. Looking back at our locked in east rival, THUGA, it is conceivable to believe that they will be consistently good and in the SEC championship more than they’re not in the garbage east. 

What this means for us is that, more than likely, we will have to play a top 5-10 Georgia team, a top 1-10 Alabama team, and a top 5-10 Georgia team again. Even if it’s not Georgia, it will be another ranked eastern division champ (probably Florida, if history is an indicator). 

This is just November, to say nothing of if LSU returns to form. 

Should we make the playoffs, we will consistently have to beat - as we would have this year- a murderer’s row of top opponents that no other team in the country would have to face. The problem is that none of this will change moving forward. 

I think at the very least if we insist on keeping Georgia as a locked in rival, they should be moved to the front or middle of the schedule. It’s incredibly disheartening looking at this to see all that we have to overcome to even compete for a title. 

I’m interested to hear any other thoughts regarding this. 

Drop UGa. Fugg em. The friendly rivalry can die for all i care. Our schedule is hard enough 

[auskull 239]

2 hours ago, AUDynasty said:

I agree that we need to move Georgia earlier, but I doubt they'd agree to it.

Next year we'll be facing the following teams: Washington, Texas A&M, LSU, and FOUR away games at Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Georgia, and Alabama. 

This is downright brutal and punishing. 

A lot like amend corner when Dye was coach. We had terrific teams but never could go undefeated the last 4 games (TNN, Fla ST, UGA, and UAT) just royally brutal.

[Tiger 8,818]

I'd consider playing them in Athens again in 2019 just to avoid us having years where we go on the road to both.... Although we did see how advantageous it is to get them both at home, it reallllly makes it tough when they're both on the road

[chickendale 16]

No worries

just be patient boys

[miscram6 134]

For all of the problems that we have had with Jay Jacobs, I mostly fault him for allowing the home years of the UGA game to be moved to the same year as the Alabama game.  Sure, it is great on the home years.  But the away years are really tough (not to mention make for less favorable season ticket packages).  If we can't have that the way it used to be, then I agree with others in this thread, at least move the UGA game to earlier in the season. 

[alexava 6,973]

Played 3 of the four playoff teams going 2-2. We had to have played the strongest schedule in the Nation?

[AuMarine 1,372]

Take UGA off the permanent schedule and just let them rotate on and off like every other team in the east. OR we could trade and take bamas schedule in the east.. 

[WDE0007 166]

The only reason I don't want UGA at the beginning of the schedule is that it takes Gus the first 3-4 games every single season to figure out what he's got.

[johnnyAU 3,630]

1 hour ago, alexava said:

Played 3 of the four playoff teams going 2-2. We had to have played the strongest schedule in the Nation?

And we played the other one in last year's bowl.....

[johnnyAU 3,630]

In the last 3 seasons, Auburn has had to potentially play in each year both the national champ and the runner up....(Bama, Clemson 2015...Clemson, Bama 2016...and now 3 of 4 teams in current playoff, and the other from last year's bowl game)

Granted, Oklahoma was within the calendar year, and not the season....if they make it into the NCG.

Is that right?