The Battle over a 9 Game SEC Schedule

When it comes to college football, Alabama head coach Nick Saban and Les Miles are just different.

Saban pays precise attention to detail and his intensity on the sidelines is a constant reminder to his teams that supreme focus is mandatory, not an option. Miles on the other hand encourages coeds to kiss his players after thrilling games, contests in which he probably ate grass as part of his pregame ritual.

Yes, their coaching styles could not be any more different, but those differences also have carried over into one of the hottest issues this off-season in the Southeastern Conference- the possibility of a 9 game schedule.

During a Crimson Caravan stop in Mobile, Saban told a crowd of reporters that it was his desire for each student athlete to have the opportunity to play against every conference team during the course of their collegiate career. In a video posted on AL.com, Saban also added that while the competition would increase, the on field product would provide more value for the fans as the schedule would feature more marquee games.

Miles disagrees.

The LSU head coach joined the syndicated Tim Brando show and reinforced his belief that his conference schedule is hard enough with divisional games against the likes of Alabama, Arkansas, Texas A&M, and Ole Miss in addition to the Tigers annual game with the Florida Gators and a meeting with Georgia Bulldogs in 2013. If the conference schedule wasn’t enough, Miles noted his team has taken on a tough non-conference game in recent years (this year LSU opens with TCU).

As each of these coaches stated their case, I agreed with aspects of each argument.

As a fan, I would love to see a 9 game conference schedule because it would mean one less game against a small-school opponent that more often than not is over with by the time Alabama walks down the Walk of Champions. It would mean the trademark, script “A” would be even more prominently placed on a national stage, which could only lead to greater growth for Alabama football and the university as a whole.

But at the same time, I took notice of what Miles said- the SEC schedule is really, really, tough. The conference has won an unprecedented 7 consecutive national championships, but in each of those years how many times has the national champion come close to not making the game because of a close call with a conference foe? It happens almost every single year, and often on more than one occasion.

So who wins this battle? Personally, I think Saban does. With each passing day, his legend continues to grow and with each win collected, his status as the face of college football is only further cemented.

While a 9 game schedule would mean a tougher road for the Crimson Tide, I think it would also be its biggest strength. Make sure to visit back here to 991wdgm.com tomorrow to find out why.