Kentucky Wildcat Football: SEC Releases Football Schedule
by Alex Scutchfield on Dec 28, 2011 10:17 AM EST
in Kentucky Wildcats Football
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PrintPer the SEC Web site, here is your conference schedule for Kentucky Football in 2012-2013:
September 22 - at Florida Gators
September 29- South Carolina Gamecocks
October 6- Mississippi St. Bulldogs
October 13- at Arkansas Razorbacks
October 20- Georgia Bulldogs
October 27- at Missouri Tigers
November 3- Vanderbilt Commodores
November 24- at Tennessee Volunteers
With the SEC moving to 14 teams in 2012-2013, some tweaks in football scheduling had to take place. Though there have been rumors floating around for a couple of weeks, the SEC made it official this morning by revealing next year's schedule. Since the early 2000s, the SEC football schedule has followed a pattern that is best described as 5-1-2. Each team played a game against each of five foes within their division, one game against a permanent "rival" from the other division, and two rotating games against other inter-division foes. The six permanent games rotated home-and-home each year. As for the two games that weren't fixtures, each team rotated onto your schedule for two years for a home-and-home, then fell off.
With seven teams now in each division, the SEC was presented with several choices. 1) Just adding in an extra division game for a total of 9; 2) Adding the extra division game and getting rid of the "rivalry game", for a total of 8; 3) Adding the extra division game, preserving the rivalries, and getting rid of one inter-division rotating game.
In the end, the SEC chose to go with option three
Each of these decisions was going to have its drawbacks. Having 9 conference games in the SEC makes for a brutal schedule and would likely lead to teams eliminating good out of conference games. For example, if UK is forced to play 9 SEC games, it will undoubtedly look to end its series with Louisville. Also, a 9 game schedule is a logistical nightmare about would lead to teams playing different numbers of home games.
Eliminating the cross-division, permanent, "rivalry" games also has its drawbacks. Here at UK, this wouldn't be such a big deal. We and our constant, the Mississippi St. Bulldogs, don't have any particular shared history or animosity. We were likely thrown together at the end when this plan was hatched. On the other hand, folks in Tuscaloosa and Knoxville probably don't want to the the Tennessee Volunteers and Alabama Crimson Tide stop playing every year, and the LSU Tigers and Florida Gators have one of the most compelling rivalries in college football.
Finally, getting rid of one non constant out of division game was probably a tough one. Assuming the teams continue to play a home-and-home over a two year period, teams could go 9 years without playing other teams. This could hurt recruiting. If you are a Kentucky Wildcat recruit, won't it take some juice out of playing in the SEC knowing that you'll never play, say either Alabama or LSU.
Still, I think that the SEC went with the best option. The league could move to a nine games schedule sometime in the near future, but for now eight is enough. In the end, the rivalries (which are all happening this year, I double checked) needed to be preserved, and this was the only way to accomplish that.
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Agreed
Our schedule just got a lot easier. We get Mississippi State at home again and trade pre-season #1 for a much cushier game (albeit on the road).
ALS
by Alex Scutchfield on Dec 28, 2011 10:39 AM EST reply actions
I think this was the best way.
Eliminating rivals just never was an acceptable option. Adding 9 games would have well and truly sucked, and I’m not sure we would have been able to eliminate Louisville. Last time that happened (although it was in basketball), the legislature planned to mandate the game. I could actually see that happening if we try to do it again.
Of course, that would really put Kentucky up against it, and the buy games would probably become even worse than they are now just to ensure a victory as much as possible. Overall, I think Kentucky got the best deal it could out of all this.
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
I agree Glenn
For UK, or any marginal team in the SEC, this was the best outcome. Ole Miss and Vandy luck out because they get to play each other every year instead of someone else. I’m sure Mississippi State is thrilled. Sigh.
ALS
by Alex Scutchfield on Dec 28, 2011 12:09 PM EST up reply actions
I like it.....
Missouri instead of some small directional state school gimmie is a game that I have been clamoring for over the years. Not necessarily Missouri but a team like them (or not as good). I really think that by getting the chance to play and be seen in that market could possibly open up more recruiting grounds for UK. Not that they will all of sudden flood in but UK seems limited to recruiting from KY and GA pretty much exclusively and this may expand that area.
Slower Traffic Keep Right!
After Watching Tigers Maul 'Heels
It’s just trading one loss for another.
"In times of universal deceit, telling the truth will be a revolutionary act." - George Orwell
The SEC gave us an awful schedule
Did anyone not notice that we do not have an open date after we start the SEC portion of our schedule until the week before the final game of the year. Our team needs an open week somewhere in the middle of the year to give guys a chance to heal up. Two years ago our season was like this and we could not get players healthy enough to break out of a four game losing streak that killed our season. By the time we get to Arkansas, our guys will be running on fumes.
