Something stinks, and it’s called the 2015 SEC Non-Conference Schedule
Something stinks, and it’s called the SEC’s 2015 non-conference schedule.
Listen, we know that you in South Carolina will scream: “Hell, well at least WE’RE scheduling Clemson!” and those in Florida will say: “Screw You! We’re playing FSU!” and you would be right. I would ask you to imagine what would happen if both schools decided NOT to play that schedule. South Carolina, for example, would burn, with both ADs crucified on Hilton Head Island. In Florida, the feeling would probably be the same, since the two sides have been playing since 1958. And maybe Georgia fans will say: “Yeah! And we play Georgia Tech!”. Georgia fans, a rivalry named: “Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate” is probably one of best rivalry names in the history of rivalry names, and Georgia fans LOVE playing this game. Why? Georgia has pretty much owned Georgia Tech since the turn of the millennium (13-1).
But apart from these three rivalries, we only have ONE home-and-home, and that’s the completion of Oklahoma’s visit to Tennessee – in an atmosphere which we expect to be off-the-hook, with the Vols a year older and a year much-improved, buoyed by their SEC victory over Vanderbilt in 2014 (we’re projecting, but still).
Still we hate the fact that South Carolina’s opening up its 2015 season away from the friendly confines of Williams-Brice. It’s something that always tells us that it’s Christmas when the lights are on on a Thursday night in Columbia (and yes, A&M fans, I am aware what happened last time!!!)
What kills me, as usual, is the SEC vs Power 5 Conference games are not home-and-homes, if you ignore Georgia, Florida and South Carolina for a second. There are NOT home-and-homes. They are merely vehicles to get schools and certain NFL owners a ton of cash, and leave season ticket holders absolutely screwed.
If I was an Alabama season ticket holder, I’d be PISSED if I had to go to JerryWorld instead of Tuscaloosa to watch the Wisconsin game. We would have loved Alabama to visit Wisconsin at Camp Randall, too. The atmosphere would have been off-the-hook.
WHAT ARE THE TOP TEN NON-CONFERENCE MATCH-UPS?
1) Clemson vs South Carolina
2) Florida State at Florida
3) Oklahoma at Tennessee
4) Alabama vs Wisconsin (JerryWorld)
5) South Carolina vs UNC (Charlotte)
6) Texas A&M vs Arizona State (Houston)
7) Georgia vs Georgia Tech
8) LSU at Syracuse
9) Louisville at Kentucky
10) Auburn vs Louisville (Atlanta)
The rest of them suck.
Here is each team’s 2015 SEC Non-Conference Match-Ups (Thanks Mr SEC for putting in the hard work on this – mine was just a copy/paste job).
Alabama
Wisconsin (Dallas), MTSU, UL-Monroe, Charleston Southern
Arkansas
Texas Tech, UTEP, Toledo, UT-Martin
Auburn
Louisville (Atlanta), Jacksonville State, San Jose State, Idaho
Florida
New Mexico State, East Carolina, Florida Atlantic, Florida State
Georgia
UL-Monroe, Southern, Georgia Southern, at Georgia Tech
Kentucky
UL-Lafayette, Eastern Kentucky, Charlotte, Louisville
LSU
McNeese State, at Syracuse, Eastern Michigan, Western Kentucky
Mississippi State
at Southern Miss, Northwestern State, Troy, Louisiana Tech
Missouri
Southeast Missouri State, at Arkansas State, UConn, TBC
Ole Miss
UT-Martin, Fresno State, New Mexico State, at Memphis
South Caroilna
North Carolina (Charlotte), UCF, The Citadel, Clemson
Tennessee
UAB (Nashville), Oklahoma, Western Carolina, North Texas
Texas A&M
Arizona State (Houston), Ball State, Nevada, Western Carolina
Vanderbilt
Western Kentucky, Austin Peay, at MTSU, at Houston