So how did we get so lucky to draw Kentucky as our permanent basketball opponent?
On Thu, May 31, 2012 at 9:07 AM, Shane Ford <[email protected]>wrote: > No consensus on football slate****** > > ** ** > > ** ** > > SEC Commissioner Mike Slive says that the league's football coaches talked > about scheduling scenarios on Wednesday. (The Associated Press)**** > > By Robbie Andreu <http://www.gatorsports.com/personalia/andreur> > Gainesville SUN Staff writer**** > Published: Thursday, May 31, 2012 at 6:01 a.m.**** Last Modified: > Thursday, May 31, 2012 at 12:11 a.m.**** > > ** ** > > ** ** > > DESTIN — Adding two new schools has added some excitement to the SEC. It's > also created some confusion in terms of scheduling in football and > basketball.**** > > The league's basketball coaches seem to have figured it out. They have > reached a consensus. The football coaches apparently have not two days into > the SEC's Spring Meetings.**** > > While the basketball coaches have proposed a new 18-game schedule that > will include one permanent opponent and four rotating opponents, the > football coaches have yet to reach a consensus on what schedule format is > best now that the league has expanded to 14 teams. **** > > “There are a lot of issues going on there (with proposed scheduling),” > Georgia coach Mark Richt said after Wednesday's league meetings. “There was > no consensus. There was no, ‘Everybody thought this or everybody thought > that.' **** > > “We're not saying anybody is right or wrong. Everybody's got their own > opinion on what's best for their school.”**** > > The football coaches have been debating three formats: 6-1-1 (six division > games, one permanent opponent and one rotating opponent from the opposite > division); 6-2 (six division games and two rotating opponents); and a > nine-game SEC schedule.**** > > At day's end, SEC Commissioner Mike Slive said there is a leader in the > clubhouse — the 6-1-1 format — after the coaches met with the athletic > directors Wednesday afternoon.**** > > “Our coaches were really impressive and they came in and had a very > thoughtful sharing session with our athletic directors, talking about the > various formats,” Slive said. “They shared the complexities of developing a > format, the same complexities our athletic directors have been sharing over > the past several months.**** > > “Our athletic directors will have to think it through. If they're ready on > Friday, they'll decide on a format. If not, they'll look some more. I think > there is a leader in the clubhouse. At some point, a decision will be made.” > **** > > Opinions were all over the place after the coaches met with the ADs on > Wednesday.**** > > While Richt said there was no consensus among the 14 coaches, LSU's Les > Miles said there was, that most of the coaches like the proposed 6-2 > format, where there are six division games and two rotating opponents with > the opposite division. **** > > The 6-2 format would eliminate permanent opponents from the opposite > division — and eliminate (on an annual basis) some of the SEC's most > traditional rivalries, like Alabama-Tennessee and Auburn-Georgia.**** > > “I'm trying to represent the room that's not here,” Miles said. “I would > say the majority would be for that (the 6-2 format).”**** > > Richt and Tennessee coach Derek Dooley quickly contradicted Miles, saying > they both support the 6-1-1 format that would keep the league's > long-standing rivalries intact.**** > > “I prefer 6-1-1,” Richt said. “What happened was everybody has got their > opinion because everybody is different. Georgia, Florida and South > Carolina, their in-state rivals (Georgia Tech, FSU and Clemson, > respectively) are out of conference. That's a big game.**** > > “Some schools, they don't have an in-state rival, some have one within > league play. For me, 6-1-1 makes the most sense. Some people think the > rivalry games are really important. With 6-2, you lose Georgia-Auburn. My > sentiment, to be real clear, is we should play Auburn.”**** > > Miles' athletic director, Joe Alleva, said the 6-1-1 format is favored by > the athletic directors and predicted it would be approved Friday.**** > > “As of right now I think that's probably what's going to happen,” Alleva > said. “I think there's going to be some more discussion to go to a 6-2 > model, but I don't think there's enough votes in the room for a 6-2 model. > **** > > “Even though it's unfair and inequitable, I think (6-1-1) will still pass. > If you're going to do that then you should just count the games within the > division for the division winner. But that doesn't have any traction, > either.”**** > > The argument (on all sides) will be passed onto the league presidents and > chancellors today.**** > > The coaches did seem to agree on one thing Wednesday: a nine-game SEC > schedule probably is not the way to go.**** > > “I'm not interested in nine,” Richt said.**** > > Other coaches echoed that sentiment.**** > > While the football coaches were having a hard time agreeing on a new > schedule format Wednesday, the basketball coaches came up with their > proposal that will be voted on Friday.**** > > The new 18-game SEC basketball schedule will feature one permanent > opponent and four rotating opponents (that will change annually). Each team > will play eight league opponents only once.**** > > “The athletic directors still have to finalize it, but I think we're > pretty much there,” Slive said. “It will be finalized Friday. I don't think > there is any question about that.”**** > > Florida's permanent opponent will be Kentucky. The other permanent > opponents will be Alabama-Auburn, Missouri-Arkansas, > Mississippi-Mississippi State, Vanderbilt-Tennessee, South Carolina-Georgia > and LSU-Texas A&M.