PAC-12 Coaches Take Swipes at SEC Schedule Format

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Pac-12 coaches take turns taking swipes at SEC’s eight-game schedule

Jon Cooper @JonSDS

Published May 1, 2014 - 5:13pm

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The biggest topic in college football once again revolves around the SEC and its decision to stick with the eight-game, 6-1-1 format in 2016 and beyond, while other power conferences are either at nine games already or are moving that direction in 2016.

Much like the SEC had its post-spring teleconference yesterday, the Pac-12’s was today, and coaches took turns voicing their displeasure with the SEC staying at eight games, while their teams have to play nine games.

Stanford’s David Shaw has been the most outspoken critic dating back to last November, when he said the Pac-12 had the toughest schedule to navigate because of the SEC’s November ‘cupcakes’ schedule.

“You can write that — cupcakes,” Shaw told CBSSports.com. “It’s hard from here on out in our conference.”

Shaw today took another jab at the scheduling and accused the conference of backing down from playing each other. “We all need to play by the same rules. Don’t back down from playing your own conference.”

Oregon State head coach Mike Riley also voiced his displeasure with the conference’s decision, bargaining for some equity among the power conference’s schedules.

“I don’t think it’s right. There’s got to be some equity here,” Riley said.

Oregon head coach Mark Helfrich sided with both Shaw and Riley, adding he wasn’t surprised by the decision.

“Obviously our feelings are if we are going to call anything equal or point in the same direction for the playoffs, it seems like the qualifications for that playoff should be equal. We are a long ways from that in a few leagues and conferences,” Helfrich said.

He added later…

“I think there’s a couple leagues who are in the minority of playing less than nine league games, that’s definitely to their advantage.”

The Pac-12 and Big 12 currently have nine-game conference schedules. The Big Ten will have nine games starting in 2016, and strong support exists among ACC members to move towards nine games.

Remember, these coaches are just lobbying for their team and conference ahead of the four-team playoff, where politicking could be taken to a whole new level. The debate is merely just getting started. Wait until one SEC team and one Pac-12 team have an identical record and vying for that last playoff spot. That will be fun.

Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

[WarEagle84 0]

Not surprising, nor worthy of much attention. They are just posturing for consideration for playoff positioning.

The PAC-12 is going to be very good this year. If I were playing 9 opponents in that conference, I wouldn't be too happy about it either.

The ACC is in all likelihood going to vote to stay with 8 conference games next week. Five of the teams will play Notre Dame annually, and FSU, Ga Tech, Clemson, and Louisville play major OOC rivalry games every year.

[tigereyes 26]

This is going to make it difficult to schedule a non conference game from another big conference if they are playing 9 game schedule already. The plan to have each SEC team to schedule a big non conference game may prove to be difficult.

[Guest jojo1515]

"Stanford’s David Shaw has been the most outspoken critic dating back to last November, when he said the Pac-12 had the toughest schedule to navigate because of the SEC’s November ‘cupcakes’ schedule.

“You can write that — cupcakes,” Shaw told CBSSports.com. “It’s hard from here on out in our conference.”

CUPCAKES IN NOVEMBER? Has he ever seen Auburns schedule?

Nov. 1 at Ole Miss Oxford, MS

Nov. 8 TEXAS A&M AUBURN

Nov. 15 at Georgia Athens, GA

Nov. 22 SAMFORD AUBURN

Nov. 29 at Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL

How is possibly playing 4 top 25 teams in a month a cupcake schedule?? What a lying MORON!

[AU64 10,122]

"Stanford’s David Shaw has been the most outspoken critic dating back to last November, when he said the Pac-12 had the toughest schedule to navigate because of the SEC’s November ‘cupcakes’ schedule.

“You can write that — cupcakes,” Shaw told CBSSports.com. “It’s hard from here on out in our conference.”

CUPCAKES IN NOVEMBER? Has he ever seen Auburns schedule?

Nov. 1 at Ole Miss Oxford, MS

Nov. 8 TEXAS A&M AUBURN

Nov. 15 at Georgia Athens, GA

Nov. 22 SAMFORD AUBURN

Nov. 29 at Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL

How is possibly playing 4 top 25 teams in a month a cupcake schedule?? What a lying MORON!

IMO...that's way to harsh.....generally these guys have no idea who plays who in other conferences and he was talking about the conference in general. According to at least one survey it was Tenn, Arky and UK that had the toughest SEC schedule last season. And JMO but I doubt TAMU and Ole Miss will be top 25 by the time we see them...and a nice break with Samford.

It's politics with the polls/bowls. I mean, how many SEC coaches know who Stanford or Oregon plays....and when they play 'em.

