Tinker:
We are in the fight again tiger fans.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
------------------------------
http://www.lsusports.net/
Geaux Zone - LSU Sports.net
This live event has not started yet. ( Will start around 11:00 am est. today )
Offensive Coordinator Press Conference
Live video from the LSU Athletics Administration Building as Les Miles introduces the football team's new offensive coordinator.
Tune in at:... http://www.lsusports.net/
-------------------------------
LSU expected to introduce Cam Cameron Friday as new OC
Posted on February 13, 2013 by Scott Rabalais
Cam Cameron
It apparently will now be Friday before LSU officially introduces Cam
Cameron as its new offensive coordinator, a source familiar with the
situation said Wednesday.
Cameron’s deal was being finalized this week, and barring any
last-minute complications, he will officially join the LSU staff, the
source said.Cameron will replace Greg Studrawa, who will return to strictly handling offensive line duties, the source added. Studrawa is also expected to receive some sort of additional title.
Quarterbacks coach Steve Kragthorpe would be reassigned to an
administrative role to make room for Cameron. NCAA rules limit FBS level
schools to nine on-the-field assistant coaches.
Cameron would be charged with breathing life into a sluggish LSU offense that ranked 85th in the FBS in total yards (374.2 ypg) and 92nd in passing offense (200.5).
For more than a week, several reports have stated that Cameron would
become LSU’s new offensive play-caller. Reasons for the delay in
officially naming him have apparently included the Mardi Gras holiday
for LSU’s staff and a mandatory meeting for Southeastern Conference
football coaches Thursday, which LSU’s Les Miles must attend.Cameron would be charged with breathing life into a sluggish LSU offense that ranked 85th in the FBS in total yards (374.2 ypg) and 92nd in passing offense (200.5).
Cameron would return to the college ranks after spending most of the last 11 years in the NFL.
He was offensive coordinator in San Diego from 2002-06, head coach of the Miami Dolphins in 2007 (succeeding former LSU and current Alabama coach Nick Saban) and offensive coordinator with the Baltimore Ravens.
Cameron was fired by the Ravens midway through the 2012 season. Baltimore went on to win Super Bowl XLVII Feb. 3 in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome with Jim Caldwell as their play caller.
Cameron began his coaching career in 1986 at Michigan, where he stayed through 1993 as quarterbacks/receivers coach. Miles was a Michigan assistant from 1987-94, during which time he and Cameron developed a close friendship.
Cameron left Michigan to serve as quarterbacks coach for the
Washington Redskins from 1994-96 before becoming head coach at Indiana
(his alma mater) from 1997-2001, where he was succeeded by former LSU
coach Gerry DiNardo.
Cameron was 1-15 in Miami and 18-37 at Indiana.
------------------------------Cameron was 1-15 in Miami and 18-37 at Indiana.
http://www.tri-parishtimes.
Tri - Parish Times
LSU replaces departures with big-time class
The LSU football team seems to reload.
After losing more than 10 underclassmen to the NFL Draft, the Tigers filled most of their needs in a star-studded recruiting class.
LSU received 26 signed scholarship offers from a who’s who of the top college football prospects.
The Tigers inked two five-star players and 15 four-star prospects, according to recruiting service Rivals.com’s class rankings.
Their class is among the best in the nation, according to all recruiting services.
“We had a very quality recruiting season and ending,” LSU football coach Les Miles said. “I think the depth of this recruiting class is very strong. I don’t think there’s much difference between our highest ranked guy and our lowest ranked guy. I think they are all very, very similar and are competitive.”
The line of scrimmage was a huge focus of the Tigers’ recruiting – especially on defense.
LSU signed seven defensive linemen and five offensive linemen in their class.
The need for defensive linemen stemmed from the Tigers losing defensive ends Barkevious Mingo and Sam Montgomery and also defensive tackle Bennie Logan to the NFL Draft.
To refill the talent pool, the Tigers inked Rivals.com five-star defensive end Frank Herron from Memphis and also Scout.com five-star defensive tackle Greg Gilmore of Hope Mills, NC.
Those players will team up with defensive ends Christian Lacouture, Lewis Neal and Michael Patterson and defensive tackles Marquedius Bain.