**** > > UF coach Billy Donovan said he isn't sure how the decision was reached to > make UF and Kentucky permanent opponents (meaning they will play a > home-and-home series every year).**** > > “I don't know how that all worked out,” Donovan said.**** > > As part of the new schedule format, the top four teams in the league at > the end of the season will receive double byes in the SEC Tournament, which > will begin a day earlier (Wednesday) now.**** > > Georgia coach Mark Fox said the new format likely will be reviewed again > after the season.**** > > “We're going to do a lot of things for the first time with a 14-team > league that we may look back a year from now and say, ‘That was a great > idea.' “ Fox said. “We may do some things where we didn't see that coming > and we may want to change our thought.”**** > > ** ** > > ** ** > > ** ** > > ** ** > > ** ** > > ** ** > SEC coaches support player pay**** > > ** ** > > ** ** > > South Carolina head football coach Steve Spurrier, shown in this July 20, > 2011 file photo, presented a proposal to the athletic directors Wednesday > that would pay certain athletes between $3,500 to $4,000 annually.**** > > *Doug Finger/The Gainesville Sun* **** > > By Robbie Andreu <http://www.gatorsports.com/personalia/andreur> > Gainesville SUN Staff writer**** > Published: Wednesday, May 30, 2012 at 6:20 p.m.**** Last Modified: > Wednesday, May 30, 2012 at 6:20 p.m.**** > > ** ** > > ** ** > > DESTIN -- South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier's proposal a year ago to pay > college football players died a quick death at the SEC Spring Meetings.*** > * > > But he's trying again.**** > > With unanimous support from the other 13 league coaches, Spurrier > presented a proposal to the athletic directors Wednesday that would pay > certain athletes between $3,500 to $4,000 annually. Spurrier reiterated > what he said a year ago, that much of the money would come from the > coaches, if necessary.**** > > “It's very similar to last year,” Spurrier said. “We're trying to get > extra money for living expense, academic expense, game-related expense to > our players because of the tremendous amount of money -- billions -- > they're bringing.**** > > “We as coaches believe they are entitled to a little more than room, > books, board and tuition. Again, we as coaches would be willing to pay it > if they were to approve it to where our guys could get approximately get > three, four thousand bucks a year. It wouldn't be that much, but enough to > allow them to live like normal student-athletes."**** > > The NCAA is considering a proposal to pay athletes $2,000. The SEC > coaches' proposal could double that total.**** > > "That's correct,” Spurrier said. “We think they need more and deserve > more. It's as simple as that."**** > > Spurrier was asked about the complexities of paying 85 scholarship > football players.**** > > "It's a complicated formula,” Spurrier said. “I don't want to get into all > that, but it would be a way for football players to get approximately > $3,500 to $4000 for the entire year to live like a normal student-athlete. > It's not a lot, considering how much they bring in, but we'll see if it can > go anywhere.**** > > "(Commissioner Mike Slive) is usually supportive and he'll pass it on and > see where it goes I guess."**** > > The proposal will go before the league presidents and chancellors today.** > ** > > *No SOS proposal on divisions***** > > Spurrier has been adamant recently about his belief that the division > winners in football each season should be determined by the record within > the division (and not include games against opposing divisions.)**** > > Several other coaches have said they also liked the idea, but the coaches > did not come up with a proposal this week.**** > > “We didn't propose a definite way,” Spurrier said. “We just sort of talked > about it, different ways to do it.”**** > > *Yeguete healthy, in France***** > > Florida forward Will Yeguete, who missed the final eight games of the > season with a fractured foot, has fully recovered, UF coach Billy Donovan > said. Donovan said Yeguete has returned to his native France for the summer. > **** > > “He's doing good. He's fully recovered,” Donovan said. “ We've gone > drastically slower with him simply just because it's been so much time. I > would say that right when we finished the NCAA Tournament he was doing pool > workouts and was able to jog a little bit. In the last month of school he > started to do some more cutting, moving and shooting. They've gone really > slow.**** > > “The biggest concern was since he was going back to France they wanted to > really make sure that nothing was done here at Florida rehab wise that if > he got set back he would have to find rehab in France.**** > > “Our doctors and trainers felt very comfortable that when he left that he > was in a good place physically where he could actually start to do some > running, some playing and shooting.”**** > > Donovan said Yeguete would be back in Gainesville at the end of June along > with the rest of UF players.**** > > “These guys will come back to summer school (Summer B),” Donovan said. “We > have that rule now where we can work our guys out two hours a week, so > (Yeguete) will be involved with that.”**** > > ** ** > > -- > GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! > 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions > 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions > 2008 National Football Champions | > Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), > Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us -- Helen Huntley (727) 823-3801 www.helenhuntley.com -- GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 National Football Champions | Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us