[keesler 6,026]

Shaw is no moron, he is a very good coach and he has his opinion like everyone else. IMO if we are going the way of the "BIG 5" conferences in college football with a playoff in place then equality among all of the Big 5 conferences is paramount. There should be an equal number of teams in each conference, each should play the same number of conference foe, and they should all have a conference championship...... AND dadgumit Notre Dame should be forced to join a freaking conference if they want to participate.

[Guest jojo1515]

Shaw apparently IS a moron and a liar... His statement is either out of extreme bias, blatent misinformation, or complete lunacy. I just checked the top 8 or so teams in the SEC schedule in November....every one of them have a tougher November than Stanford, who plays 5-7 Utah and 1-11 Cal (neither finished in the 70 in 2013.....talk about a cupcake for November....conference games or not. All top SEC teams would swap schedules with them in Novemeber in a heartbeat.

[WarEagle84 0]

Shaw apparently IS a moron and a liar... His statement is either out of extreme bias, blatent misinformation, or complete lunacy. I just checked the top 8 or so teams in the SEC schedule in November....every one of them have a tougher November than Stanford, who plays 5-7 Utah and 1-11 Cal (neither finished in the 70 in 2013.....talk about a cupcake for November....conference games or not. All top SEC teams would swap schedules with them in Novemeber in a heartbeat.

Moron and liar are pretty strong words--"fighin' words" where I come from. He may be speaking out of ignorance and bias, but those are very different things. No need to stir up emotions over this.

[aucanucktiger 1,988]

Apparently one can be simultaneously associated with Stanford AND unintelligent. Condemning an entire major conference off the cuff before a national audience without doing his homework ahead of time is pretty moronic. Besides killing his credibility. On the other hand, maybe he's keyed into the fact ESPN et al aren't first & foremost interested in facts per se.

[Auburnfan91 1,408]

There is some merit to what David Shaw is saying. The SEC will benefit from the 8 game conference schedule because that's one less loss for 7 teams. It also helps the bowl picture for the SEC and it looks better in the rankings. A 7-5 Texas A&M might not have been ranked last year had they lost to Georgia or South Carolina from the SEC East instead of being 8-4 and beating Vanderbilt.

[SumterAubie 3,180]

PAC12 teams have cupcakes built into their 9 game schedule

[The Freak 2,579]

Yup, no cupcakes in the pac 12.

Pac-12 Standings

NORTH CONF OVERALL

Stanford 7-2 11-3

Oregon 7-2 11-2

Washington 5-4 9-4

Oregon State 4-5 7-6

Washington State 4-5 6-7

California 0-9 1-11

SOUTH CONF OVERALL

Arizona State 8-1 10-4

UCLA 6-3 10-3

USC 6-3 10-4

Arizona 4-5 8-5

Utah 2-7 5-7

Colorado 1-8 4-8

[AUbritt 626]

Let's just schedule Stanford and be done with it. Man up, Coach Shaw.

Would love to get ahold of tOSU, too.

[CameronCrazy 1,111]

Just ask the PAC-12 how many years they went without a conference championship while the SEC had to play the extra game...

[AUbritt 626]

Just ask the PAC-12 how many years they went without a conference championship while the SEC had to play the extra game...

Well, yeah -- but that's always a cupcake matchup, too. No reason to think that the SEC Champ game teams are any good.

[Auburnfan91 1,408]

Just ask the PAC-12 how many years they went without a conference championship while the SEC had to play the extra game...

They didn't have enough teams. You have to have 12 teams to have a conference championship game.

[Guest WarEagleSteve]

Shaw is no moron, he is a very good coach and he has his opinion like everyone else. IMO if we are going the way of the "BIG 5" conferences in college football with a playoff in place then equality among all of the Big 5 conferences is paramount. There should be an equal number of teams in each conference, each should play the same number of conference foe, and they should all have a conference championship...... AND dadgumit Notre Dame should be forced to join a freaking conference if they want to participate.

I agree with this wholeheartedly. Obviously some conferences are going to be stronger than others simply by virtue of their memberships. That said, I don't think having them be otherwise equal with respect to number of teams/number of conference games, etc. is going to hurt SEC teams. If everyone plays the same number of games, then the SEC's "strength of conference" wins out in most cases.

[Dom1ni0n 51]

Apparently one can be simultaneously associated with Stanford AND unintelligent. Condemning an entire major conference off the cuff before a national audience without doing his homework ahead of time is pretty moronic. Besides killing his credibility. On the other hand, maybe he's keyed into the fact ESPN et al aren't first & foremost interested in facts per se.

Bingo.

Just ask the PAC-12 how many years they went without a conference championship while the SEC had to play the extra game...

They didn't have enough teams. You have to have 12 teams to have a conference championship game.

They could have formed a 12-team league years ago, but the commish wasn't to keen on adding WAC programs (who most now reside in the Mountain West, and BYU) during that era.

Larry Scott seems to have been the only one business savvy enough to flip on the light switch to finally take advantage of that cash cow while it still has shelf life.