It's well-known that Auburn and Alabama face a challenging situation in baseball because there are no lottery scholarships in Alabama. But, really, let's not get carried away.
Senior Editor Phillip Marshall
Lack of lottery scholarships didn't cause Auburn to be swept by Alabama and Georgia, two teams that weren't good enough to make NCAA regionals. Lack of lottery scholarships didn't cause loss after loss to in-state teams in 2011 midweek games.
There wasn't much of a problem in 2010 when Auburn had perhaps the most talented team in school history and when Alabama played in a super regional. Steve Renfroe went to three regionals in four years with the same limitations and lost his job.
A disadvantage? Sure. Reason for not finishing in the top half of the SEC and making a the 64-team NCAA Tournament more often than not? No way. ...
Sticking to college baseball, starting next season nonconference schedules and where those games are played will be a much larger part of the RPI. Home wins will not count as much as road wins.
Eight wins over teams ranked below 200 in the RPI might have kept Auburn out of the tournament this season. Playing those kinds of teams is a negative even when you win. A weak nonconference schedule cost Kentucky a chance to host a regional despite 18 SEC wins. Schedules like that will be even more problematic next season. ...
There'll be a lot of noise coming out of the SEC spring meetings in Destin this week, but here are some things that will happen:
* The SEC will favor a four-team playoff that does not limit the number of potential teams from one conference.
* Steve Spurrier's proposal that only division games count in the standings will be shot down.
* Traditional rivalries between Auburn and Georgia and between Alabama and Tennessee will be preserved in the scheduling model that will be implemented in the 2013 season.
* The athletic directors will take up a proposal to reduce the number of participating schools needed to institute an SEC championship in a sport. That could be significant for Auburn because it could lead to recognition of equestrian as a varsity SEC sport. ...
My friend Chris Low of ESPN.com writes: "LSU's quest to get back to the BCS National Championship Game will start in earnest against Florida on the road the first weekend of October."
Really? LSU's visit to Jordan-Hare Stadium on Sept. 22 doesn't merit a mention? I guess Gene Chizik and his men really are going to have to win another championship to be taken seriously by some. ...
I watch LeBron James play and watch how he carries himself and conducts himself on the court, and I can't figure out why so many people seem to hold him in such disdain. ...
No golfer on the PGA Tour is hotter than Jason Dufner, but he still made time to stop by Riviera Country Club to give some moral support to his alma mater Monday. Dufner visited with Auburn players and coaches on the eve of the first round of the NCAA Championship. With no tournament this week, he plans to hang around and watch the first round, too. ...
Until next time. ...
- Phillip Marshall
- Auburn Insider - AuburnUndercover