Nick Saban’s comments on the proposed SEC nine-game schedule have shed light on the reason why the conference is considering making Auburn, Tennessee, and LSU Alabama’s three annual opponents: money.
The Alabama football coach told SI.com that SEC officials have suggested these teams for Alabama’s three annual opponents if the league moves to a nine-game schedule as expected. Although Saban is not thrilled with this, it is in the best financial interest of the TV networks, and by extension, of the SEC, that as many of the league’s best annual rivalries as possible survive the schedule reform made necessary by the league’s addition of Texas and Oklahoma.
These rivalry games generate the best TV ratings, which in turn generate cash by the wheelbarrow for the SEC. Additionally, the SEC has considered a 10-year analysis to address scheduling balance in a nine-game model, while Saban believes a deeper dive would present a better picture.
It is worth noting that Saban has long-favored tougher scheduling, and has lined up a highly competitive run of non-conference games over the next decade-plus. However, he is not on board with taking on three programs with the aggregate firepower of Auburn, UT and LSU every year, while others might get the good fortune of rotating tough and annualizing easy.
Moreover, Saban has pointed out that the Iron Bowl, Alabama-Tennessee, and Alabama-LSU games draw too many TV eyeballs to be played on a rotating basis, and the only way to ensure the TV juice from those games is to lock the matchup in annually.
Ultimately, the SEC is a business, and nobody should be surprised if it makes a business decision. However, the College Football Playoff’s forthcoming 12-team field should eliminate a lot of schedule complaints, as it will presumably reward a school that plays a tough slate and loses an extra game or two with a bid to the playoff party.
In the end, let’s allow the format drama to play out and see what happens when the curtain is finally lifted. Perhaps the SEC scheduling wheel will ultimately spin a different way for Alabama, but only time will tell.