The incoming fleet will also join forces with LSU’s lone Signing Day surprise – former Auburn commitment defensive end Tashawn Bower, who swapped SEC Tigers and inked with LSU.
“With four defensive ends (gone) and two defensive tackles, we had to replace them with a very, very quality defensive line class,” Miles said. “We took three defensive tackles and four defensive ends. The need was met.”
On the offensive side of the trenches, LSU received signed scholarships from four-star linemen Josh Boutte, Andy Dodd, Fehoko Fanaika and Ethan Pocic.
They also hauled in three-star K.J. Malone, who is the son of NBA Hall of Famer Karl Malone.
Miles said the talent of the offensive line commitments is something he is very excited about.
“This is probably, since I’ve been here, the best five-man class in the offensive line that we’ve had,” Miles said. “We’re excited about what these men can do in the future.”
Besides the defensive front, the rest of LSU’s defensive class was filled with standouts.
In the back-end of the defense, the Tigers signed four-star defensive backs Jeryl Brazil, Rickey Jefferson and Rashard Robinson.
Arguably the gem of the entire class is five-star defensive back Tre’Davious White from Shreveport.
“He’s a very gifted athlete,” Miles said of White. “He will be returning kicks and different things. He has just great speed. He has tremendous coverage skills and he’ll look a lot like the great corners that we’ve had here in the past.”
In the linebacker corps, the Tigers also added depth, taking East Feliciana standout Kendell Beckwith and also three-star prospects Melvin Jones and Duke Riley.
Miles said he cannot wait to see Beckwith in an LSU uniform for the first time.
“He’s one of the most highly recruited prospects in our state,” Miles said. “He’s a big, tall, rangy and athletic linebacker. … He’s certainly what we needed and he’ll play a strong role as our SAM backer.”
On offense, LSU signed two quarterbacks of the future.
Los Angeles four-star pocket passer Hayden Rettig joins dual-threat passer Anthony Jennings as a four-star duo.
Rettig is rated slightly higher than Jennings on most recruiting services because of his 6-foot, 4-inch frame and powerful right arm.
The Hollywood signal caller threw for more than 5,500 yards and 62 touchdowns in his career as a starter at Cathedral High School.
But Jennings also lands in college with esteem, owning a 4.5-second mark in the 40-yard dash and a 3.1 GPA.
Jennings completed 165-of-273 passes for 19 touchdowns and just four interceptions as a junior.
“These guys give us the ability to throw it and run it and they both have great futures,” Miles said of the two quarterbacks in the class.
When the quarterbacks hit the field for the first time at the college level, they will have a slew of new receivers to work with.
LSU signed four wide receivers and two tight ends in the 2013 class.
Leading the receivers is someone with a familiar pedigree in Baton Rouge – Avery Johnson.
Johnson is the little brother of former Tiger great Patrick Peterson.
Joining the 6-foot, 2-inch receiver are four-star vertical threats John Diarse, Quantavius Leslie and Kevin Spears.
Barbe High School’s DeSean Smith and three-star Logan Stokes serve as the tight ends of the class.
Each player can stretch the field, according to Miles.
“All of these players have talent and ball-skills, which will provide us with really strong future play at those positions,” Miles said.
So with 11 underclassmen gone and headed to the professional ranks, it’s understandable that some might doubt LSU’s prospects going forward.
Miles isn’t one of the naysayers.
He believes LSU is just fine – now and into the future.
After the departures, they’ve officially reloaded.
“I like the blend of size and strength and speed. This is a highly ranked class and I think it has character and integrity,” Miles said. “I think the quality of the people are such that they will want to compete for championships. If I had to predict, I’d say this is as strong of a class as we’ve signed and the style of class that will put us in great position as we go forward.”
http://www.tigerrag.com/?p=
FISCHER: Outside the Box
February 15, 2013 - © 2013 Tiger Rag
2013: A year of change for LSU
By RICHARD FISCHER
Tiger Rag Associate Editor
One of my favorite quotes from Monday Night Football’s tremendous color commentator John Gruden goes as follows.
“You never stay the same. You either get better or you get worse.”
