Gridiron Connoisseur: October 2016

The postponement of the game between LSU and Florida appears more likely as an inevitable cancellation. The result of the game might not end up mattering much, depending on the scores of many of SEC contests. Two scenarios that could happen will make the decision to forego the game immensely controversial.

Florida has four SEC games left on its schedule. Two of them, Georgia in Jacksonville and Arkansas in Fayetteville appear as tough challenges and possible losses. However, if the Gators can sweep those remaining contests, they would finish 6-1 in SEC play.

The only team who has defeated Florida so far is Tennessee. The Volunteers have six SEC matches remaining. The next two are quite daunting: Texas A&M in College Station then hosting Alabama. It seems quite plausible that Tennessee will end the season with a record of 6-2 in SEC games.

If the results of the SEC East result with Tennessee at 6-2 and Florida 6-1, that is where the controversy goes from a potential firestorm to an actual inferno. Would the SEC allow Florida to represent the SEC East based on a higher winning percentage in SEC games? That would occur despite the Gators having lost to Tennessee and avoided another possible loss by refusing to relocate the game versus LSU.

Another potential squabble involves LSU. What if Ed Orgeron manufactures a turnaround as he did as an interim head coach at Southern California? If LSU wins its remaining SEC contests to finish 6-1, that would include wins over Alabama and Texas A&M. Either of those teams could still finish 7-1 in SEC play. Could LSU be denied a trip to the SEC Championship Game because its winning percentage is lower due to a decision by Florida?

Rescheduling this game seems problematic at best. LSU and Florida do not share an open date. Both have non-conference games at home scheduled for November 19 which as been proposed as a date to play the contest. Florida would have to pay its contracted half million dollars to Presbyterian College. Additionally, LSU would have to spend one and half million dollars to pay its obligation to South Alabama. LSU would also lose an enormous sum due to refunded tickets and lost concession sales. Additionally, it would put a terrible imposition on LSU to travel to Gainesville then have to travel to College Station five days later.

So what can be done to resolve this potential quarrel? One radical solution exists though it will affect the entire world of college football. This would require rescheduling LSU's trip to Florida for December 3. In order to play that game, assuming that it matters in determining the champions of the SEC's divisions, the SEC Championship Game would have to be pushed back for another week. That delay could affect the determination of the four participants in the College Football Playoff.

Could pushing back the announcement of the Final Four of major college football have any chance of coming to fruition just to accommodate the rescheduling of one game? There is precedence in the short history of the College Football Playoff. Last November, the selection committee said it would delay determining the pairings for the New Year's Six bowls for Navy. If Navy had still been contention for the automatic berth for the highest-rated champion of the Group of Five going into its mid-December game versus Army, the committee was going to postpone the announcement to allow for the possibility of Navy earning a spot in one of the bowls.

Of course, such a major upheaval to the realm of college football may not be necessary. If Florida and LSU lose a second SEC contest, playing their match-up would not be required to determine the true champions of the SEC's divisions. One has to wonder how far in advance should the SEC push back its title game. Theoretically, the decision could be made as late as Black Friday. That assumes LSU had just beaten Texas A&M to finish 6-1 in SEC play along with either Alabama or Texas A&M having a 7-1 SEC record. Would such a late decision prohibit to re-scheduling of the SEC title game? The SEC's commissioner, Greg Sankey, could face a making a decision with monumentally outrageous reverberations. This strife could have been avoided if he just exercised some leadership. He should have mandated that LSU and Florida play this weekend, either in Baton Rouge or at a neutral field. Will he be able to hide his cheering against LSU and Florida to forestall this brouhaha?

Gridiron Connoisseur

Friday, October 28, 2016

Seattle Seahawks vs New Orleans Saints Preview and Prediction 2016

Friday, October 21, 2016

Saturday, October 15, 2016

Carolina Panthers vs. New Orleans Saints Preview and Prediction 2016

Friday, October 7, 2016

A Radical Solution to Re-Scheduling LSU vs. Florida

Wednesday, October 5, 2016

Ranking the NFL Divisions After the First Quarter of the Season

Sunday, October 2, 2016

New Orleans Saints versus San Diego Chargers Preview and Prediction 2016

Gridiron Connoisseur

Featured Post