In a recent newspaper publication within the United States, a sports writer has hedonistically boasted about how none of the remaining 110 FBS programs can compete with the Southeastern Conference. Below is the link to the article for you to read and formulate your own opinion. The article is written from the perspective of how the SEC possesses a significant win-loss record within their non-conference schedule from 2006 to the present.
http://www.tampabay.com/sports/college/by-any-measure-sec-dominates-college-football/1257147
Upon further review of this article which was posted on October 19, 2012; which was brought to my attention from one of my twitter followers to read. The author is quoted stating “It is the most ruthless, most unforgiving dynasty on the planet. It rules college football, and really, no one else is second” (Tampa Bay Times, 2012). If this is not kicking dirt in the faces of the remaining 110 FBS programs, I do not know what is. The evidence from the authors point of view believes to be insurmountable to any other FBS conference at the FBS level. Boasting that the SEC possesses an non-conference win-loss percentage of 81.3% since 2006, additional to the 6 consecutive “so called BCS National Championships”. If the author was as investigative of a reporter, they would have also investigated further versus than scratching the surface. What the article does not investigate is the multivariate variables that has allowed the SEC to position themselves more strategically to be considered for playing in those championship games.
As an investigative person that I am with a master’s degree in athletic administration/sports administration; I can say with confidence that I have scratched and researched to the core on the college football topic of BCS or a more traditional 16-team playoff format. I have spent the past 5-years investigating college football, written a book(in the process of trying to get it published) and examined many multivariate variables within variables to provide the turths and facts pertaining topics such as this article. Below is the missing evidence and facts from the article pertaining to the SEC.
The SEC’s dominance is a direct relationship to the controlling, manipulating and significant non-conference scheduling advantages that are never examined by many major sports media outlets either local, regional, national, television, radio or newspaper print. The significance to the SEC non-conference success of possessing a non conference win loss percentage rate of 81.3% since 2006; is that since 2006 the SEC also possesses a 81.8 %home field advantage within their non-conference schedule. That indicates that the SEC scheduled 214 more non-conference games at home. In 2 peer reviewed journal written by Jeremy Jamieson(2010) and R. Pollard & J Pollard(2005); which investigated the significance of home field advantage associated with win loss records to determine if the home filed advantage does possess a significance to a better win loss record. Examining the article author’s facts further and using his reference point of 2006, this is what the author failed to reveal.
Since 2006, the SEC has significantly increased its scheduling rate with FCS programs by 233%. In 2006, only 6 SEC programs scheduled FCS programs. In 2012, all 14 SEC programs have scheduled a FCS program. Since 2006, the SEC has scheduled 72 FCS games, second only to the ACC which has scheduled more since 2006 at 74. Those 72 FCS home games account for 26.1% of their non-conference games. Examining the scheduling of the SEC further, the SEC has scheduled 167 Non-BCS programs. Of those 167 Non-BCS programs, 88.6% or 148 were scheduled at home. Only Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Mississippi State, Mississippi and LSU has scheduled a Non-BCS program away. However, LSU only scheduled a Non-BCS program away once. The remaining non-conference games versus BCS programs resulted in 96 total games scheduled. Of those 96 games, 54 or 56.2% were scheduled at home. What many of the SEC supporters comments might include are; “some of those games were at neutral sites” or “our conference is all BCS programs”. With that said, neutral site games are determined either possessing a historic scheduling such as the Texas/Oklahoma annual meeting. Even with that historical scheduling you can significantly determine who will be the home or away team based upon the rotational basis. The games where Boise State came East to play Georgia in a neutral site in Atlanta is not neutral. For that game to be neutral the game should have been played in Nebraska or Kansas, an equal distance between the programs.
The most damaging evidence against the SEC which the author left out of this article, was the numerical date within each SEC program since 2006. The evidence below will significantly indicate that the SEC does possess a home field scheduling advantage within their non-conference schedule. All results are from 2006 to the present.
- Alabama(7-0, 2012). 26 Home and 2 Away, that’s a 92.8% home field advantage within the non conference schedule, additional with a non-conference record of (25-2) and a non conference home record of (23-2); leaving a FCS opponent scheduled at the end of the 2012 season as the remaining non-conference game left. Of the non-conference games scheduled since 2006, Alabama’s BCS opponents consists of: Duke(2H, 1A), Penn State(1H, 1A), Florida State(H), Virginia Tech(H), Clemson(H) and Michigan(H). Alabama only travels 582 miles to Dallas, where as Michigan travels 1180 miles to Dallas. Some neutral site. Many other FBS programs would be national champions or ranked number 1 in the nation too; if they played more games at home. Fact, since 1996, Alabama possesses a 90.1% non-conference home field scheduling advantage with 55H and 6A.
- Arkansas(3-4). 26H/2A at 92.8% with a (23-4) non-conference record and home record of (22-3); leaving a non conference game at Tulsa left for 2012. Of the non-conference games scheduled since 2006, Arkansas’s BCS opponents consists of: Texas A&M(2H) prior to the entrance of Texas A&M into the SEC, Texas(A), USC(H) and Rutgers(H). Fact, since 1996 Arkansas possesses a 90.0% non-conference home filed advantage.
- Auburn(1-6). 26H/2A at 92.8% with (20-4) non-conference record and a home record of (22-2); leaving home versus New Mexico State and an FCS opponent for the remaining non confernece games for 2012. Of the non-conference games scheduled since 2006, Auburn’s BCS opponents consists of: West Virginia(1H/1A), Clemson(1H/1A), Kansas State(H) and Washington(H). Fact, since 1996 Auburn also possesses a 90.0% non conference home field advantage like Arkansas.