As simple as it may be, it’s so true in the never-ending jockeying for position in the landscape of college athletics.
And the quickest way to get better or get worse is to change things.
It could be as big of a change as changing your personnel and philosophy or as small as a few tweaks here and there.
But change is one of the few constants in athletics, and they all have positive or negative impacts on your program.
That’s why 2013 and the changes that LSU’s three major sports have made, are making and will make are pivotal to both the short-term and long-term futures of the university’s athletic endeavors.
First up, I’ll start with the school’s bread and butter and its money-maker - the football program.
With six defensive starters and several more contributors headed to the NFL, the 2013 Tigers will look nothing like the 2012 Tigers on that side of the ball.
The field will be filled with youth and inexperience in key spots next year, and that’s sure to be a negative change. That’s why LSU hopes to make a positive change with its offense in 2013 by bringing in long-time NFL assistant Cam Cameron to take over the offense - likely to soon be a done deal — can only help matters.
LSU has finished no better than 73rd offensively in the past four seasons, and quite frankly, the offense is going to need to be better and even carry the defense at times for the 2013 campaign to be a success.
In Alex Box this season, the baseball Tigers will also be going through some offensive changes by bringing in more speed and more left-handed hitting this offseason. You can read about these additions extensively in the corresponding glossy edition.
In a nutshell, the acquisitions of junior college transfer Sean McMullen, freshmen Mark Laird and Andrew Stevenson and the return from injury of Chris Sciambra will give LSU an added dynamic at the plate and in the outfield that Paul Mainieri just didn’t have a year ago.
Two of the four will lock down the center field and right field jobs when the Tigers open up versus Maryland Friday night, and the other two will compete for time at DH, but you can bet that all four will see plenty of playing time in the first few weeks of the season.
All four hit left-handed and have base-stealing ability - with Laird and Stevenson having the best speed of the group.
These additions to LSU’s lineup will give the Tigers more variety in both the types of hitters they can throw out there 1-through-9 and the side of the plate they hit from. That’ll give LSU more versatility and decrease the likelihood of game-long power outages simply because a certain type of pitcher is a bad matchup.
Then there’s the changes on the hardwood where Johnny Jones already started molding the team in his image in the latter stages of 2012. However, he doesn’t quite have the horses yet to play a 40-minute, high-tempo game like he’d like to. But that’s going to change in 2013 when Jones sees the spoils of his highly-touted recruiting class headlined by five-star forward Jarell Martin. The 6-foot-9 Baton Rouge prospect is one of the most sought-after players in America, and keeping him in-state (unlike heralded recruits of years gone by like Chris Duhon, Hollis Price and Greg Monroe, among others) is a tremendous statement for the direction Jones is leading this program.
Add fellow newcomers Tim Quarterman, Jordan Mickey, Deng Deng, and most recently the verbal pledge from Australian seven-footer Darcy Malone plus transfer John Odo becoming eligible, and the pieces will finally be in place for Jones to take his first big step at LSU in 2013.
So 2013 will be an important year of change for LSU athletics. And in an ever-changing world where you’re is either getting better or worse, you must adapt to fall in the former category. The plans are in place. Now, let’s see how they get executed.
Richard Fischer is the associate editor of Tiger Rag Magazine covering football and baseball. He is a graduate of LSU Journalism. Reach him at richard@tigerrag.com.
Comments
Responses to “FISCHER: Outside the Box”-
TigerGumbo on February 15th, 2013 1:33 am
I am thrilled that Head coach Les Miles made this move to hire Cam Cameron. Coach Cameron has the offensive experience that I was looking for. A man who truly knows what he’s doing.
That is essential to highly trained college football players. To be lead by the right coach. Now I feel like that the LSU fighting tigers have a equal chance again. Against all comers.
I had a beautiful women tell me once, or twice, or more. “If you have the money, I have the time.” Geaux Tigers!!!
http://www.nola.com/
Greater New Orleans
LSU recruiting: Could the 2014 class lay the groundwork for a football dynasty?
Les Miles won his only BCS Championship in 2007. Could the 2014 class help him earn another?
