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GET FREE ESTIMATEThe trophy was instead given to the team that came in secondUpdatedYesterdayAn Alabama youth girls’ basketball team that was told they would lose their practice facility unless they agreed to play in a boys’ league went on to win the whole thing — and yet ...
UpdatedYesterday
An Alabama youth girls’ basketball team that was told they would lose their practice facility unless they agreed to play in a boys’ league went on to win the whole thing — and yet was denied the championship trophy. Instead, the trophies were given to the boys who, to be clear, were beaten by the girls in the league final, according to the mother of one of the girls.
Jayme Mashayekh, the mother of one of the 5th-grade players on the Hoover, Ala., girls’ rec team, explained the team’s saga en route to winning the championship on her Facebook page:
“These girls have played together for 3 years for a competitive girl’s league representing Spain Park. All are 5th graders in the Hoover school system. Half way through their season they were told they could not use the Hoover gyms for their practices unless they paid to play in the Hoover rec league. They were told to stay together as a team they had to play up a level in competition and play the 5th grade boys. The girls were middle of the pack throughout the season losing several close games by 1 point. Playing the boys was a challenge they rose to meet. It made them better players and a better team.They were told before the championship that they could play in it but if they won they wouldn’t be allowed to have the trophy. “Excuse me? What?” What did they do to get disqualified? Did they not pay their dues? Did they not play up a level in competition? Oh, it’s because they’re GIRLS?!?!So sure enough these 5th grade girls played their hearts out, left it all on the floor and battled their male counterparts only to be told, “No, I’m sorry you don’t count.”
So, to recap, the girls’ team was told they would lose their regular practice facility unless they played in a boys’ league. The team did so, worked their asses off, won the boys’ league, and then were denied the championship, ostensibly for being girls. The male entitlement is staggering, as is the remarkable lack of awareness in the lesson this teaches both young men and women.
The lesson, it would seem, is that even when women are more qualified, work harder, and achieve more than men, they still are not as worthy. It’s a lesson too many Americans have learned too well, given the number of men who decry equity and inclusion with the old trope, “hire the most qualified person!” while refusing to consider that anyone who is not a cishet white male could ever be the most qualified for the job.
You’ll be sh0cked to learn that, according to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, Alabama ranks last in the nation when it comes to women, earning no grade higher than a “D” in categories like employment and earnings, political participation, reproductive rights, and health and well-being.
It can be difficult to imagine where boys get the idea that women are inferior members of society until you read about what happened to the Hoover 5th grade girls’ team, and remember how young boys start getting the message of their primacy from the adults around them. What was going on in the minds of the parents of the boys’ team, who allowed their sons to accept a championship they didn’t earn?
In an update to her February 28th Facebook post, Mashayekh said the City of Hoover and the Hoover Rec Center reached out about “making things right for the girls,” though there has been no update on what, exactly, making it right means. Or if anything, short of taking the championship back from the boys and giving it to the girls, who rightfully earned it, could ever make this situation right. Hoover City Administrator Allen Rice issued this statement to AL.com:
“On Wednesday, March 1st, 2023, the City of Hoover and the Hoover Parks and Recreation Board became aware of concerns about a recent youth basketball tournament. We are currently working to provide proper recognition to all the teams that were successful in that tournament. Also, we are reviewing the full extent of what occurred to ensure all future programs are handled appropriately.”
Deadspin reached out to the City of Hoover but had not received any additional information at the time of publication. We will update this story if we receive comment and/or explanation.
Sexism is taught in reinforced in American society in a myriad of ways every day, big and small. It’s long past time we realized how young we start teaching children the message that boys are always, always superior and more deserving than girls, no matter the circumstances. The Hoover girls’ 5th-grade team is owed an apology from every single adult involved in this buffoonery.
[Update] After this piece went to publication, Deadspin learned of a policy that may go some of the way towards explaining what happened here. A Facebook user named Jason Jordan posted the following message on Mashayekh’s page:
“I’ve coached both boys and girls in Hoover for years and can assure everybody that they don’t discriminate against girls.
This policy has been in place for years. Hats off to this team for winning the championship. It is unfortunate they couldn’t get the trophy but it sounds like Hoover is going to make it right by honoring the girls. The same thing happened to a boys team.
