It is obvious Billy Donovan is not happy with the SEC’s new scheduling format, after describing it as “putting teams at a disadvantage, competitively”.
The problem is the unbalanced nature of the schedule, forcing some teams to play on a Thursday-Saturday basis while others are not put in the same situation. The Gators are about to confront the first of two Thursday-Saturday matchups, as they travel to Oxford, Miss. to face Ole Miss.
This situation adds to Donovan’s dislike with the schedule makers, as the Gators must travel over 605 miles to Oxford, Miss. and return to Gainesville for Saturday’s game against 16th ranked Mississippi State, offering little rest and preparation for the players and coaches in the middle of already tough SEC play.
Donovan feels it is the SEC’s responsibility to devise a schedule that can benefit the goal of making the NCAA Tournament and does not rely as much on television contracts. Since signing a 15-year deal, worth more than $2 billion with ESPN back in 2008, the SEC has replaced games on Wednesday for Thursday, causing the common scenario of Thursday-Saturday matchups.
According to Donovan the scheduling is not just a Florida issue, but an SEC problem that affects many teams in the league other than Florida. Donovan is not alone in openly questioning the scheduling format, as Vanderbilt head coach Kevin Stallings has also complained about some team’s fortunes.
These are two of the tenured coaches in the SEC and have seen a format in the past that worked and was balanced for all teams. They know it is possible and are hoping for the sake of future fairness and competitive nature that the SEC is able to resolve the issue. Whether that is ESPN bringing back Wednesday games, moving the games a day back to Sunday instead of Saturday, or choosing the Thursday-Saturday matchups with travel time more considered.
We will see how Donovan and the Gators are able to handle the adversity of the schedule, after their trip to Ole Miss Thursday and face a 16th ranked Mississippi State team Saturday in the O’Dome.
Anthony Richards
@GridironGator
http://secfanatic.wordpress.com/