(Photo by Chuck Cook, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
By
Lyons Yellin, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
on February 13, 2013 at 6:00 PM, updated February 14, 2013 at 1:36 AM
Latest Recruiting News
- Denham Springs defensive tackle Tevin Lawson to visit Louisiana Tech
- Karl Malone cried 'like a baby' when son K.J. signed with LSU, story says
- LSU recruiting 2014: Assuming Leonard Fournette is No. 1, who is the Tigers' second most important recruit?
- 2013 National Signing Day - John Curtis: video
- Recruiting Corner: LSU's Signing Day results
LSU is the only major football program in Louisiana, and as such, boasts a recruiting advantage within its borders that no other university in America enjoys. USC annually battles with UCLA, Alabama with Auburn, Florida, with Miami and Florida State. But in Louisiana, LSU is king, and thus rules the state.
In the Nick Saban documentary 'Gamechanger,' super agent Jimmy Sexton tells a story about how when Saban was offered the LSU job in November 1999, he presented Saban with research showing that Louisiana, per capita, was sending more athletes to the NFL than any other state. Henceforth, Sexton said, the two believed that any coach who could close the borders would be wildly successful.
"They've got this many players in the NFL, so there must be a good recruiting base (in Louisiana)," Saban explained in the same movie. "I felt like this was a wonderful opportunity to go to a place where you could maybe have a little better recruiting base. And if we could develop them the way I thought we could, we could have some special success there."
The last two LSU coaches have proved this true, and now Miles has a golden opportunity to sign a class that could shift the balance of power in the SEC from Tuscaloosa to Baton Rouge. And a few years from now, the talk among Tiger fans could be centered around a word that coaches deign to speak, much less even hear mentioned: dynasty.
Surely, Miles will emphatically resist such talk -- and rightfully so – as one stellar class makes not a dynasty. But it can, however, lay the groundwork for one, and, at the very least, provide years of success and potentially, championships.
One needs look no further than the last decade to find four classes that vaulted their respective programs to greatness.
Nick Saban's first full class at LSU in 2001 — which included RB Joseph Addai, WR Michael Clayton, DL Marquise Hill, DE Marcus Spears and TE David Jones, to name a few — helped lead an LSU resurgence that culminated with a national championship two years later.
USC's Class of 2003, widely considered by many the best of all-time, helped the Trojans capture two national titles, four BCS bowl games and included a Heisman Trophy winner, running back Reggie Bush. Furthermore, the class had 13 players taken in the first five rounds of the NFL draft, including four in the first round (Bush, DT Sedrick Ellis, DE Lawrence Jackson and OT Sam Baker) and six in the second (OL Ryan Kalil, WR Steve Smith, RB LenDale White, CB Eric Wright, CB Terrell Thomas, and DT Fili Moala).
Florida's 2006 class led the Gators to two national championships, and is best remembered for Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Tim Tebow. And while he was its unquestioned leader — and by far its biggest draw — Percy Harvin was easily the most dynamic talent of the lot, which also included LB Brandon Spikes, DE Jermaine Cunningham, WR Riley Cooper, KR Brandon James and OL Marcus Gilbert.
Finally, Alabama's Class of 2008 is credited for — pardon the pun — turning the tide in Tuscaloosa. The class revived a program that had limped through two probationary periods since its 1992 title, and it would ultimately carry it through another set of sanctions from 2009 to 2011. This class included five first round draft picks (S Mark Barron, DE Marcel Darius, LB Don'ta Hightower, WR Julio Jones), one of which (RB Mark Ingram) was a Heisman Trophy winner, two second rounders (DT Terrance Cody and LB Courtney Upshaw), seventh rounder Brad Smelley and several future draft picks (OL Barrett Jones, S Robert Lester, DE Damion Square and TE Michael Williams), leading the Tide to three BCS championships in four years.
Only time will tell how things shake out with LSU's 2014 class. One thing is for sure, though, it will take a substantial effort from Miles & Co. to ensure that Louisiana's homegrown talent suits up for the Bayou Bengals.
This effort begins in ernest
Saturday with LSU's first junior day since the Class of 2013 signed. The
staff is expecting a big day of visitors, many of whom populate the
'Fantastic 40.'
NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune recruiting analyst James Smith will preview the event on Friday, and keep you apprised of any commitments or offers that arise throughout the day.
http://www.americanpress.com/
American Press
(Associated Press)
Hobbs: Current SEC football scheduling needs repair
By Scooter Hobbs / American Press
Hardcore LSU conspiracy theorists need to proceed with caution here today, or perhaps just go work the crossword puzzle.
It’s not going to be pretty.
You’re not going to like it.
Me, I don’t believe an actual conspiracy exists, even though I’m well aware the Southeastern Conference office is still located in Birmingham.
But take a deep breath anyway.
Get in your happy place.
Think peaceful thoughts.
Make sure you’re sitting down.
Ready?
OK, as you’re probably aware, in the now-expanded SEC football schedule, each team plays the other six members of its own division and gets assigned two from the other division.
The latter is where the variable comes in.
For a random, fun example, let’s compare the cases of LSU and Alabama, which as often as not seem to determine the SEC West winner.
LSU’s two opponents from the East this year will be Florida (home) and Georgia (away) — which last year combined for a 14-2 conference record.
Alabama’s two opponents from the East this year will be Kentucky and Tennessee — which last year combined for a 1-15 conference record (fortunately for the Vols, they did play each other).
Oh, so that’s how Nick Saban’s famed “process” works.
No, I’m willing to call it a coincidence.
But it also seems to be a trend.
Last year, LSU’s two East opponents, Florida and South Carolina, went 13-3. Alabama got Tennessee and Missouri, which went 3-13.
Last year doesn’t always predict for this year, admittedly, but it’s as good of a starting spot as any.
Florida and Georgia don’t appear to be backing up any, and it doesn’t look like Tennessee and Kentucky are ready to storm the gates anytime soon.
Of the West teams, only Arkansas’ upcoming schedule remotely compares to LSU’s — the Hogs’ East opponents, Florida and South Carolina, went 13-3 last season.
Nobody else’s East duo was better than .500 last year.
But no team comes close to the 1-15 East pillow fight Alabama will have to deal with. Mississippi State has the projected next easiest, Kentucky and South Carolina, which went 6-10.
More?
Had the expansion not occurred, LSU’s other East opponent last year was going to be Kentucky. So, in effect, the Tigers replaced the winless Wildcats with newcomer Texas A&M.
Alabama, had things not changed, was set to add Georgia to its schedule. Instead, it got 2-6 Missouri.
Again, I’m not suggesting anything more than bad luck for LSU and some incredibly good scheduling fortune for Alabama.
Last year and this upcoming season is the result of what the SEC calls a “bridge” schedule.
Translation: “The best we can come up with until we figure out what we really want to do on, like, a permanent basis and, yes, we’re still working on it.”
For instance, there is not yet a clue what the 2014 schedule will look like.
In reality, the SEC has been hammering on a permanent rotation, night and day, for going-on two years now. Former Mississippi State athletic director Larry Templeton has turned it into a full-time job, along with all 14 current athletic directors, a very powerful computer and some other outside consultants.
Apparently, they have not come close to cracking the code for anything more than a makeshift schedule for the next year.
I don’t think it was planned to paint that “bridge” crimson all the way to Atlanta.
All I’m suggesting, again, is that in its haste to expand, the SEC may have bitten off more than it can schedule.
I told you it was a bad idea when they did it.
Before expansion, each team played five division games and three from the other. Now it’s six and two.
You’ll have to consult your local mathematician for the specifics.
But when you go from playing half of the other division each year to playing just 29 percent of them (2 of 7), it would make sense that you set up yourself for the kind of mile-wide discrepancies evident in the Alabama and LSU schedules for this year.
I don’t know what the solution is.
The SEC isn’t going to admit it made a mistake by getting too big for its britches and kick Texas A&M and Missouri back out of the conference.
Maybe they could just add two teams to each division, let the divisions ignore each in the regular season while admitting they are actually two separate conferences and see you in Atlanta for the championship.
Probably not.
But I would have two suggestions to at least alleviate the scheduling Rubik’s Cube.
The teams have traditionally had one permanent opponent from the other division.