Since Hoover has limited gym space and high demand for practice facilities it makes it extremely difficult to accommodate everyone. Hoovers’ policy has always been that if you want to use a Hoover gym for OTM practice then you must participate in the rec league. Most coaches want to keep their OTM team together and play them in the rec league. Since this would be an unfair advantage because most of the OTM teams are comprised of the best players, they are required to play “up” by two grade levels. In this case, the girls are in 5th grade and there is no 7th grade girls rec league so they had to play against the 5th grade boys.
In the past and I’m sure here too, the league tells the coaches well in advance that you can sit out the tournament or you can play but you will not get a trophy. In the 15 plus years I have coached, I’ve never seen a team win it all playing up, so congratulations to these girls and the coaches for winning the championship. Trophy or no trophy, they are the champions.”
This may simply be a case of a bad policy giving way to really bad optics once a girls’ team won the boys’ league tournament, though it seems clear that at least some of the girls’ parents were either unaware of the policy or strongly disagreed with it. Policy or nor policy, the message sent by not allowing the girls to claim the championship is clear.
We’ll continue to update this story as we learn more.
No. 24 Texas A&M got their biggest win of the year, capping off the regular season with a 67-61 win over No. 2 Alabama. A&M now enters the SEC Tournament next weekend as the No. 2 seed and has a spot in the NCAA Tournament all but assured. Obvoiusly Aggie fans are thrilled, but here’s some of what the national media had to say about the winL...
No. 24 Texas A&M got their biggest win of the year, capping off the regular season with a 67-61 win over No. 2 Alabama. A&M now enters the SEC Tournament next weekend as the No. 2 seed and has a spot in the NCAA Tournament all but assured. Obvoiusly Aggie fans are thrilled, but here’s some of what the national media had to say about the winL
DOWN GOES NO. 2??@aggiembk defeats Alabama in College Station pic.twitter.com/HPcga4RPHu
— CBS Sports College Basketball (@CBSSportsCBB) March 4, 2023
Buzz Williams has rallied Texas A&M after a 6-5 start.Aggies are 17-3 in their last 20 games. The trajectory is upward. https://t.co/RqmEl18C7E
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 4, 2023
Wade Taylor IV is such a game-changer for Texas A&M. One of the top 10 point guards in country, maybe in mix for Top 5.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) March 4, 2023
FINAL: Texas A&M 67, No. 2 Alabama 61. Aggies finish the regular season with a statement performance against the Crimson Tide. They've now won 17 of their last 20 games entering the postseason. For the fourth straight game, 'Bama with a slow start and poor 3-point shooting.
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) March 4, 2023
Texas A&M, in January, had two horrific non conference losses, and were no where near the field.@SSN_TAMU clawed all the way back in, became a lock a few games ago, and now look like they will avoid the 8/9 game regardless of next week. BIG win over Top 3 Alabama!
— T3 Bracketology™? (@TBracketology) March 4, 2023
Texas A&M has been playing like a top-10 team per T-Rank since January 1 and now has its signature win, taking down Alabama in College Station. No team wants to see the Aggies as a 6-8 seed in their region on Selection Sunday.
— Kevin Sweeney (@CBB_Central) March 4, 2023
The SEC announced its award winners for the 2022-23 men’s basketball season Monday with Alabama star freshman Brandon Miller leading the charge with two awards, which were voted on by the leag...
The SEC announced its award winners for the 2022-23 men’s basketball season Monday with Alabama star freshman Brandon Miller leading the charge with two awards, which were voted on by the league’s head coaches.
Miller was named SEC Player of the Year and SEC Freshman of the Year by the league’s award winners. He led the conference in scoring at 19.6 points per game while shooting 45.3% from the field and 40.5% from beyond the arc. Miller is also fifth in the conference in rebounding at 8.0 per game.
His Crimson Tide teammate Jahvon Quinerly was named co-Sixth Man of the Year alongside Antontio Reeves of Kentucky.
Texas A&M’s Buzz Williams and Vanderbilt’s Jerry Stackhouse were named the league’s co-Coach of the Year.