By the way,
We are the only SEC school where the conference gave us our only off weeks back to back with no other break. I don’t know if UK asked for that (if they did they are fools) or what, but that is a killer situation. Even if Joker had what looked like a good team next year, the schedule wil cost him at least one or two wins.
Don't think we have 2 straight bye weeks
I don’t know this as entire schedule not yet released, but my guess is UK will NOT have 2 consecutive bye weeks, prior to UT game; my strong guess is UK will have a home ‘guarantee game’ the week after Vandy, then a bye prior to UT.
Dropping LSU & getting MSU @ home again is, IMHO, an overall win-win situation for UK; unless I’m mistaken, MSU is the only SEC team that UK has an overall winning record against, so having them as our ‘permanent’ rival game fine w/ me (I sure don’t want LSU, Bama, Auburn, Arkansas, or Texas A & M).
As Dennis Miller says: “That’s just one man’s opinion; I could be wrong.”
"Life should be fairways, greens, blue skies, & fresh powder."
You are right
This is only the conference schedule. We will have three games before the schedule up here starts and a fourth during one of those weeks off after Vandy. To Wklawdog’s point, we do have seven straight conference weeks without a break, which kind of stinks. But as you say, LexLaw, I think we luck out on this overall.
ALS
by Alex Scutchfield on Dec 28, 2011 2:28 PM EST up reply actions
We are the only team with 7 straight SEC games...
South Carolina gets 6 straight but most other teams only have 4 or 5. Ugh.
On the opposite end, UT never plays more than 3 consecutive SEC games without a break.
Comparing our SEC schedule with other teams
I think ours is pretty good. Which SEC teams do we want to trade schedules with?
By giving us Mississippi State as our permanent ‘rival’ from the West (as Alex points out, maybe just the last two teams picked on the playground) and by trading LSU for Missouri the league has probably done enough for us already. Not that a midseason bye wouldn’t have been nice, though.
I guess we don’t have much football clout from a league standpoint.
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"I'm not present I'm a drug that makes you dream I'm an aerostar I'm a cutlass supreme In the wrong lane Trying to turn against the flow I'm the ocean I'm the giant undertow I'm the ocean..." - N.Y.
Football clout v basketball clout
Like many things in life, I think this is pure politics & ‘who you are’ matters.
In football, UK gets few breaks, as illustrated by 7 straight SEC games without a bye week in ’12, & having Florida, LSU, & USC in back to back to back weeks this season (& LSU & Florida back to back in ’07)
However, in basketball, for 2nd straight season, UK has NO Thu night games & then having to play on Sat.; most SEC teams do.
Kind of like the ‘calls’ in football; it seems UK doesn’t get ‘em, & the opponents do, especially when it’s a replay call – w/ exception of fumble Roark had vs. UT this year, & Dicky Lyon’s acrobatic catch vs Miss St. in ‘06, it seems like anytime UK got the call by the ref ’on the field,’ it was overturned by replay, & when it didn’t get the field call, replay ‘confirmed’
As is life, it’s who you are, much of the time…………….
As Dennis Miller says: “That’s just one man’s opinion; I could be wrong.”
"Life should be fairways, greens, blue skies, & fresh powder."
Clout has nothing to do with the scheduling.
UK has no Thursday games because ESPN wants UK on Tueday and Wednesday nights. Thursday games are for the teams with no drawing power. That situation does not exist in football as all SEC games are on Saturday and CBS takes their favorite game each week.
Do not see how you guys think we "lucked out"
Mississippi State has always been our permanent rival since the divisional format was created and there was never any discussion about ending the permanent rival status situation, so keeping MsSt on the schedule is about as “lucky” as keeping Florida on the schedule. The only question going into this schedlue is who would be our other western opponent, and we now know that to be Arkansas.
What we traded was a return game at Commonwealth for an away game at Arkansas. We had already played Ole Miss twice, so they were going to fall off the schedule regardless – Mizzou takes that empty slot. Instead of having LSU come to Lexington for the return game (as we played them away last year for the first game of the series) we have to go to Fayettsville. So, not only did we get a schedule with no breaks in it until the end, we swap a home game with a top 10 team for an away game with a top 10 team. How exactly did we get “lucky”? If this is “lucky” we should play poker together.
What?
Mississippi State has always been our permanent rival since the divisional format was created and there was never any discussion about ending the permanent rival status situation, so keeping MsSt on the schedule is about as "lucky" as keeping Florida on the schedule.