- Florida(7-0). 24H/4A at 85.7% with (23-2) non conference record with a home record of (21-1); leaving Louisiana Lafayette, Florida State and a FCS opponent left for 2012. Of the non-conference games scheduled since 2006; Florida’s BCS opponents consists of: Miami(Fla.)(H), South Florida(H) and the annual Florida State game(3H/4A). This is a historical scheduled rivalry which can be accounted for a home and home like Texas/OU. Fact, since 1996, Florida possesses a 83.3% non-conference home field advantage, plus they have never left the state of Florida for a scheduled non-conference games since 1991 at Syracuse. Talk about home field advantage, but yet we call them national champions when they have not left the southeast region of the United State.
- Georgia(6-1). 22H/6A at 78.5% with (22-4) non-conference record with a home non-conference record of (18-2); leaving Georgia Tech and a FCS opponent left for 2012. Of the non-conference games scheduled since 2006; Georgia’s BCS opponents consists of: Colorado, Oklahoma State and Arizona State all (1H/1A). The annual Georgia Tech game is just like the FLA/FLA St.game with (3H/3A). Fact, since 1996, Georgia possesses a 80.0% non-conference home field advantage. At least Georgia went further West than other SEC programs.
- Kentucky(1-7). 24H/4A at 85.7% with a (23-4) non conference record and a home non-conference record of (21-3); leaving a FCS opponent scheduled for 2012. Of the non-conference games scheduled since 2006; Kentucky’s BCS opponents consists of none. Kentucky possesses an annual rivalry game with Louisville(3H/3A). Fact, since 1996 Kentucky possesses a 75.0% non conference home field advantage.
- LSU(7-1). 24H/4A at 85.7% with a (28-0) non conference record and a home non-conference record of (24-0) and no one left to play on their 2012 non conference schedule. Of the non-conference games scheduled since 2006; LSU’s BCS opponents consists of: Washington(2A), West Virginia (1H/1A),Arizona(H), Virginia Tech(H), North Carolina(A) and Oregon(H). Fact, since 1996 LSU possesses a 85.5% non-conference home field advantage. LSU travels 427 miles to Dallas and Oregon travels 2130 miles to Dallas. Again some neutral site.
- Mississippi(4-3). 21H/7A at 75.0% with a (20-8) non conference record and a home non-conference record of (15-6) with no one left on their non-conference schedule. Of the non-conference games scheduled since 2006; Mississippi’s BCS opponents consists of Missouri(1H/1A) prior to their joining the SEC, Wake Forest(1H/1A) Texas(H). Fact, since 1996 Mississippi possesses a 73.3% home field non conference advantage.
- Mississippi State(7-0). 18H/10A at 64.2% with a (21-7) non conference record and a home non conference record of (14-4) with no one left on their non conference schedule for 2012. Of the non-conference games scheduled since 2006; Mississippi State’s BCS opponents consists of: West Virginia and Georgia Tech both(1H/1A). Fact, since 1996 Mississippi State possesses a 68.3% home field non conference advantage.
- South Carolina(6-2). 22H/6A at 78.5% with a (24-2) non conference record and a home non conference record of (20-1); with Clemson and a FCS opponent left on their 2012 non conference schedule. Of the non-conference games scheduled since 2006; South Carolina’s BCS opponents consists of: North Carolina State(1H/1A) and North Carolina(A). The annual rivalry game between Clemson(3H/4H) accounts just like the Fla./Fla. St. rivalry. Fact, since 1996 South Carolina possesses a 76.7% home field non conference scheduling advantage.
- Tennessee(3-4). 24H/4A at 85.7% with a (22-5) non conference record and a home non conference record of (20-3) with a non conference game versus Troy left on their 2012 non conference schedule. Of the non-conference games scheduled since 2006; Tennessee’s BCS opponents consists of: California and UCLA both (1H/1A), Oregon(H), Cincinnati(H) and North Carolina State(H). At least Tennessee went West to play BCS programs. Fact, since 1996 Tennessee possesses a 81.7% home field non conference scheduling advantage.
- Vanderbilt(3-4). 18H/10A at 64.2% with a (15-11) non conference record and a home non conference record of (12-5) with Massachusetts and Wake Forest left as non conference games for 2012. Of the non-conference games scheduled since 2006; Vanderbilt’s BCS opponents consists of: Duke, Connecticut and Northwestern each with (1H/1A), Wake Forest(3H/2A), Michigan(A) and Georgia Tech(A). Fact, since 1996 Vanderbilt possesses a 66.7% home field non conference scheduling advantage.
Texas A&M and Missouri are not considered as SEC programs until the season has come to a completion.
These results indicate that the SEC programs with a 75% or greater non conference scheduling advantage is significantly scheduling 4 Home non conference successive seasons. This successive scheduling practice and rate indicates that the SEC is acting hedonistically to strategically control and manipulate the computer variables which uses numerical information to return a number for a BCS statistical number. This does not even include the human subjective voters opinion based ranking system which is also manipulated. What we can determine by this evidence is that 83% of the 12 SEC programs are significantly acting hedonistically. They fear playing away from their home environments within their non conference schedule to significantly decrease or jeopardize their chances to play for the national title game and increased revenues for the conference. What does this significant evidence suggest against the SEC is that the SEC(Schedule Easy Conference)knows how to controls the variables for strategic positioning versus risking playing away from home.
Truth hurts…as Sgt. Joe Friday said on Dragnet “Just the facts ma’am”.