Missouri’s Kobe Brown won Scholar-Athlete of the Year and Vanderbilt’s Liam Robbins was Defensive Player of the Year.
Players from eight different schools made the All-SEC first team, which is headlined by Miller and last year’s Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe.
Player of the Year: Alabama forward Brandon Miller
Freshman of the Year: Alabama forward Brandon Miller
Co-Sixth Man of the Year: Alabama guard Jahvon Quinerly and Kentucky guard Antontio Reeves
Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Missouri guard/forward Kobe Brown
Co-Coach of the Year: Texas A&M head coach Buzz Williams and Vanderbilt head coach Jerry Stackhouse
Alabama forward Brandon Miller
Florida center Colin Castleton
Kentucky center Oscar Tshiebwe
Missouri guard/forward Kobe Brown
Mississippi State forward Tolu Smith
Tennessee guard Santiago Vescovi
Texas A&M guard Wade Taylor IV
Vanderbilt center Liam Robbins
Alabama center Charles Bediako
Arkansas guard Davonte Davis
Florida center Colin Castleton
Tennessee guard Zakai Zeigler
Vanderbilt center Liam Robbins
Alabama guard Jaden Bradley
Alabama forward Noah Clowney
Alabama forward Brandon Miller
Arkansas guard Anthony Black
Florida guard Riley Kugel
Kentucky forward Chris Livingston
Kentucky guard Cason Wallace
South Carolina forward GG Jackson
Tennessee forward Julian Phillips
AN Alabama girls' basketball team has reportedly been denied a championship trophy despite beating boys for the title in a local league.Jayme Mashayekh, one of the fifth-grade players' mom, claims the girls had to join the boys' league in Hoover, Alabama, to maintain access to city gyms — and still won the competition.The girls from Spain Park are listed as the ...
AN Alabama girls' basketball team has reportedly been denied a championship trophy despite beating boys for the title in a local league.
Jayme Mashayekh, one of the fifth-grade players' mom, claims the girls had to join the boys' league in Hoover, Alabama, to maintain access to city gyms — and still won the competition.
The girls from Spain Park are listed as the basketball league's champions on the Hoover Parks and Recreation department's website after beating a "Knicks" team in the final.
But Mashayekhher says they were only allowed to "participate" in the awards ceremony, watching the boys they had beaten receive the trophy instead.
"These girls have played together for 3 years for a competitive girl’s league representing Spain Park," Mashayekhher wrote in a lengthy Facebook post.
"All are 5th graders in the Hoover school system. Halfway through their season, they were told they could not use the Hoover gyms for their practices unless they paid to play in the Hoover rec league.
"They were told to stay together as a team they had to play up a level in competition and play the 5th-grade boys.
"The girls were middle of the pack throughout the season losing several close games by 1 point.
"Playing the boys was a challenge they rose to meet. It made them better players and a better team.
"They were told before the championship that they could play in it but if they won they wouldn’t be allowed to have the trophy.
"Excuse me? What? What did they do to get disqualified? Did they not pay their dues? Did they not play up a level in competition?
"Oh, it’s because they’re GIRLS?!?!"
"So sure enough these 5th-grade girls played their hearts out, left it all on the floor, and battled their male counterparts only to be told, 'No, I’m sorry you don’t count.'
"I’m disappointed. I’m disappointed I have to tell my daughter that things like this still happen.
"I’m disappointed we teach our kids to accept things they have not earned (other than salvation which can not be earned).
"Most of all I’m disappointed in my city who won’t allow some 5th-grade girls to play basketball."
Mashayekh has updated the post, saying the city of Hoover and its rec center has reached out to "make things right for the girls."
However, it's not clear what measures have been taken to rectify the issue and make sure the situation doesn't happen again.
The U.S. Sun has reached out to Hoover's athletics department and city administrator for comment.
An Alabama recreation center is facing criticism after a basketball team of 10-year-old girls beat their all-male opponents for the league championship, but the center awarded the losing boys the winner’s trophy.The rec center in Hoover, Alabama, invited the victorious girls to the awards ceremony, ...
An Alabama recreation center is facing criticism after a basketball team of 10-year-old girls beat their all-male opponents for the league championship, but the center awarded the losing boys the winner’s trophy.