The “lucky” part is that Mississippi State is our permanent rival from the West, as opposed to LSU or Alabama or Arkansas, etc. That is the lucky part. What do you want to do, trade Miss St. for one of those other teams? Florida is on the schedule because they are in the East.
The only question going into this schedlue is who would be our other western opponent, and we now know that to be Arkansas.
Which is better than having the other team be LSU.
Bottom line, we have about as easy a league schedule as we could hope for, outside of the ability to add ourselves to the schedule. Most of that is because our permanent opponent from the West is Miss. State, and the other main reason is that we are in the East which is currently a great deal weaker than the West.
- Florida got LSU and Texas A&M
- Missouri plays Alabama and Texas A&M
- Tennessee has Miss State and Alabama
- South Carolina got Arkansas and LSU
East + Mississippi State + Arkansas = Not Much to Complain About
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"I'm not present I'm a drug that makes you dream I'm an aerostar I'm a cutlass supreme In the wrong lane Trying to turn against the flow I'm the ocean I'm the giant undertow I'm the ocean..." - N.Y.
Actually, quite a bit to complain about.
As I stated above, and you either skipped through or chose to ignore, there was only one game that was not determined in our SEC schedule before they announced it. Instead of getting the home game that we were owed from LSU, we got an away game at Arkansas. If you consider both games unwinnable as I do, then you would rather be at home than go to Fayettsville.
The biggest issue though is the seven conference games in a row without an off week. That will kill any chance of this team being able to regroup midseason and get some players healthy. As I said earlier, if that occurred due to our administration, then someone is an idiot. If the SEC did it, then it is inexcusable.
I still don't think there is much to complain about
Instead of getting the home game that we were owed from LSU, we got an away game at Arkansas. If you consider both games unwinnable as I do, then you would rather be at home than go to Fayettsville.
Yes, I consider both scenarios to be unwinnable. I am fine with not taking payment on that LSU game that we were “owed”.
The biggest issue though is the seven conference games in a row without an off week.
I agree that this is less than ideal. Much less. But I am also looking at the fact that our schedule is one of the 2-3 easiest in the entire league. We can’t expect everything (opponent list and bye schedule) to break our way on things. It would be nice, but that is not the way it is.
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"I'm not present I'm a drug that makes you dream I'm an aerostar I'm a cutlass supreme In the wrong lane Trying to turn against the flow I'm the ocean I'm the giant undertow I'm the ocean..." - N.Y.
I'm looking at it more globally.
You are assuming the SEC never considered having 9 conference games or getting rid of the rivalry games. I am assuming at some point in the process, all of that was on the table. Either would have been bad for Kentucky. Also, had the conference not expanded, we could have have had to play both Arkansas and LSU. I’ll take my chances with Mzzou. I agree, Mississippi State was always going to be our rivalry game. I’m just glad they didn’t get rid of that and make us play 2 rotating teams from the West instead. Of course, next year it might make little difference.
I agree with you about the seven straight conference games, but (and I have no idea what I’m talking about here) that could have been dictated by our existing out of conference schedule. Again, I don’t know about that one.
ALS
by Alex Scutchfield on Dec 28, 2011 11:39 PM EST up reply actions
Does anyone honestly think we'll have a chance to win more than two conference games - I don't
Miss. St. at home maybe; Vandy at home maybe and that’s about it. I’m actually trying to be optimistic saying we can beat Vandy at home, I think its probably a 50-50 game.
I really don’t see enough possible wins to get to a bowl with Louisville being on the schedule and we have to play them at Papa Johns.
If we were to go to Knoxville and beat the Vol’s the fans would storm the field, as we did in November and hang Dooley from a goal post.
A man is nothing more than a summation of his scars!
That's the 64,000 question in all of this
We can argue about whether this worked out well for us or not, but we all have to be wondering if any of it will matter.
ALS
by Alex Scutchfield on Dec 29, 2011 12:02 AM EST up reply actions
Another 2-6 record looks within reach
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But if we get unlucky on a few things, it could be 1-7. The Vandy game will not be an automatic ‘W’, even at home. Or heck, for that matter, neither will Miss. State.
It is hard to see where the third win would come from. And I think that by being in the East and playing Miss. State from the West we will even have one of the easiest schedules in the league.
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"I'm not present I'm a drug that makes you dream I'm an aerostar I'm a cutlass supreme In the wrong lane Trying to turn against the flow I'm the ocean I'm the giant undertow I'm the ocean..." - N.Y.
Vandy could come back to earth next year
But until I see otherwise, I think Mississippi State is going to have our number for a while. As always, the conference schedule is going to make the Louisville game really important.
ALS
by Alex Scutchfield on Dec 29, 2011 9:39 AM EST up reply actions
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