Alabama AD Greg Byrne responds to fan who criticized Tide's non-conference schedule
Recently, ESPN ranked the nation’s 10 easiest non-conference schedules for 2019, and four SEC programs were listed: Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee.
Of the four, only Alabama is likely the only legitimate College Football Playoff candidate; so, the Tide’s schedule will always be under a microscope. With non-conference foes of Duke, New Mexico State, Southern Miss and Western Carolina, it gives ammunition to criticize the Tide’s schedule, regardless of its conference schedule.
Recently, a fan named Clark Packard and former Alabama star Jonathan Allen had a back-and-forth discussion on Alabama’s non-conference schedule, and Alabama AD Greg Byrne also chimed in.
Here’s the conversation, based on the original discussion headed by none other than Paul Finebaum:
No because are conference schedule is tougher than any other conference!
— Jonathan Allen (@jonallen93_) June 22, 2019
Sure. Tell that to the SEC schools that play tough out of conference schedules; SC plays Clemson and UNC; UGA plays Norte Dame and GT; UF has FSU; A&M has Clemson. Alabama can schedule better out of conference opponents.
— Clark Packard (@clark_packard) June 22, 2019
Scheduling is challenging. It takes two teams to make it work where there is mutual interest and dates that work.
We are very appreciative of the schools who have agreed to H&H series (TX, WVU, ND & OU). Working on more & occasional neutral. #RollTide https://t.co/aDO2FRMRzy
— Greg Byrne (@Greg_Byrne) June 23, 2019
These schedules are formed years in advance, and it is very difficult to schedule other powerhouse programs in the near-future.
As Byrnes notes, Alabama has scheduled future home-and-home series with Texas (2022, 2023), West Virginia (2026, 2027), Notre Dame (2028, 2029) and Oklahoma (2032, 2033).
UNC… FSU… GT??? Really bro
You conveniently left out Notre dame and Clemson
But Clemson and Notre Dame don’t suck
I don’t care how hard it is to schedule more h/h games.get it done. Filling the gaps with one game schedules, some at home, some away. Then never leave the concept. Also, go to a 9 or10 game conference schedule. It way past time to enlarge that one.
!0 would be a lot but I’m for a 9.
Pitiful for Saban to hand pick set-up games
Neutral site game opponents aren’t picked by the coaches or AD’s. The host site offers the teams the opportunity to play. They basically say yes or no. I guess Duke was the best opponent they could find for Bama. Kinda sad, but oh well. There will be other games on.
He has no clue how games are scheduled.. The dude is clueless..
FCS team Western Carolina is a great hand picked matchup for Alabubba. I can’t wait!
Western Carolina or Kentucky… It would be the same result… UK is a cupcake for Bama.
The Duke game has multiple facets involved… One Coach Cutcliffe is an Alabama Alumni and has been a big part of the SEC not only with UT but with Ole Miss. Those facts alone make the scheduling reasons (mind you this game was scheduled I believe 3/4 years ago). Plus it helps with Duke’s and Coach Cutcliffe’s recruiting “resume”. This will be a testing game right out of the chute for Alabama simply because of Coach Cutcliffe’s coaching prowess. I am not saying that the game will be close but it will be an interesting game to watch.
Good post… thanks for the insight FormerDawg.
Actually that is incorrect. Coaches and ADs are very involved with neutral site organizers to arrange games years ahead of time . To affect sites and opponents. Its not like a bowl game as you seem to think .
Actually, that’s not correct. The site is clearly predetermined, and the game organizers are the ones making the calls. Nice try though.
LSUSMC is 100% correct…
The site is predetermined but ADs and coaches are heavily involved in deciding if they want to play.
They can say yes or no when offered. That’s about it.
Correct. But to say the game organizers are the ones making the call is false. ADs and coaches have a big influence on it as well as conference commissioners.
The game organizers reach out to the teams. They can say yes they will play or not they want. What influence do they have? The organizers are offering them a ton of money to play and they either take it or don’t…
Won’t*
There is more to it than just saying yes or no. You have ticket allotment, money negotiations, travel, etc
These teams get more money then they make for a home game with these neutral site games paying between 4 and 5 mill. They school pays for their travel like they always do and tickets is split to the school with the secondary market going to the team with the most traveling fans as usual… That stuff isn’t negotiated…
Not saying they don’t get more money.
Travel for fans, access, do they think their fans will make the trip, etc. Not talking about the team. Alabama had to pay for their hotel rooms, etc last year but this year the game organizers will pay. Each team gets the same allotment of tickets and the rest go out to the public on secondary markets for anyone, not the team with most traveling fans.
In the case for last year, Washington was only going to play if the roof was closed. It was a part of the contract negotiations..
That basically what I said.. The teams get equal tickets and the team that travels the best is going to have the most fans in the stadium by purchasing tickets from the secondary market. As far as travel that is already predetermined by the organizers as well as the pay day.. The school has the details laid out to them by the organizers and they either take it or leave it.. Could they try to negotiate? Sure… is it likely? no.
