LITTLE ROCK — Only one of the 12 SEC football schools managed to put together a nonconference schedule this season where every opponent is Division I.
It probably has nothing to do with the surprise announcement that Bobby Johnson was stepping down as head coach, but Vanderbilt was the only team that doesn’t have a Football Subdivision school on its slate for this fall.
The Commodores’ nonconference teams are Northwestern, Connecticut, Eastern Michigan and Wake Forest. It should be pointed out Eastern didn’t win a game last season and was part of the Razorbacks’ successful season, losing to the Hogs 63-27.
The likable and congenial Johnson was 29-66, but he did lead the Commodores to their first bowl victory in 53 years in 2008. Vanderbilt beat Boston College in the Music City Bowl.
Speaking of nonconference schedules and congeniality, Alabama’s Nick Saban showed a kinder and gentler side by giving Georgia State a spot on the Crimson Tide schedule.
Georgia State will compete in its first football season this fall, and the upstart program will be able to say during its first season it played the defending national champions.
It is probably just a coincidence that Georgia State is scheduled the week before the Auburn game. The Tigers are off the week before the game with their arch rival. Oh, and the Alabama-Georgia State game has been moved to Thursday.
Some might say Georgia State is like an open date for Alabama, but only skeptics would say that. The Tide’s schedule includes San Jose State (2-10 last season) and Duke (5-7), but as is his style, Saban has a strong opponent in the second week when Alabama hosts Penn State.
LSU and South Carolina have four nonconference opponents who did not have a losing regular season last year, but the Tigers’ road is a bit tougher since it includes dark horse North Carolina, which was 8-5 last season and returns 19 starters, and West Virginia (8-4 with 16 starters back).
LSU’s four opponents have the best total record of any on an SEC schedule with a 32-18 record, including Football Subdivision McNeese State at 9-3.
Leslie Miles, the Tigers’ head coach, may have himself on a bit of a hot seat with that schedule. In league play he must go to Florida, Auburn, Arkansas and Vanderbilt.
Mississippi State and Kentucky have the most nonconference opponents who had losing records last year with three each.
Like Vanderbilt, the Wildcats have an opponent that didn’t win a game, but Kentucky was probably just being neighborly by scheduling Western Kentucky.
Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Kentucky have the distinction of being the only SEC schools to not schedule a single nonconference game with a team in a BCS conference.
The nonconference schedule for the Arkansas Razorbacks is a blend from Tennessee Tech (Football Subdivision) to Louisiana-Monroe (Sun Belt) to Texas A&M (Big12) and Texas-El Paso (Conference USA).
That gives the Razorbacks exposure in north Louisiana as well as parts of Texas.
The Aggies are picked by most to finish third in the Big 12 South behind Oklahoma and Texas. They return 16 starters. including quarterback Jerrod Johnson, a big, strong-armed guy who is mobile.
Before penciling in a victory over UTEP, consider the Miners beat Houston and Tulsa last year before losing four consecutive by a touchdown or less.
Overall, for the SEC, it is about what you would expect for a league that has a stranglehold on the BCS championship lately.
Sports, Pages 21 on 07/15/2010