The conference office doesn’t say whether those relationships are still in effect or not, but not one of them has been torn asunder through two seasons of bridge scheduling.
The LSU-Florida game, for instance, has been good for the SEC, often good — despite their occasional whining about it — for both teams.
But you can’t have everything, and, sad to say, the permanent opponents need to be dropped, just to open up more wiggle room on the schedule.
Then you must ignore the coaches’ innate fears of cannibalism and increase the conference to schedule to nine games.
That would least allow three games against the other division, theoretically lessening the chance for the huge inequities on display this year.
As for the other sports, well, basketball and baseball have already gerrymandered post-season tournaments that are indecipherable.
• Arkansas (Florida and South Carolina, 13-3)
• Auburn (Tennessee and Georgia, 8-8)
• Ole Miss (Vanderbilt and Missouri, 7-9)
• Texas A&M (Vanderbilt and Missouri, 7-9)
• Mississippi State (Kentucky and South Carolina, 6-10)
• Alabama (Kentucky and Tennessee, 1-15)
• Missouri (Ole Miss and Texas A&M, 9-7)
• Vanderbilt (Ole Miss and Texas A&M, 9-7)
• Florida (Arkansas and LSU, 8-8)
• Tennessee (Alabama and Auburn, 7-9)
• Georgia (LSU and Auburn, 6-10)
• South Carolina (Arkansas and Mississippi State, 6-10)
----------------------------Hardcore LSU conspiracy theorists need to proceed with caution here today, or perhaps just go work the crossword puzzle.
It’s not going to be pretty.
You’re not going to like it.
Me, I don’t believe an actual conspiracy exists, even though I’m well aware the Southeastern Conference office is still located in Birmingham.
But take a deep breath anyway.
Get in your happy place.
Think peaceful thoughts.
Make sure you’re sitting down.
Ready?
OK, as you’re probably aware, in the now-expanded SEC football schedule, each team plays the other six members of its own division and gets assigned two from the other division.
The latter is where the variable comes in.
For a random, fun example, let’s compare the cases of LSU and Alabama, which as often as not seem to determine the SEC West winner.
LSU’s two opponents from the East this year will be Florida (home) and Georgia (away) — which last year combined for a 14-2 conference record.
Alabama’s two opponents from the East this year will be Kentucky and Tennessee — which last year combined for a 1-15 conference record (fortunately for the Vols, they did play each other).
Oh, so that’s how Nick Saban’s famed “process” works.
No, I’m willing to call it a coincidence.
But it also seems to be a trend.
Last year, LSU’s two East opponents, Florida and South Carolina, went 13-3. Alabama got Tennessee and Missouri, which went 3-13.
Last year doesn’t always predict for this year, admittedly, but it’s as good of a starting spot as any.
Florida and Georgia don’t appear to be backing up any, and it doesn’t look like Tennessee and Kentucky are ready to storm the gates anytime soon.
Of the West teams, only Arkansas’ upcoming schedule remotely compares to LSU’s — the Hogs’ East opponents, Florida and South Carolina, went 13-3 last season.
Nobody else’s East duo was better than .500 last year.
But no team comes close to the 1-15 East pillow fight Alabama will have to deal with. Mississippi State has the projected next easiest, Kentucky and South Carolina, which went 6-10.
More?
Had the expansion not occurred, LSU’s other East opponent last year was going to be Kentucky. So, in effect, the Tigers replaced the winless Wildcats with newcomer Texas A&M.
Alabama, had things not changed, was set to add Georgia to its schedule. Instead, it got 2-6 Missouri.
Again, I’m not suggesting anything more than bad luck for LSU and some incredibly good scheduling fortune for Alabama.
Last year and this upcoming season is the result of what the SEC calls a “bridge” schedule.
Translation: “The best we can come up with until we figure out what we really want to do on, like, a permanent basis and, yes, we’re still working on it.”
For instance, there is not yet a clue what the 2014 schedule will look like.
In reality, the SEC has been hammering on a permanent rotation, night and day, for going-on two years now. Former Mississippi State athletic director Larry Templeton has turned it into a full-time job, along with all 14 current athletic directors, a very powerful computer and some other outside consultants.
