This dropped yesterday.
Added insight:
And some more…
Penn State may have an Indiana-easy pathway, but let’s not forget that James Franklin isn’t exactly winning the big ones:
Is James Franklin the most overrated coach of all time? Who in the hypothetical poll is overrated, who is underrated?
Discuss.
So much for the debate about how many you play…how about trying on how many times you’d play in a single season. Thats what’s going on in the PAC-(insert number here).
I wonder how that affects the PAC’s strength of schedule.
So, Week 1 games will feature a #1 vs #2.
Personally, it would be intriguing if the Week 0 games were scheduled after the polls came out to do a top 4 set of games. I wouldn’t mind facing Penn State while Texas plays the Buckeyes, if for anything else, it would make for a great SEC vs B1G weekend.
I would like to make fun of this, but I gotta admit, I’m jealous.
That cannon shot from years ago never translated into deep revenue streams for our friends from Columbia, but if you told me I could get a set of tickets for $100 to Georgia home games? Hell, that will hardly cover one ticket if you’re hoping to head to Athens this season.
I mean, you could maybe go see three of these games, but you’ll pay more for those three games than a whole season ticket set to a Cacklacky game (I kid, sort of). Or, you could mortgage your home and try to attend the Alabama and Texas games this season.
It’s just means more, but in some places, it means the most.
Shot:
Chaser:
And the B1G bitches keep on talking, don’t they?
When you just went through a season of talking point bullshit about how it’s not strength of schedule but quality of losses, this shouldn’t come as a surprise.
I mean, it’s just Virginia. But when you’re Indiana, I guess I could see the threat, especially if one were to lose to what is considered a lower tier football team in a perceived lower-tiered football conference.
Warde Manuel, you could’ve always told Indiana to hire Stalions to steal their signals and not made it out like they were running scared.
But tell me again why the SEC should play 9 conference games?
For all we know, Kirby wasn’t referencing the B1G as one of those two.
Here’s an interesting conspiracy theory for you.
Additional context emerges:
Hmmm. In yesterday’s post about B1G scheduling one commenter noted:
Man, I love the Dawgs, but I’m not sure I’d throw that stone. Before last season, Georgia had some fairly soft schedules.
Look at 2023 for example:
UT Martin
Ball State
South Carolina
UAB
Auburn
#20 Kentucky
Vandy
Florida
#14 Missouri
#10 Ole Miss
#21 Tennessee
GA Tech
True enough, and I had previously posted some stats comparing the season 2021-2024 that essentially pointed to the fact that part of the drop off in offensive production could be attributed to facing a tougher gauntlet of teams in 2024, especially on the defensive side of the ball, that affected the offensive and defensive production.
The difference here is the narrative that is now utilized in justifying the CFP12. Indiana played a softer schedule than Georgia’s 2023 schedule, but the Committee justified Indiana’s presence in the CFP not on quality wins or strength of schedule, but on quality losses. Since the B1G, who has argued that all conferences need to play a 9 game conference schedule, seems to justify their strength based on a competitive conference slate, it would stand to reason that the 9 games would feature a balance of the good and the bad, but that’s simply not the case for the three projected best teams in the conference.
Similarly, the SEC, remaining with an 8 game conference schedule for the foreseeable future, broke down the division barriers and could easily rewrite conference schedules each year based on the previous year’s results to arrive at a balanced schedule…but, alas, Texas. Georgia, Alabama, Florida, and Oklahoma are all given a grueling schedule while the new conference darling Longhorns get to cake walk through the season. Why? That’s the million dollar (or billion) question that a lot of people would like to know.
SEC media days are coming up. I hope that a few inquiring minds press to know what the 2026 season schedules are shaping up to look like.
Today, in projected wins for the greatest football conference on earth:
What better way to ensure conference representation in the CFP than giving the three best teams in your conference a Charmin-soft schedule. I can see the benefit of the 9 game in-conference scheduling coming to fruition when you pit strength against weakness here.
As another point of comparison, peep the differences in prices for tickets in the third party market for Georgia’s $chedule:
It ju$t mean$ more, amirite?
I’m sure Kirby would still like a word with Greg Sankey. Ohio State avoids Oregon and plays James Franklin’s group as their hardest tilt on the season. Of course, there’s always Michigan, but imagine if Georgia drew a schedule where they played Texas and nothing but the lower half of the conference the rest of the season. Imagine the stat padding that would ensue to make the rest of the college football world believe they’re world beaters.
Seemed to work for Indiana, anyway.
Based on the earlier post this morning, Georgia is being slated to win 9.5 games. That would suggest two projected losses and one toss-up from the 12 games this year. Here’s the schedule, in case you weren’t aware:
Looking at it, no doubt it’s tough. Given some of the on-field product from 2024, it’s understandable for some Munsons on here to see four or more losses. The rosy optimistic might see that we get some of the hardest at home and can run the table.
I’m a mix of both I guess, where I feel the 9 wins are easy to find here:
Will they all be easy? Definitely not? I don’t see nope Miss having the same defense as last year and until Tennessee and Auburn show some signs of life against Georgia, I remain confident that we beat the Orange here easily. Tech will be tough as usual, and currently are being given a win likelihood of 7.5 by the same site referenced earlier. They could make some noise and we already know they’re scary as hell under Brent Key.
Florida could be the .5 game by oddsmakers, because they were very Jekyll and Hyde last year. They could be great, they could be putrid. I remain skeptical.
That leaves Alabama and Texas. I’m skeptical on Alabama because they seem to have the same stupid curse on us that Tennessee and Florida held on us during the 90s. As far as Texas goes, I thought they wouldn’t have any semblance of defense to survive an SEC season and turned out to have a pretty decent one (against fairly poor offenses on their schedule, but they were pretty tough and gritty). With the turnstiles on NIL spinning in Austin, what team will we see in Athens come November? Will Archduke actually be the second coming?
What’s your thoughts?
At least one bookmaker has released their forecast for the upcoming season.
Consider this your daily reminder that Auburn sucks, because I just don’t see how Auburn has improved enough to achieve 8 wins, given that a few teams they’ll play have likely gotten better.
I am a little stumped at the odds for TAMU, considering they still have a talented group and have beefed up through the portal and recruiting, as well. I’d be willing to put some good money on Vanderbilt exceeding 5.5 as well as Arkansas if they can just keep their QB healthy.
Who do you see as beating the odds here, and who do you think will fall short?