The rec center in Hoover, Alabama, invited the victorious girls to the awards ceremony, according to Jayme Mashayekh, one of the girls’ moms. But it consisted of watching the boys they had just beaten get the championship trophy.
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“These 5th grade girls played their hearts out, left it all on the floor and battled their male counterparts only to be told, ‘No, I’m sorry you don’t count,’” Mashayekh wrote on Facebook.
She wrote in an update that the city and the rec center have since offered to “make things right for the girls,” but didn’t provide details. HuffPost was unable to reach Mashayekh or Hoover officials.
Mashayekh explained on Facebook, in a post dated Feb. 28, that her daughter Rylie had played with other girls for three years in a competitive girl’s league representing a Birmingham suburb called Spain Park, which is in the Hoover School District.
“Half way through their season they were told they could not use the Hoover gyms for their practices unless they paid to play in the Hoover rec league,” Mashayekh wrote. She said the girls were told that “to stay together as a team they had to play up a level in competition,” which pitted them against 5th-grade boys.
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Through the season, Mashayekh said, the girls were “middle of the pack,” though they lost several games by 1 point.
“Playing the boys was a challenge they rose to meet,” the mom wrote. “It made them better players and a better team.”
Right before the championship, the girls team was informed they could play, but wouldn’t receive the championship trophy if they won.
“‘Excuse me? What?’” Mashayekh wrote. “What did they do to get disqualified? Did they not pay their dues? Did they not play up a level in competition? Oh, it’s because they’re GIRLS?!?!”
The girls ended up winning the whole tournament. As promised, they didn’t get the trophy.
A Facebook user commenting on Mashayekh’s post explained that the rec center has limited gym space and high demand, so teams that have played together are asked to join a rec league for practice time.
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“Most coaches want to keep their [elite] team together and play them in the rec league,” the user wrote. “Since this would be an unfair advantage because most of the ... teams are comprised of the best players, they are required to play ‘up’ by two grade levels. In this case, the girls are in 5th grade and there is no 7th grade girls rec league so they had to play against the 5th grade boys.”
On Monday, the city said in a statement that its parks and recreation department is reviewing youth athletic league policies “to ensure that all competition and recognition procedures are fair to all participants and that those procedures are more clearly understood.”
The statement added that current policy denied a winner’s trophy to a boys team that played out of its grade level in the recent tournament, just as it did for the girls.
The winning girls and the boys who received the championship trophy are scheduled to be recognized at Monday night’s City Council meeting.
— City of Hoover (@CityofHoover) March 6, 2023
The University of Houston basketball program's hopes of securing the top overall seed at the NCAA tournament received a boost on Saturday, thanks to some help from another team in the Lone Star State....
The University of Houston basketball program's hopes of securing the top overall seed at the NCAA tournament received a boost on Saturday, thanks to some help from another team in the Lone Star State.
Texas A&M took down No. 2 Alabama on Saturday, toppling the Crimson Tide 67-61 in the regular-season finale at Reed Arena. Wade Taylor poured in 28 points to lead the No. 24 Aggies to their eighth win in nine games, and they will enter the postseason as an NCAA tournament lock and one of the hottest teams in the country.
The upset victory also potentially helped out a few other Texas teams, most notably UH. The Cougars are atop both major polls and lead the nation in NET Ranking and KenPom's adjusted efficiency margin, though it's worth noting the selection committee revealed two weeks ago that Alabama was in position to secure the top overall seed for the NCAA tournament. Houston was right behind the Crimson Tide, with the Cougars' loss in their head-to-head matchup in December being one of the deciding factors separating the teams. Saturday marked the first loss for Alabama—which had been on a four-game winning streak—since this was announced.
Texas and Baylor could potentially benefit from this as well, though it would likely take another upset loss for the Crimson Tide in their SEC tournament opener and a Big 12 title tournament title run for either team to move past Alabama in the eyes of the selection committee. Baylor was handed a double-digit loss by Iowa State on Saturday, with Texas slated to tip off against No. 3 Kansas later in the afternoon.
