HOOVER, Ala. - Thursday at SEC football media days, LSU Coach Les Miles reiterated in no uncertain terms his displeasure with what he sees as conference scheduling disparity in the SEC West.
The facts are in Miles’ favor. LSU’s two cross division opponents in the East - Georgia and Florida - combined to go 14-2 in conference games last season, while Alabama’s opponents from the East - Tennessee and Kentucky - went 1-15.
The Crimson Tide and Tigers have combined to win five of the past six SEC West titles.
“I’d have to say there’s a repeated scheduling advantage and disadvantage for certain teams in this conference based on tradition and traditional match ups,” Miles said.
Miles has argued for some time that the SEC should do away with permanent cross-division rivalries in scheduling, as the Tigers are paired with Florida and Alabama is matched up with Tennessee.
“A key piece to every conference is that we’d be able to describe a path to a championship in an equal and direct manner,” Miles said. “In fact, scheduling should not in any way decide championships repeatedly or throughout.”
Alabama Coach Nick Saban said equality in scheduling is next to impossible.
“There can never be an equal path unless everybody plays everybody,” he said.
On Thursday, Saban touched on the importance of Alabama’s traditional game with Tennessee and reiterated his support for a nine-game SEC schedule, for which he cast the lone vote in conference meetings this spring.
“I understand where Les Miles is coming from,” he said. “I was at LSU and I played Florida every year. If anyone understands, I understand.”
Tough to watch
Georgia Coach Mark Richt discussed Thursday what kind of tape study he has done from the Bulldogs’ 32-28 loss to Alabama last December in the SEC Championship Game, which ended with the clock expiring after a completed pass at the Alabama 5-yard line.
“It was certainly a gut wrenching thing to see again the way it finished, but it was also exciting to see a great football game by two tremendous powerhouse football teams,” Richt said.
Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray also discussed the game’s end.
“Those last five seconds felt like a year,” he said.
“I was doing everything I could to get that play off.”
Buying Johnny
Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron, who roomed with Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel at the Manning Passing Academy last week before Manziel departed, was asked whether he “bought” Manziel’s explanation that he overslept last Saturday before leaving.
“You know I can’t answer on Johnny Manziel’s part,” McCarron said. “My name is AJ, so everything that has to do with him, he’s his own man.”
No comment
There were two issues Vanderbilt Coach James Franklin elected not to touch during his time at the podium Thursday.
He would not talk about how many job offers he has turned down since he’s been the Commodores coach, while recognizing there have been some, and he would not discuss the recent dismissal of four players who are in the midst of a sex crime investigation on campus.
Franklin is believed to have been approached by Arkansas Athletic Director Jeff Long during his head coaching search.
Sports, Pages 21 on 07/19/2013