Nine-game conference schedule is here to stay, at least for now

Bowden says the move cripples teams that have a natural out-of-conference rival - like Clemson

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Sun Jul 22 20:18:42 GMT-04:00 2012

GREENSBORO – The nine-game conference schedule appears to be a fixture in the Atlantic Coast Conference, at least for now.

The ACC is adding Pitt and Syracuse to the league next season – giving the league 14 teams – and conference athletic directors voted recently to add a ninth game to the conference schedule. That move was met with skepticism by schools that have an out-of-conference rival that automatically earns one of the three out of conference slots.

Former head coach Tommy Bowden, who spoke with TigerNet at the ACC Football Kickoff in Greensboro Sunday, says he thinks the nine-game conference schedule is a mistake.

“The nine-game hurts your ability to schedule. That is why the SEC didn’t do it,” Bowden said. “Right now, they are the dominant football conference and there is a reason they didn’t do it. You need to get out-of-conference W’s, and the fans, athletic directors and the business managers like the marquee opponent. But adding the ninth game reduces your chances. With South Carolina being that 10th game for Clemson, those other two had better be sure-fire wins where you can fumble the ball, turn it over, have injuries and still walk out of there with a win. Going to nine definitely hurts you, and I would have voted against it.”

Conference commissioner John Swofford said Sunday that the athletic directors had a chance to revert back to the eight game schedule in May, and that he realizes how much programs like Clemson’s can be hurt by the new rules.

“They [the league athletic directors] discussed that as recently as May at our spring meeting and the super majority continue to prefer the nine-game schedule,” Swofford said. “It’s a little more challenging for a school that has a rival that is outside the conference - as Clemson does with South Carolina, Georgia Tech does with Georgia, and Florida State does with Florida for instance. But, it also relates to a particular school’s scheduling philosophy and that varies some. I think our athletic directors- I think their feeling collectively has been that seeing each other and playing each other as much as reasonable in both football and basketball which is why we went to a nine game football schedule and an 18 game basketball schedule.”

He also said that it appears the nine-game schedule is a fixture – at least for now.

“Can that be adjusted at some point? That would be up to the institutions,” he said. “And, television had some influence are more conference games. They like more conference games and they also like marquee non-conference games too. Each institution’s non-conference scheduling is handled differently. A lot of how much heartburn it brings each individual program depends on its scheduling philosophies coupled with whether they have a non-conference rival that is already on the schedule each year.”

Bowden said that he was surprised the ACC made the move.

“I was surprised, because the SEC made the decision to go to eight so quick,” he said. “There is a reason they are having a lot of success- look at their out of conference schedules. And now schools like Clemson are losing that seventh home game if they want another marquee matchup. I always fought for that seventh home game. That helps the community with the hotels and the restaurants and the revenue, and that is not to mention what it does for recruiting, which is the name of the game. It gives you another home game to bring in recruits.”