SMU Coach Rhett Lashley on ACC and CFP

Vespidae

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Adding to the bold, they also rarely if ever go on the road for OOC and if they do, it’s to a neutral site or it’s local to where they can get their fans there. I think it was Florida who at one point hasn’t played a road game out of conference outside the south east in decades.

This obviously doesn’t count bowl games.
Didn’t Tech just announce plans to play Mercer? At BDS?
 

forensicbuzz

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Adding to the bold, they also rarely if ever go on the road for OOC and if they do, it’s to a neutral site or it’s local to where they can get their fans there. I think it was Florida who at one point hasn’t played a road game out of conference outside the south east in decades.

This obviously doesn’t count bowl games.
That was uga. Until they went to Colorado (and lost) they hadn't played an away game west of the Mississippi in like 60 years.
 

cpf2001

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The problem of perception gets larger in the playoff era because conferences are huge and most folks won’t be doing the digging to distinguish who played good in-conference opponents and who played bad ones.

This also of course hurts conference-mates like say, UGA vs Texas this year, but also those in other conferences who won’t benefit from reflexive “oh they only lost one conference game in the SEC, that must mean they had a lot of good wins too.”
 

Northeast Stinger

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We often accuse others of doing the same thing we do. Playing cupcakes isn’t new. Especially when injuries really matter in a 15 game season.
We keep losing the thread of this discussion it seems. Playing Kent State isn’t the criticism per se, it’s the dubious optics of playing UMass or Kent State or any of the other OOC cupcakes and moving up in the rankings.

But, I certainly am one of those that thought Tech should begin each season with a practice game or two. I just don’t expect it to land us in the top ten.
 

GTjunkie

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Adding to the bold, they also rarely if ever go on the road for OOC and if they do, it’s to a neutral site or it’s local to where they can get their fans there. I think it was Florida who at one point hasn’t played a road game out of conference outside the south east in decades.

This obviously doesn’t count bowl games.
Listening to Full Ride on Siriusxm today and Rick Neuheisal was talking about Kentucky going to Austin, to play Texas this weekend. He said it's the furtherest west, that Kentucky has ever traveled, for a football game.
 

Vespidae

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We keep losing the thread of this discussion it seems. Playing Kent State isn’t the criticism per se, it’s the dubious optics of playing UMass or Kent State or any of the other OOC cupcakes and moving up in the rankings.

But, I certainly am one of those that thought Tech should begin each season with a practice game or two. I just don’t expect it to land us in the top ten.
It shouldn’t. See Indiana.

No one plays 10 games a year anymore. It’s 12 and maybe, 3 more in the playoffs. You have to manage injuries to do that. If Georgia played Texas, Bama, and Ole Miss on the road (which they did), you should be ok with coming home and playing Lower Slobodia.

I think we get too wrapped up in OOC. If you’re a top ten team and want a marquis match up fine. But if your focus is winning your conference and making the playoffs,I think that’s fine too. Besides, nobody knows the quality of the team when schedules are made. Look at Michigan.

Moving on …
 

stinger78

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Listening to Full Ride on Siriusxm today and Rick Neuheisal was talking about Kentucky going to Austin, to play Texas this weekend. He said it's the furtherest west, that Kentucky has ever traveled, for a football game.
That is not uncommon for SEC teams.

UGAg, other than a couple of Rose Bowls in the CFP, have played OK State there in 2009 and Colorado there in 2010. They lost both and stopped. They did travel to ND in 2017 and won 20-19. Other than those, it’s been Mizzou and Arky as their long trips.

Obscene.
 
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wrmathis

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Vespidae

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In 2023, Florida played its first out-of-state nonconference game since 1991 when they traveled to Utah.

  • 1991: The Gators lost to Syracuse 38-21 in their only out-of-conference road game from 1991 to 2009.


  • 1989: Florida won a true nonconference road game at Memphis.
thats pretty much it for florida. this is regular season and doesnt include bowl games or neutral site games.

Don’t they play Miami, FSU and UCF? Tech could play UGA, Ga State and Ga Southern and do the same.
 

Vespidae

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let me help you out there

Florida played its first out-of-state nonconference game
So? There’s 3 legit OOC programs in Florida. If you’re trying to recruit the state, I would think you would appeal to the entire state. What does UF have to gain by playing Wisconsin? Or Alcorn State?

LSU is completely different. There’s no other legit program in the state.

Much ado about nothing.
 

Root4GT

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In 2023, Florida played its first out-of-state nonconference game since 1991 when they traveled to Utah.

  • 1991: The Gators lost to Syracuse 38-21 in their only out-of-conference road game from 1991 to 2009.


  • 1989: Florida won a true nonconference road game at Memphis.
thats pretty much it for florida. this is regular season and doesnt include bowl games or neutral site games.

When and against who was the last time GT played a regular season game West of Mississippi?
 

cpf2001

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BYU in 2003 and 2013 is the first that comes to mind off the top of my head.

Baylor in the early nineties for a gross loss I was sadly in attendance for.

Edit: I blacked out @Kansas in 2010, ugh.
 

stinger78

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GA Tech games outside the SE:

2024: @ Syracuse
2022: @ Pitt
2021: @ Notre Dame
2020: @ Syracuse, @ Boston College
2019: @ Temple
2018: @ Pitt
2016: @ Pitt
2015: @ Notre Dame
2014: @ Pitt
2013: @ BYU
2010: @ Kansas
2008: @ Boston College
2007: @ Notre Dame
2003: @ BYU
2002: @ UConn
2001: Syracuse @ NJ

Since 2000, excluding bowls, GT has played 9 non-con games out of the SE, 3 of those west of the MS River.

In addition, GT has played 8 conference games outside the SE.

GT ventures away far more often than any SECheat school does.
 

FredJacket

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I really enjoy the debates around the CFB playoff. Bottom line (for me)... the committee (or anyone who must 'pick') has an impossible task. Given the hand they are dealt (130 teams and only 12 game schedules), it is impossible for them or anyone [here] to manage to put together a 4, 12, 16 (whatever) team field without having to be subjective and emphasize some analytical metrics over others in order to rationalize the picks. There will always be the appearance of bias (real and perceived). Bias is impossible to remove.... even in a computer algorithm.
 

Vespidae

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GT ventures away far more often than any SECheat school does.
Why does that matter to you? Are you saying it isn’t noble to play teams nearby? So SMU should’t play Houston, Texas or TAMU?

Florida plays Missouri which is halfway across the country? That’s not good enough?

I get student athlete accommodations request DAILY. Do you know how challenging it is for teams and athletes to prepare, travel AND keep up with school?

Nope. Count me in the camp to keep things in perspective and balance. I don’t have any problem with playing games that are reasonable.
 
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