Is the SEC's OOC schedule defensible | Syracusefan.com

Is the SEC's OOC schedule defensible

Orangeyes

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After reading about SU's tough OOC schedule it got me thinking. Just yesterday I had this argument with a former player from Florida State. He defended the SEC in that they already play against the toughest teams in the country in conference. I argued that the SU basketball team plays in the best conference in the country yet get chastised for their OOC schedule, year in, year out.​
My argument is that sure at the top the SEC it is tough, Alabama, LSU, Arkansas & Florida. Lately Tennessee, Georgia, Miss St & Ole Miss haven't been as good as their hype & are somewhat overrated.​
SU is playing Northwestern, USC, Missouri, Minnesota & Stony Brook. compare that with the OCC games of the SEC where most have only one decent opponent​
Georgia: Buffalo, Florida Atlantic, Georgia Southern, Georgia Tech.​
Tennessee: North Carolina State , Georgia State, Akron, Troy.​
LSU: North Texas, Washington, Idaho, Towson.​
Kentucky: at Louisville, Kent State, Western Kentucky, Samford.​
Arkansas: Jacksonville State, Louisiana-Monroe, Rutgers, Tulsa.​
Texas A&M: at Louisiana Tech, at SMU, South Carolina State, Sam Houston State.​
Mississippi State: Jackson State, at Troy, South Alabama, Middle Tennessee​
Alabama: Michigan, Western Kentucky, Florida Atlantic, and Western Carolina.​
Phil Steele's 2012 Strength of Schedule​
2. Ole Miss​
5. Florida​
8. Texas A&M​
10. Kentucky​
13. South Carolina​
17. Auburn​
18. Arkansas​
19. Missouri​
28. Alabama​
29. LSU​
38. Mississippi State​
46. Tennessee​
47. Vanderbilt​
72. Georgia​
I would like to see someone do an OOC strength of schedule. If any one has a link please attach to this thread.​
 
After reading about SU's tough OOC schedule it got me thinking. Just yesterday I had this argument with a former player from Florida State. He defended the SEC in that they already play against the toughest teams in the country in conference. I argued that the SU basketball team plays in the best conference in the country yet get chastised for their OOC schedule, year in, year out.​
My argument is that sure at the top the SEC it is tough, Alabama, LSU, Arkansas & Florida. Lately Tennessee, Georgia, Miss St & Ole Miss haven't been as good as their hype & are somewhat overrated.​
SU is playing Northwestern, USC, Missouri, Minnesota & Stony Brook. compare that with the OCC games of the SEC where most have only one decent opponent​
Georgia: Buffalo, Florida Atlantic, Georgia Southern, Georgia Tech.​
Tennessee: North Carolina State , Georgia State, Akron, Troy.​
LSU: North Texas, Washington, Idaho, Towson.​
Kentucky: at Louisville, Kent State, Western Kentucky, Samford.​
Arkansas: Jacksonville State, Louisiana-Monroe, Rutgers, Tulsa.​
Texas A&M: at Louisiana Tech, at SMU, South Carolina State, Sam Houston State.​
Mississippi State: Jackson State, at Troy, South Alabama, Middle Tennessee​
Alabama: Michigan, Western Kentucky, Florida Atlantic, and Western Carolina.​

Basketball and football scheduling is apples and oranges.

You have A LOT more margin for error in basketball.
 
I found something at ESPN ranking nonconference schedules

  • 21. South Carolina: East Carolina, Alabama-Birmingham, Wofford, at Clemson. Playing East Carolina will be dicey for the Gamecocks. No other SEC school has scheduled the Pirates since 1998.

  • 32. Florida: Bowling Green, Louisiana-Lafayette, Jacksonville State, at Florida State. Classic SEC schedule. Three automatic wins, one good game.

  • 33. Alabama: Michigan at Arlington, Texas; Western Kentucky; Florida Atlantic; Western Carolina. Classic Alabama schedule. Three rumdums and a traditional intersectional matchup.
  • 35. Ole Miss: Central Arkansas, Texas-El Paso, Texas, Tulane. Longhorns in Oxford will be a culture clash.

  • 37. Auburn: Clemson at Atlanta, Louisiana-Monroe, New Mexico State, Alabama A&M. Auburn is following the Alabama model.

  • 39. Vanderbilt: at Northwestern, Presbyterian, Massachusetts, at Wake Forest. Two road games at fellow major-conference schools. Vandy is doing its part to make the SEC look good.

  • 47. Georgia: Buffalo, Florida Atlantic, Georgia Southern, Georgia Tech. Georgia has been playing some decent games besides Georgia Tech. But not this year.

  • 53. Tennessee: North Carolina State at Atlanta, Georgia State, Akron, Troy. Just because you're playing in Atlanta doesn't make N.C. State a big-time foe.

  • 55. LSU: North Texas, Washington, Idaho, Towson. Hey, no Louisiana schools. What gives?

  • 57. Kentucky: at Louisville, Kent State, Western Kentucky, Samford. Why Samford? Why not Eastern Kentucky?

  • 58. Arkansas: Jacksonville State, Louisiana-Monroe, Rutgers, Tulsa. By Arkansas standards, this is not a bad schedule.

  • 64. Texas A&M: at Louisiana Tech, at SMU, South Carolina State, Sam Houston State. What a strange schedule. Two home games against I-AA foes. Two road games against mid-majors. The Aggies will be pining for the Thanksgiving game against the ‘Horns.

  • 65. Mississippi State: Jackson State, at Troy, South Alabama, Middle Tennessee. Talk about your tour of Southern mid-majors. Throw in Louisiana-Lafayette, and you've got a smorgasbord.
Link
 
In conclusion here is the conference SOS vs ESPN's nonconference SOS ranking

Ole Miss-2-35

Florida 5-32

Texas A&M 8-64

Kentucky 10-57

South Carolina 13-21

Auburn 17-37

Arkansas 18-58

Missouri 19-? (They actually play 3 decent OOC games, SU, Az. St & UCF)

Alabama 28-33

LSU 29-55

Miss St 38-65

Tennessee 46-53

Vandy 47-39

Georgia 72-47

Games against lower-division teams: 15. All 14 teams play one Division I-AA foe, except Texas A&M plays two.

8.9 percent of the SEC’s non-conference games are against elite competition

Games against other major-conference programs: Nine

Road games: 12. That’s counting three neutral site games

Here is a further breakdown
 
It all evens out: Arkansas is showing the intestinal fortitude to play Rutgers
 

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