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Houston isn't locked into the top overall seed by any means, even if they are to beat Memphis on Sunday and proceed to win the American Athletic Conference tournament championship. The Cougars currently have only have four Quad 1 wins, which is at least three less than the next five teams behind them in NET Ranking: Alabama, Tennessee, UCLA, Purdue and Kansas. And although using quantity over winning percentage in such games—during which UH is 4-1—might be short-sighted, it doesn't mean the committee won't entertain this thought process.
Nonetheless, it's worth noting that Houston was ahead of every team except Alabama two weeks ago. Four more victories would send the Cougars into the NCAA tournament with a 32-2 record and 14-game winning streak. If conference bias is put aside, there simply isn't a better resume in college basketball than that of UH at the moment.
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Final Stats BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The Texas A&M men's basketball team took down the newly-crowned SEC regular season champion and No. 2-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide, 67-61, in front of a raucous, sellout crowd of 12,989 on Saturday at Reed Arena.Already locked in as the No. 2 seed at next week's SEC Tournament in Nashville, Tenn., the Aggies improved to 23-8 overall and 15-3 ...
Final Stats BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The Texas A&M men's basketball team took down the newly-crowned SEC regular season champion and No. 2-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide, 67-61, in front of a raucous, sellout crowd of 12,989 on Saturday at Reed Arena.
Already locked in as the No. 2 seed at next week's SEC Tournament in Nashville, Tenn., the Aggies improved to 23-8 overall and 15-3 in league play. The 15 conference wins were the most in 100 years, matching D.X. Bible's Aggie squad in 1922-23. It also wrapped up the Aggies' first undefeated conference home worksheet in more than 40 years (1979-80 team went 8-0 in Southwest Conference play).
The conquest of the Crimson Tide marked Texas A&M's highest ranked win in school history, supplanting last year's win over No. 4 Auburn in the SEC Tournament. It was Texas A&M's fifth-straight win over the Crimson Tide.
The highest scoring guard tandem in the SEC didn't disappoint as sophomore Wade Taylor IV and graduate Tyrece Radford combined for 49 points to lead the Aggies to the upset of the Tide. Taylor, from Dallas, Texas, poured in a career-high 28 points, while Radford, from Baton Rouge, La., added 21 points. The Aggies' lone Senior Day celebrant, graduate Dexter Dennis also chipped in 11 points.
Texas A&M took control early and enjoyed at least a nine-point cushion through the second half of the first stanza and took a 32-22 lead to the locker room. The game tightened up in the second half with the Tide evening up the game at 45-45 at the 8:59 mark.
The SEC's top two teams exchanged buckets over the next four minutes before the Crimson Tide grabbed their first lead of the game on a Jaden Quinerly 3-pointer at the 4:47 mark to earn a 54-51 advantage. But Taylor IV evened the game back up with a clutch 3-pointer 30 seconds later and Radford gave the Aggies a lead they would not relinquish with a pair of free throws at 3:16.
SEC Sixth Man of the Year candidate Andersson Garcia contributed one of the biggest plays of the game with a steal after the Crimson Tide had posted a defensive stop with 35 seconds remaining and the Aggies clinging to a two-point lead. After the Tide's Mark Sears pulled down a rebound, Garcia stepped in front of his pass for the steal and then got the ball to Taylor IV, the SEC's top free throw shooter, who calmly moved the advantage to four points with a pair of free throws.
The Aggies limited Alabama to 34% shooting from the field and just 19% from the 3-point line as the Crimson Tide missed 29 of 36 tries from deep. Texas A&M, the nation's leader in free throws, hit 27-of-28 shots from the foul line for a gaudy 96% success rate. Texas A&M limited Alabama to 22 points in the first half, which was the Tide's lowest scoring half of the season. For the Aggies, it was the ninth time in 18 games that they have limited a SEC opponent to 25 or fewer points in the first half.
Texas A&M Men's Basketball Postgame Quotes/Notes #24 Texas A&M 67, #2 Alabama 61 Reed Arena (Bryan-College Station, Texas)
Head Coach Buzz Williams On How the Team Has Fought Through Adversity… "Our staff has been as good a staff as I've ever seen. I'm thankful for the receptiveness of the players to do the work and be engaged mentally, emotionally and physically. The last 60 days has been a lot. They carried the burden from when we were 6-5, and now we're preparing for game number one of the SEC tournament in Florida."