Apparently, they have not come close to cracking the code for anything more than a makeshift schedule for the next year.
I don’t think it was planned to paint that “bridge” crimson all the way to Atlanta.
All I’m suggesting, again, is that in its haste to expand, the SEC may have bitten off more than it can schedule.
I told you it was a bad idea when they did it.
Before expansion, each team played five division games and three from the other. Now it’s six and two.
You’ll have to consult your local mathematician for the specifics.
But when you go from playing half of the other division each year to playing just 29 percent of them (2 of 7), it would make sense that you set up yourself for the kind of mile-wide discrepancies evident in the Alabama and LSU schedules for this year.
I don’t know what the solution is.
The SEC isn’t going to admit it made a mistake by getting too big for its britches and kick Texas A&M and Missouri back out of the conference.
Maybe they could just add two teams to each division, let the divisions ignore each in the regular season while admitting they are actually two separate conferences and see you in Atlanta for the championship.
Probably not.
But I would have two suggestions to at least alleviate the scheduling Rubik’s Cube.
The teams have traditionally had one permanent opponent from the other division.
The conference office doesn’t say whether those relationships are still in effect or not, but not one of them has been torn asunder through two seasons of bridge scheduling.
The LSU-Florida game, for instance, has been good for the SEC, often good — despite their occasional whining about it — for both teams.
But you can’t have everything, and, sad to say, the permanent opponents need to be dropped, just to open up more wiggle room on the schedule.
Then you must ignore the coaches’ innate fears of cannibalism and increase the conference to schedule to nine games.
That would least allow three games against the other division, theoretically lessening the chance for the huge inequities on display this year.
As for the other sports, well, basketball and baseball have already gerrymandered post-season tournaments that are indecipherable.
•••
Scooter Hobbs covers LSU sports. Email him at shobbs@americanpress.comChart
Each SEC team plays two teams from the other division. Following is each team’s two opponents for this season and their combined record last year:WEST
• LSU (Georgia and Florida, 14-2)• Arkansas (Florida and South Carolina, 13-3)
• Auburn (Tennessee and Georgia, 8-8)
• Ole Miss (Vanderbilt and Missouri, 7-9)
• Texas A&M (Vanderbilt and Missouri, 7-9)
• Mississippi State (Kentucky and South Carolina, 6-10)
• Alabama (Kentucky and Tennessee, 1-15)
EAST
• Kentucky (Alabama and Mississippi State, 11-5)• Missouri (Ole Miss and Texas A&M, 9-7)
• Vanderbilt (Ole Miss and Texas A&M, 9-7)
• Florida (Arkansas and LSU, 8-8)
• Tennessee (Alabama and Auburn, 7-9)
• Georgia (LSU and Auburn, 6-10)
• South Carolina (Arkansas and Mississippi State, 6-10)
Top 5 screw jobs in LSU history (Posted on 2/13/13 at 2:46 p.m.)
 In the spirit of the "were we robbed" threads, I figured we can list them here. I'm sure LSU has gotten their share of breaks along the way, but I'll save that for another day. My list includes: 1. USC 1979 - those USC linemen moved early and it should have wipped out the facemask call. It should have been 3rd and 20 with less than 3 minutes remaining. 2. Indiana 1987 - Bobby Knight should have been ejected in the 1st half for punching the phone. After that, the refs were intimidated. Woodside kicked Alford's arse until they fouled him out using bone crushing double screens. 3. Auburn 2006 - This was a bagman game from beginning to end. Pick any of several plays. This game flat out sucked. 4. Arkansas 1992 - Oliver Miller knocks Shaq flat on his back at the buzzer in a tied game, with the SEC title on the line. Arkansas mugged LSU the entire 2nd half. The Shaq play was just the icing on the cake. 5. Alabama 2009 - Peterson interception was the ultimate, but there were many other plays. JJ's 1st down that wasn't. JJ gets speared by a player launching himself...no call. 4th and 6 and LSU jumps...5 yard penality, but Bama gets a 1st down. There are others such as Auburn 2004 and the hidden ball trick by Irvine, but this is my top 5 bitch list. |
http://lsufootball.net/
LSU Football - Geaux Tigers!!!
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