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View Full Version : SLC to Rotate Rivalry Games Starting in 2011



TexasTerror
July 25th, 2008, 06:33 PM
A tip of the cap to BearFan101 for this...

The SLC will be rotating who has the bye week in the final week of the regular season starting in 2011. This makes sense because that final week of the regular season is going to be very tough to fill, especially with the 11 games in 11 weeks that will unfold in FCS football (outside of the SWAC) starting in 2010.

The conference is sharing the burden amongst numerous schools. I'd think that UCA would see if Arkansas-Pine Bluff can get them in (perhaps a neutral site game in Little Rock). All the SLC schools will probably look mostly towards the SWAC, who has a bit more flexibility in their schedule.

The Great West Football Conference may have a team that is available, as could the Pioneer League. Would also figure that a school would do a home-and-home to cover both dates with school if they could.
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For the first two years beginning in 2011, the Bears will have an open date on the last playing date, a week before the beginning of the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. That's an open conference date. UCA officials are free to schedule a nonconference game, but one at that date can be challenging.

"But that's only for the first two years," said Tom Burnett, SLC commissioner. "With nine teams, the open date at the end of the season will be rotated, and UCA is first in the rotation."

Theoretically, after the first two years of the late open playing date, UCA will not have a conference bye on that date for another 16 years (with the home-and-home rotation scheduling block among the nine teams).

As the schedule rotates, teams will have to move about their "rivalry games" a bit. But such a game only has special meaning at the end of the season if it decides a conference championship or a playoff berth. Otherwise, a true rivalry game has the same meaning any time it is played.

http://www.thecabin.net/stories/072508/spo_0725080021.shtml

TexasTerror
July 25th, 2008, 06:37 PM
Oh -- thanks NCAA!

The Missouri Valley would have been helpful since many of those schools used to schedule a bye week before the playoffs, but not with the 11 games in 11 weeks. That would have been great if the SLC schools could've gotten a date there...

FYI -- current rivalry games are SHSU-TXST, SFA-NWST, SELA-Nicholls and UCA-McNeese. The new rivalry games in 2011-12 will be all of the games except UCA-McNeese, which will be replaced with Lamar-McNeese.

BearsCountry
July 25th, 2008, 06:48 PM
If the MVC schedule sets up right - Missouri State could be open that weekend.

TexasTerror
July 25th, 2008, 06:49 PM
If the MVC schedule sets up right - Missouri State could be open that weekend.

How's MVC scheduling going to work in 2011?

BearsCountry
July 25th, 2008, 06:53 PM
How's MVC scheduling going to work in 2011?

9 schools means 4 conference games a week. Somebody is going to have a bye week the last week.

TexasTerror
July 25th, 2008, 07:58 PM
9 schools means 4 conference games a week. Somebody is going to have a bye week the last week.

Perhaps the MVC and the SLC need to come to an agreement (heck, may already have) in which the teams with 'byes' meet for two years running (home and away)...