Bama OOC Scheduling

Oct 25, 2018, 10:35 PM

I feel like CU doesn't get enough credit scheduling home-and-home series like TAMU, Auburn, UGA, etc. Bama seems to get patted on the back every year for their big OOC games but I started to think about how they always seem to play neutral site games.

Yeah, Saban will schedule lots of good teams to kick off the season but when was the last time they played a true road game out of conference?

The last time they played a true OOC game on the road was 2011 vs. Penn State. So it's been 8 years. But there's more: that series was actually meant to take place in 2004-2005 but was rescheduled in 2003 at Alabama's request due to their pending NCAA investigation:

https://gopsusports.com/news/2003/6/27/Nittany_Lions_Gridiron_Series_With_Alabama_Postponed.aspx

https://www.tuscaloosanews.com/news/20100908/ua-penn-state-series-was-delayed-five-years

Mike Shula would've been HC then and, of course, Nick Saban was at LSU. So the 2011 road game at PSU was set on the schedule years before Nick Saban was ever the Bama HC.

The next game that would remotely qualify was the 2007 FSU game. That was played at a neutral site but in Jacksonville, FL--so safe to say a more partisan crowd. However, that was Saban's first season and he wouldn't have had a hand in that schedule.

You have to go back to ~~Sept 2, 2000~~ Sept 7, 2002 to find the last time Bama played a true OOC road game: ~~UCLA in the Rose Bowl~~ Oklahoma in Norman (Credit to Calhoun2 for catching that).

Nick Saban has never scheduled an OOC road game at Alabama.

Looking ahead at their future OOC schedules, they play:

2019: vs. Duke in ATL
2020: vs. USC in Arlington, TX
2021: vs. Miami in ATL
Then in 2022 they start a home-and-home at Texas. IF they end up playing that game, it'll be the second true OOC road game for Bama in 22 20 years... Roll Tide.

Message was edited by: acevans®

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It's called "The BCS Forumla". It was a prominent scheduling strategy used by most SEC schools, particularly in the later years of the BCS. Play only weak teams OOC, and use the media machine to hype up the other SEC teams who beat up each other = you get biased picks for better bowls and the championship games.

Notice how the nature of the CFP doesnt let this work anymore. You can't beat up your little brother that lives in the same house as you, refuse to fight the bouncer that lives next door, and claim to be the toughest guy in the neighborhood anymore. You have to play OOC teams and win. Dialing up the requirements for competition means that pretty much every SEC team has to go OOC to get a chance, and as such we have seen SEC performance crumble and fall flat on its face in the CFP era, including Alabama when they play tough teams. How many times have we seen B1G teams steamroll SEC teams since the CFP started? More often than not. Alabama's success continues ONLY because they were the best at taking advantage of the BCS and the media. But Alabama is a different story. There is a lot that goes on on the field, off the field, and behind closed doors. Alabama isn't "the best" JUST because they put the best teams on the field, its also because they have the best people who idolize the Alabama mythology working towards the success of that program behind closed doors as well.

Dabo knows this, he grew up in that system and was molded by that system. And now he has brought that model to Clemson, and that model is revolutionizing the game of college football. Dabo also knows the politics of the CFP, and Clemson works off of his vision with the best people dedicated to our program working behind closed doors to ensure out success as well. Remember, Clemson had a lot of our own sitting at the table the CFP was built upon.

Bama OOC Scheduling

So you saying 2021 could be Saban's last year?

I mean, if you're reading the tea leaves...***

Re: Bama OOC Scheduling

Re: Bama OOC Scheduling

You're right--missed that. My bigger point still stands***

Re: You're right--missed that. My bigger point still stands***

Well, at least Bama leaves

Re: Bama OOC Scheduling

Auburn and A&M play the same schedule

Well if you were a dumbarse coot you would understand

They should be play 10 P5 schools a year

Since our regular ‘rival’ is lame...

Re: Bama OOC Scheduling

Remember when you lied and said you only replied to Coot

What about Duke 2010

Schedules work themselves out.

And, there's only one more team on their schedule that will

this is weak, but Bama did play at Duke in 2010

Re: Bama OOC Scheduling

Re: Bama OOC Scheduling

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