Is the New SEC Network a Guaranteed Success?

The talk shows are coming, the talk shows are coming.

The launch of the new SEC network is only 2 weeks away and the signs are pointing up. With a partnership through ESPN it seems inconceivable for the network to fail. I know Big 10 country would love to see nothing more than the SEC struggle at their network but that is unrealistic. Whether you’re pro SEC Network or think it’s a money grab for cheating football teams, here are the pros and cons of the television channel.

Pro: If the Big Ten Network can succeed, imagine what the SEC can do as an ESPN affiliate.

The Big Ten Network has been around since 2007, and it feels crazy to think it’s been around for that long. BTN was a partnership with FOX Sports and that’s important to note. FOX Sports 1 wasn’t even around to help promote it yet BTN has powered through some ups and downs.

Now imagine if BTN had the ESPN machine promoting the channel through SportsCenter every hour, or during Monday Night Football. Heck, even on ABC. That’s a huge resource and I haven’t even mention espn.com being loaded with SEC Network promos too. While BTN programming may be hidden on an obscure channel, the SEC Network will be loud and proud with ESPN.

Con: The SEC does not have enough content to fill a 24/7 network 365 days a year.

That is correct, but neither does BTN, ESPN, CNN nor practically every other 24/7 network for that matter. These television stations have mastered the art of filling time and SEC network will do the same. BTN replays games from previous seasons most of the time and somehow that has been enough. A 5-year-old football game beats “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” any day.

Pro: Live sports

Live sporting events, particularly football, are ratings gold and almost impossible to mess up. Well unless you’re FOX Sports 1. Here’s a breakdown of the event programing.

That seems kind of small on the women’s side don’t you think?

Con: These events were already on television anyway

For football that is true. Even the Kentucky Wildcats and Vanderbilt Commodores have had their football games on some platform. The SEC network will steal some games away from ESPNU and will of course wipe out ESPN3. Basketball games, however, are tougher to find and the SEC Network will serve fans greatly during the conference tournaments in both men’s and women’s basketball. The question will be the other sports like soccer and volleyball. Will the SEC faithful watch those too?

Pro: SEC fans see their league as a family

Note that they are not chanting L-S-U after winning the title.

Con: Are there enough basketball fans?

Kentucky and Florida will have the bulk of their basketball games on bigger networks like CBS. Once you get past Vanderbilt and Tennessee you start running into a lack of depth on hardwood. Will people watch South Carolina and Auburn tangle in hoops in a primetime setting? That remains to be seen. The SEC really needs schools like LSU, Arkansas, and Mississippi State to be a tourney team on a regular basis. Maybe Missouri can find its way to being a basketball power too. If it’s just Kentucky and Florida carrying the other 12 schools, it might hurt the network during the first three months of the year.

Pro: The SEC does not have many professional teams to worry about.

Atlanta is the only city in the South that’s loaded with professional sports teams and that hurts Georgia Tech more so than UGA. South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas and Kentucky are states where college ball is in charge. LSU is right up there if not greater than the New Orleans Saints in terms of fan support. The Florida Gators don’t have to worry about the Jacksonville Jaguars or even the Tampa Bay Buccaneers eating away its media attention. Contrast that with most other regions like the Midwest and Northeast. The Southeast is unique in that its college teams are more popular than the pro guys.

Con: Talk Shows?

This is really the only thing that could derail the network in my opinion and that’s just it; having too many opinions.

If the network tries to fill time with people calling in and saying “Roll Tide This” and “War Eagle That” than it will get old and get annoying quick. I would rather watch a SEC women’s soccer game than have Paul Finebaum talk about Nick Saban vs. Les Miles.

Cutting the chatter to a minimum and showing as much live sports as possible is really what fans want. There will be plenty of time to chant S-E-C, just save it for the games.

The FCS gets it right

As the BCS rankings and match-ups were announced on ESPN Sunday night, the trinity of annoying studio commentators (Jesse Palmer, David Pollack and Kirk Herbstreit) said the BCS got it right.

They couldn’t be more wrong.

For the record, I agree Auburn should be ranked no. 2. That doesn’t mean other one loss teams are not more deserving.

Michigan State only has one loss too and folks north of the Ohio River say the Spartans should be in. Check out what Big Ten talking head Mike Hall had to say while watching the SEC championship game.

I mean…. Powerful sec defenses here

— Mike Hall (@BTNMikeHall) December 7, 2013

Nice sarcasm as both Auburn and Missouri were scoring at will. Even Purdue fans tried to make a case for Michigan State.

One-loss MSU won't even be in anyone's conversation, but one-loss Auburn will be in title game. College football, everybody.

— Boiled Sports (@BoiledSports) December 8, 2013

What about Baylor? The Bears only had one loss too. Heck, I still think Alabama is the best team in the SEC as Auburn won the Iron bowl in its own house. What if the game was on a neutral field? Alabama would probably be going for its third straight title.

Yes, it’s the last year of the BCS; but instead of media personalities saying the BCS got it right, we should be blasting it one final time.

Look at how much fun the second round of FCS playoffs were this weekend. Several top teams went down and its games were great.

• Coastal Carolina had maybe the surprise win of the weekend going into a freezing Montana. Montana’s website gave detailed advice on how to handle the below zero wind chills. Now that’s extreme. Coastal Carolina came out on top 42-35 in what might be the biggest upset a road team has had in below zero conditions since the Empire took over Hoth.
• No. 2 seed Eastern Illinois has been destroying people all year with its passing game. Even the mascot was burning calories on the sideline in its 55-10 drumming of Tennessee State.


