ESPN's toughest 3 week schedule

[FISHDAWG]

We be # 1

http://www.espn.com/college-football...llege-football

[BrunswickDawg]

Bookmark this for when after we sweep the 3 everyone says "but LSU, UGA and Au are having down years".

ETA - no, that's not a prediction.

[ShotgunDawg]

Man...it just seems like this sort of stretch happens often to us.

Is there a reason why?

Is it because the SEC has so many locked in dates like the 3rd Saturday in Oct, Iron Bowl, Cocktail Party, Egg Bowl, & LSU OM Halloween and therefore other games are forced into certain slots?

Not sure what it is, but something about the SEC setup insures that we some abnormal stretch in our season that others don't face.

Perhaps it's just because we aren't Bama or LSU and thus have to play both.

[ShotgunDawg]

Bookmark this for when after we sweep the 3 everyone says "but LSU, UGA and Au are having down years".

ETA - no, that's not a prediction.

The season really rest on these 3 games.

Lose all 3 - gonna be a tough year

Win 1 - we survived and will have a nice year.
Win 2 - outstanding and sets up for a good bowl game.
Win 3 - Oh boy

[Ari Gold]

The scheduling starts with Bama.. and works its way down
You play Bama when Bama tells the SEC when they want to play you .. .

[ShotgunDawg]

The scheduling starts with Bama.. and works its way down
You play Bama when Bama tells the SEC when they want to play you .. .

You know, this is true.

Think about it:

Bama has these games set in stone every year:

Neutral site first game on first weekend against non conference opponent.
3rd Saturday in Oct
LSU the first Saturday in Nov
Iron Bowl Thanksgiving Saturday.

So, because Bama has so many "set in stone" game dates, the entire SEC schedule has to start with them and go from there. They are the reason we end up with gauntlets on our schedule and the reason the divisions are jacked up.

[MSUDawg99]

Man...it just seems like this sort of stretch happens often to us.

Is there a reason why?

Is it because the SEC has so many locked in dates like the 3rd Saturday in Oct, Iron Bowl, Cocktail Party, Egg Bowl, & LSU OM Halloween and therefore other games are forced into certain slots?

Not sure what it is, but something about the SEC setup insures that we some abnormal stretch in our season that others don't face.

Perhaps it's just because we aren't Bama or LSU and thus have to play both.

I agree this sux, however, I heard Hadad say on the B&B show this week that John Cohen has (in the future) decided to move the Arky game out of Nov. so we won't have that awful 3 week Murderer's Row stretch in Nov to end the season. I was ecstatic about that! Most other schools are playing OOC games the week before their rival except us. I don't know when this change will take place as I haven't looked at the SEC scked for 2018 (is it out yet?). But just glad that it's going to change.

[Johnson85]

The season really rest on these 3 games.

Lose all 3 - gonna be a tough year

Win 1 - we survived and will have a nice year.
Win 2 - outstanding and sets up for a good bowl game.
Win 3 - Oh boy

Not really. If we don't beat UGA, we're not going to have any margin for error, but that is not one of our six should wins. If we are good enough to beat UGA at UGA, then 7 wins is probably what we get if we don't blow a game and we should probably get to 8 (UGA, Arkansas, UK, UM, and 4 OOC), and 9 could be on the table (A&M).

[BrunswickDawg]

I agree this sux, however, I heard Hadad say on the B&B show this week that John Cohen has (in the future) decided to move the Arky game out of Nov. so we won't have that awful 3 week Murderer's Row stretch in Nov to end the season. I was ecstatic about that! Most other schools are playing OOC games the week before their rival except us. I don't know when this change will take place as I haven't looked at the SEC scked for 2018 (is it out yet?). But just glad that it's going to change.

SEC isn't out. Unless something changes, 2018 isn't when we will see that November schedule change. Right now we have La Tech on 11/3/18. In 2019, we bring in Abilene Christian 11/23/19 and break up that Bama/Arkansas/OM gauntlet.

[ShotgunDawg]

Not really. If we don't beat UGA, we're not going to have any margin for error, but that is not one of our six should wins. If we are good enough to beat UGA at UGA, then 7 wins is probably what we get if we don't blow a game and we should probably get to 8 (UGA, Arkansas, UK, UM, and 4 OOC), and 9 could be on the table (A&M).