On How the Team Works Together… "We don't have the best players. We don't have the best coaches. I'm not the best coach. But we have the best team. We have the best staff. Everyone is very aware of what they're good and not good at. They help each other with their strengths and weaknesses. The character of the team is reflected by the way this team has been playing. It's all built on love. I'm thankful to be able to get to be a part of the energy and cohesiveness of this team."
RECORDS & SERIES NOTES
TEAM NOTES
INDIVIDUAL NOTES Dexter Dennis
Despite Saturday’s loss to Texas A&M, Alabama Basketball will still be a heavy favorite to win the SEC Tournament. Based on the last 10 games of the SEC regular season, four teams other than the Crimson Tide are trending up the most.Like the Alabama Crimson Tide, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt are 8-2 over the last 10 games. Unlike the Tide, the Aggies and the Commodores will arrive in Nashville on a winning streak. The Aggies have won their last two games. The Dores have won their last three.Not far be...
Despite Saturday’s loss to Texas A&M, Alabama Basketball will still be a heavy favorite to win the SEC Tournament. Based on the last 10 games of the SEC regular season, four teams other than the Crimson Tide are trending up the most.
Like the Alabama Crimson Tide, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt are 8-2 over the last 10 games. Unlike the Tide, the Aggies and the Commodores will arrive in Nashville on a winning streak. The Aggies have won their last two games. The Dores have won their last three.
Not far behind, over the last 10 SEC games, are the Missouri Tigers at 7-3. The Tigers are on a four-game winning streak. John Calipari’s Wildcats are also 7-3 and won their last game on Saturday against Arkansas.
The SEC Tournament seeding for the five teams is No. 1, Alabama Crimson Tide; No. 2, Texas A&M Aggies, No. 3, Kentucky Wildcats; No. 4, Missouri Tigers and No. 6, Vanderbilt Commodores.
Also in the top half of SEC Tournament seeds are Tennesee at No. 5 and Auburn at No. 7. Both teams are 4-6 over their last 10 games. Auburn beat Tennessee on Saturday.
Is there another, lower-seeded team with a chance to win the SEC Tournament? Many SEC basketball fans think of Arkansas (No. 10 seed) as the team with the next best chance to at least reach Sunday’s final game. But the Razorbacks have lost three straight, including a home loss to Kentucky on Saturday, by nine points.
Alabama can benefit from some rest. On Saturday afternoon, Nate Oats said, the team will have Sunday off. It is expected work on Monday and Tuesday will be spent mostly working on skills, giving the players time for a full physical recoup.
The Crimson Tide does not play until Friday, against the winner of Thursday’s Mississippi State vs. Florida game. The Tide’s draw in a semi-final game would likely be either Tennessee or Missouri. Texas A&M, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Auburn and Arkansas are on the other side of the bracket.
The full SEC Tournament Bracket can be seen in the tweet below.
The SEC’s official men’s basketball tournament bracket. pic.twitter.com/ogNvetRo0u
— Mike Rodak (@mikerodak) March 5, 2023
Winning an SEC Tournament is a big deal. Alabama Basketball has only one SEC Tournament Championship since 1991. It was in 2021. Winning another would be great for the Alabama program.
Next: Saban may lose his permanent opponent argument.
In terms of the NCAA Tournament, Alabama might need a win on Friday to lock down a 1-seed. After the loss to A&M and Kansas getting blown out by Texas on Saturday, the Crimson Tide still has a chance for the overall No. 1 seed in the Big Dance. Making it to the SEC Tournament Final might be enough to hang on as the overall top seed.
Will Alabama Football be adversely impacted in the divisional-less future of the SEC? Nick Saban, having long been the most vocal proponent of the SEC playing a nine or ten-game conference schedule, is not pleased with projected permanent opponents for the Crimson Tide.
As reported by Ross Dellenger, Saban wants,
more balance and equity than what has been proposed by league administrators in a nine-game model
The SEC is apparently following the wishes of ESPN to have as many ‘high-profile’ games as possible. ESPN has stated what matters most in attracting viewers.