Exactly. They can negotiate and most do. Simply saying they only say yes or no to the game is not true. There are always “yes but only if” or “no unless you change” moments in a negotiation.
SevenT… given our non-conference schedule and you’re dogging other teams? Really???
Alabama is expected to be a leader for the SEC in football.
UK is expected to have a better win pct against Bama then southern miss but they don’t..
Okay, so they are the leader in SEC football but still doesn’t change the fact that given our schedule this year we shouldn’t be making fun of any team. I don’t care if the team is the US Junior College for Blind & Missing One Leg or Bama… we’ve got no room to point a finger at anyone else.
I don’t know who is really in charge of the scheduling at UK but if we’re going to be talking about knocking down doors then part of that is stepping up with a more challenging schedule. Heck… add back Indiana for crying out loud. No, they’re not a football powerhouse but at least they are a P5 school! Time to stop… getting too aggravated.
Their non-conference schedule this year is kind of suspect, but I think in recent years they have played some pretty strong out of conference teams. However in years past they have had some pretty bad games on the schedule. Not a Bama fan, just an outside opinion.
until Pigalndia stops losing to UNT/CSU and almost Coastal Carolina that schedule looks ligit for the C.Morris squad…
The best part of this back and forth is the UA graduate using “are.” Sports Business major, I bet.
Never had autocorrect screw you huh? I would think even a Sports Business major knows the difference between are and our.
What a weak attempt at a crack. Jonathan Allen is as good a young man to come out of college as can be hoped. Obviously this is an autocorrect issue. Any thinking person would know this right away. He could have proofread this before sending, but most normal people knew exactly what was going on here. I’m no Bama fan, but I will always be a Jonathan Allen fan.
Why would typing O-U autocorrect to A-R? That doesn’t even make sense. He typed as the words sounded in his head. Just a joke guys, take a breath. If I would say “you pansies need to learn to take a ducking joke”…that would be autocorrect.
So now you know what’s in his head and you really don’t think he knows the difference between our and are. Pure genius, you are. If this was a joke, you should leave comedy to others.
There is also this thing called voice text. You talk, it writes. Amazing stuff.
Even Greg McElroy called Alabama’s schedule pathetic.
The Bama AD explained the situation well. They have no reason to fear any team, but other teams have plenty of reasons to fear them.
We all have a cupcake or two, but some schools are really pushing it.
Im a Dawg but Bama owes no one an explanation. This is the first year in a long time Bama hasnt opened with a tough opponent. Until recently only LSU and Bama regularly scheduled blue blood opponents. Plus lets face it, if Bama was playing any other teams non conf schedule they prob still go 4-0 .
The only difference between this year’s schedule for Bama and previous ones is that instead of a great opener (as Bama always has had) we got Duke. But Bama has been cycling through ACC teams for several years now and I guess we’re just completing the circuit. Bama has won every opener since Saban started his run and the list includes every ‘good’ team that the ACC has to offer.
Folks are always looking to take shots at Alabama, but our schedule has always been extremely difficult playing in the most difficult division in CFB and always playing in the biggest, most difficult Conference Championship game. No one cares that Clemson gets to play Pitt while UGA and Bama fight to the death, or Ohio St playing Northwestern, or whatever teams show up in the PAC-12. How about these other conferences get their $hit together before griping about our OOC?
Bama can’t play Clemson every weekend. And playing a home and home series with Bama in the CFP era is dumb. It is almost a sure loss with how Bama puts their team together, and one loss will more than liukely keep you out of the playoff.
I remember when our beloved Kentucky Wildcats played the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers in Nashville.
Who arranged that game if not the schools?
Anyone remember when one of the flash in the pan schools, BYU, or Boise State said they would pay Alabama a million dollars and play them ANYWHERE?
I believe the Bama AD response was ‘send the check’.
Why shouldn’t Alabama play someone at a neutral site to open the season?
Any school would if the money was right.
Do you think they are going to pick Southern Miss and Tulane to play in Atlanta to open the season?
Geez, the stupidity on here, in the attempt to get someone to respond to you on things you know nothing about, is remarkable.
People going on other teams sites, with comments simply to get their name on.
By “site” in my comment above , I was referring to school soliciting game organizers in the sites they want to play rather than letting it happen. Thats why almost all kickoff games are in Texas , Florida, or Georgia . Out of region schools want exposure in good recruiting areas.
And it’s wrong.. The schools aren’t reaching out for these neutral site kickoff games. The organizes are reaching out to the schools and coming up with the pairings.
Serious question; do we always know who the organizers are and how much money is involved for the schools?
Yes on both accounts.
Yes, the money and possibly location why the schools take the game… There is no way to know how many teams turned it down before it ended up being Alabama and Duke…. I’m sure duke accepted for the money.
I’m guessing Duke also accepted for the exposure. They don’t get a lot of national prime time games.
Off topic troll
Nice try though
Yes you are…
Hey, what can I say, it’s a weak ass out of conference schedule