I was considering 6 wins a rough year. My expectations are higher than that.

[Prediction? Pain.]

Here's a related fun fact about our schedule this year: Five of the first seven FBS teams we play have either an off week or an FCS opponent the week before our game.

La. Tech opens with Northwestern State before we visit Ruston. (Of course, we open with Charleston Southern. Even though Charleston Southern has won their conference two years in a row and NW St. won one game last year, I'd like to think that's a wash.)

When we play at La. Tech, LSU hosts everyone's new favorite FCS team -- and, hey, one of my alma maters! -- UT-Chattanooga.

When we play LSU, Georgia hosts Samford.

When we play BYU, Kentucky has the week off.

And when we play Kentucky, Texas A&M has the week off.

[BrunswickDawg]

Not really. If we don't beat UGA, we're not going to have any margin for error, but that is not one of our six should wins. If we are good enough to beat UGA at UGA, then 7 wins is probably what we get if we don't blow a game and we should probably get to 8 (UGA, Arkansas, UK, UM, and 4 OOC), and 9 could be on the table (A&M).

I think it could set up similar to 2014. It hinges on LSU. If we take them out, we have a huge confidence boost headed into Athens. I still think UGA isn't all that and could be picked off with a top shelf performance. With Fitz coming "home" to the school that didn't recruit him we have a Dak/LSU situation for revenge. Combine that with UGA almost always having an early "WTF" loss and you have the ingredients for a big upset.

Win those two and all of a sudden a 3-1 Auburn (they will lose to Clemson) becomes beatable. As usual, it all comes down to our OL.

[Tbonewannabe]

Here's a related fun fact about our schedule this year: Five of the first seven FBS teams we play have either an off week or an FCS opponent the week before our game.

La. Tech opens with Northwestern State before we visit Ruston. (Of course, we open with Charleston Southern. Even though Charleston Southern has won their conference two years in a row and NW St. won one game last year, I'd like to think that's a wash.)

When we play at La. Tech, LSU hosts everyone's new favorite FCS team -- and, hey, one of my alma maters! -- UT-Chattanooga.

When we play LSU, Georgia hosts Samford.

When we play BYU, Kentucky has the week off.

And when we play Kentucky, Texas A&M has the week off.

Didn't something like this happen to Bama a few years ago?

[Covercorner2]

I think our chances this year (or lack thereof) against LSU are greatly misevaluated. We should be improved, and they stand to regress a bit. The game is in Starkville. I also think we aren't intimidated as a program by LSU anymore. That monkey has gotten off our back due to blowing them out in BR and playing them close the past couple of years.

[Johnson85]

I think it could set up similar to 2014. It hinges on LSU. If we take them out, we have a huge confidence boost headed into Athens. I still think UGA isn't all that and could be picked off with a top shelf performance. With Fitz coming "home" to the school that didn't recruit him we have a Dak/LSU situation for revenge. Combine that with UGA almost always having an early "WTF" loss and you have the ingredients for a big upset.

Win those two and all of a sudden a 3-1 Auburn (they will lose to Clemson) becomes beatable. As usual, it all comes down to our OL.

I don't think UGA is all that, it's just that we have a hole or two on our OL, a lack of outside WR threats, and a defense that has a lot of new comers and a big time upgrade at HC, but that still was atrocious last year.

If Grantham has our D clicking early and we get the Texas transfer or another OL is further along than we think, we will suddenly be a good team that is only clearly behind Bama and maybe Auburn (not sure how much they return). But that's a lot of things to fall into place.

[smootness]

Remember 2014 when we all looked at those 3 early games in a row and said, 'Man, if we sweep those we'll be #1 in the country!'

Well...

[Prediction? Pain.]

Didn't something like this happen to Bama a few years ago?

Yeah, it happened to Alabama in 2010. Bama's final six SEC opponents that year had off weeks before their games. (Probably neither here nor there, but they went 3 - 3 in those games. Lost to LSU, SC, and Auburn. Beat UT, U.Miss., and MSU.)

[RocketDawg]

Didn't something like this happen to Bama a few years ago?

Yeah, I think that they had something like 5 games where their opponent had the previous week off. Saban pitched a fit and apparently won that argument.

[LC Dawg]

Saban pitched a fit and apparently won that argument.

Shocking