In college sports, it’s the rivalries. It’s the traditions. It’s the brands that really aggregate audience.
As a result, it is expected Alabama Football’s permanent trio of opponents will be Auburn, LSU and Tennessee. Fans, including most Alabama football fans, will love it. Nick Saban has a good reason to not like it. The issue is which teams, by comparison, have easier schedules because one of their permanent opponents is an SEC lightweight. A likely one is Tennessee, with Vandy on the Vol schedule every season. Georgia too could benefit, by being grouped with a permanent trio that includes South Carolina.
Saban has even suggested for the SEC to achieve the most scheduling parity, sticking to eight games, with one annual permanent rival might be best. A decision will be made by SEC officials in the next several weeks. Some of the weaker SEC programs are not in favor of the nine-game format. They prefer a fourth, less tough, out-of-conference opponent.
It appears momentum is trending to the approval of a nine-game, 3-6 model. It is not expected that Saban’s concerns will change many minds. In fact, Saban being unhappy will make some other SEC programs happy.
If it is done skillfully, the six rotating games could be structured to minimize seasonal variations in parity. For example, if the Crimson Tide ends up with permanent opponents, LSU, Tennessee and Auburn, no more than two of the SEC’s ‘stronger’ programs should be scheduled in any one season. Without such an adjustment, an Alabama nine-game, SEC schedule could also include three of Texas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Florida and Georgia.
Some will argue the Playoff expansion to 12 teams makes schedule parity less of an issue. Plus any attempt to achieve parity will have a constantly moving target. An argument could be made that a nine-game, 1-and-8 format would work best, but at the loss of some traditional rivalries.
After the scheduling debate ends and the SEC moves forward, unintended consequences may make the added-dollar plums less tasty than expected.
Daily searches for worthwhile information don’t normally lead to reading through suggestions of an Alabama Football or Nick Saban’s demise. But when I saw Will 2023 Crimson Tide be the last of the Nick Saban era?– I had to take a look. It turned out to be a good read, fairly offering a premise I disagree with, but worth the time.
A small part of it particularly grabbed my attention. That part was considering trap games for the 2023 Alabama Crimson Tide. First, assessing a trap game, far in advance of a season is a tricky proposition. But like early betting odds, looking at what quirky situation might lead to a trap game for the Crimson Tide can be interesting.
Some context is needed. In Alabama’s 12 regular season games there are three games that will be neither trap nor tough. They are the opener against MTSU, the third week away game with USF and the November ‘practice’ game with Chattanooga.
Then there are three games that I define as legitimately tough games. They are week two, with Texas in Tuscaloosa, Tennessee with Alabama playing for the eighth consecutive week, and the LSU game.
That leaves six games to consider as potential traps. Two of them qualify as games when a favored Crimson Tide, not playing its best, could make enough mistakes to lose to a competent foe. History could be repeated in College Station, with a Crimson Tide that will be much better than the Aggies, finding a way to lose. Or it could happen earlier in the season when Lane Kiffin brings Ole Miss to T-Town.
That leaves four more games when Alabama can be expected to win by at least double-digits and in one case, more like three or four touchdowns. The one case is at Auburn. No amount of Jordan-Hare voodoo can conjure a win for Auburn. Hugh Freeze’s first Auburn team will be no talent match for the Crimson Tide.
The other three games, with at least double-digit wins, should be at Mississippi State, Arkansas in Tuscaloosa, and at Kentucky.
Make no mistake, there are good reasons to expect the Crimson Tide to win all the tough games and the trap games and cruise in the others for an undefeated regular season. Not that a six-months out, prediction is of much value, but mine is Alabama will go 12-0. Admittedly, my offseason prediction for the Crimson Tide is always undefeated, despite knowing how rare those seasons are.
It should be added, Alabama has a higher potential number of trap games than most teams. Alabama is still the standard all other teams are measured by.
Next: 2023 schedules and paths to championships
And about the early odds for a couple of Alabama football games; the Crimson Tide, according to FanDuel, is an 8-point favorite against Texas and a 7.5-point favorite against LSU.