Still better than “Insanity”

• New Hampshire stunned No. 5 seed Maine 41-27 to take the important title of “Best FCS Team in New England.”
• No. 4 seed Southeastern Louisiana survived its upset scare against Sam Houston State 30-29.
• No. 6 seed McNeese State was not so lucky as it lost 31-10 to Jacksonville State. That’s what happens when you’re too busy putting the name of your school on the back of the jersey instead of the players.

Get in there McNeese! No not you. I was talking to McNeese.

Come on McNeese State, even Michael Bay is more creative than that.

The FCS playoffs are just juicer than the anticlimactic BCS. The regular season still matters as not that many teams get in. The idea that the BCS system protects the magnitude of the regular season is just a total fallacy.

It’s so easy to accept the BCS after the great couple of weeks of football that we’ve had. But conference championships and huge rivalry games would happen no matter what type of postseason format was in place.

At the end of the day, can you justifiably say that Auburn is better than a Michigan State or a Baylor? Like bet your car, house, and PS3 type justification? What’s the harm in having them play each other for that spot?

The excitement we’ve had in college football the past two weeks can be recreated for four more weeks if we had the eight-team playoff we should have. Sorry ESPN, the FCS gets it right.

Learning to like Nick Saban

60 Minutes did something I hoped no other media outlet would do. Make people like me stop hating Nick Saban.

College football needs someone who people root against. A Miami Heat, New York Yankees, or Dallas Cowboys if you will. Alabama football fits the bill and then some. It’s personal for me as I’m a Miami Dolphin’s fan. Seven years ago I was quoting the slogans he was uttering to the press. Miami was coming off some really poor seasons and everything Saban did and said seem hopeful and optimistic. Like President Obama talking to voters in Iowa in 2008. But like Obama, Saban couldn’t keep his promises and reflects on that at the eight minute mark.

It says something when a prestigious coach admits a mistake. When he does it makes it harder for me to cheer against him. When he left the Dolphins I wanted to make a dart board out of his face, or a BB gun target. This story though made Saban appear as… gulp… human. I wanted to keep viewing him as a caricature. For about a few minutes Sunday night I saw him as a person for the first time since he left my Dolphins in a trash heap.

I still want Alabama football to falter as I’m tired of the Crimson Tide having a monopoly in the football universe. But there were several things from the interview that I liked.

Talking about his high standards on how it affects team chemistry. If mediocre players don’t like elite players then you can’t have mediocre players on your team. That sounds good but only a handful of schools can score the talent that Alabama can recruit. In a way, Saban was indirectly tooting his own horn and coming across as a humble leader at the same time. Who else can do that? A politician? Clark Kent?

His attention to detail was brought up by how his father raised him. It made me feel sorry for Nick Saban. Wait, did I just type that?

At the ll:10 mark Armen Keteyain says “Saban has found the right fit at Alabama” while video shows Saban adjusting his pants. I think he’s still trying to find that right fit if you ask me.

The end of the story is Alabama’s win at Texas A&M. It gave CBS a chance to show off its coverage of the SEC and it even showed Saban being proud of his team. Another human moment.

I still may not like Saban but I am finding it tougher to hate his team. My college football viewing experience is sure to take a hit because of this. Darn you 60 minutes!

Underdog of the Year

I’ve been making fun of Georgia State Panther football this year as it symbolizes a huge problem with big time college football. While the 0-4 Panthers have not reached the big time (and won’t anytime soon) they did upgrade their program to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). The equivalency is moving out of an apartment and buying a house, or jumping from a Nintendo GameCube to a PlayStation 3.

Making this upgrade costs money. A lot of money.

What return has Georgia State received for shelling out the cash?

Three losses to Football Bowl Subdivision teams (FCS). The classification Georgia State had last year. Those three teams beat Georgia State with half of its budget. Also with half of its resources and half of the media attention Georgia State is entitled too. Georgia State was also destroyed playing a budget game at West Virginia 37-0. How can this program build a fan base? How can the program justify the expenses it now carries as a FBS school?

The Panthers went 1-10 last year playing a schedule of full of FCS schools. Now they are fighting out of its weight class and getting destroyed. GSU is ranked No. 208 in the Sagarin rankings behind 83 FCS schools.

Now comes Georgia States biggest challenge: No. 1 Alabama.

The Crimson Tide is a 55 and half point favorite over the Panthers. Almost eight touchdowns!

The game is unfair but GSU needs the paycheck from Alabama. Alabama needs the bye week Georgia State provides.

Some say sports are about winning and losing. That’s a sad black and white perspective if you ask me. For Georgia State it is about persevering and growth.

More like the Iraqi Air Force vs. the Death Star.

It’s why I enjoy cheering for the bad teams. For Alabama the only question is will it play as well as it’s capable of?
For Georgia State the questions are will it give up? Will it continue to play when the score 50-0? Will the team show any signs of progress?

Losing to a FCS school is comical. Getting creamed by the nation’s best team is cruel and painful. I hope the Panthers continue to fight and let something good come out of this.

The Panthers will be losers on the scoreboard Saturday, but if they refuse to give in they just might score the biggest win on the weekend. Their coach is Trent Miles, who turned around a gruesome squad at Indiana State. He’s been there before.

If you still think winning is everything. Watch Georgia State play Alabama. Particularly in 4th quarter. You’ll be proven wrong.