The Alabama Crimson Tide have canceled their 2016-17 football series against the Michigan State Spartans, the Detroit Free Press has reported.
Alabama and Michigan State were scheduled to meet at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa on Sept. 3, 2016 and at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing on Sept. 2, 2017.
In a text message from MSU athletics director Mark Hollis to the Free Press, Hollis stated “Alabama requested to cancel the series due to uncertainty with the SEC schedule. While disappointed, in the spirit of collegiality, we agreed to the request.”
The uncertainty over the future scheduling format in the SEC as well as a potential nine-game conference schedule has Alabama and other teams dropping some games in order to start fresh.
Back in July, Alabama and Georgia Tech agreed to postpone their 2019-20 home-and-home series. New dates for the series have yet to be established.
And in May, South Carolina canceled their 2021-22 series against Georgia Tech.
In each instance, the “uncertainty” over future scheduling in the SEC was cited as the reason for postponement or cancellation.
Shortly after news broke of the Alabama-Michigan State cancellation, the Tuscaloosa News (via TideSports.com) reported that Alabama was in discussions to play a neutral-site game in 2016 against a “big-name opponent.”
Who might that opponent be? No names were mentioned, but some possibilities could include Texas, Ohio State, Notre Dame, USC, Florida State, Miami (FL), and Clemson. Stay tuned.
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Why not cancel one of the lower tier ooc games?
Because they require a buyout of $300K to over a million, depending on the contract. The Michigan State contract had not buyout, so Alabama was free to cancel and will now schedule a neutral site game in 2016 and another neutral or home game in 2017. It all comes down to money.
Because that is not the schedule easy cupcakes way....
I hate Alabama more than you could understand Jinzo but you have no dog in this fight. Anyone that calls themselves an Idaho Vandals fan should have no opinion. I hope Auburn scores 70 when the boys from Moscow visit the Plains of East Alabama.
Go TEMPLE beat those pesky vandals!
Because Bama didnt stomp #8 Michigan in Dallas last year ? how about the Home and away series they played with Penn State in 2010 and 2011 ? What about the 2 games in Atlanta vs Va Tech, Clemson in 2008 ? Florida State in Jacksonville in 2007 ?
You are a moron Jinzo
Bama didn't play state last year numb nuts
Please, can you see Saban taking the chance of the former, small, Non SEC school that he left beating his team. The man and the school is to arogant to allow that to happen. If Hargaugh could get Michigan out of playing MSU, he would scamper away too.
Whether true or not, the general perception at most SEC schools is that the rigors of an SEC schedule are bad enough as it is. So, the rule of thumb is to schedule one major non-conference opponent per season. As a fan of Football in general, I'd prefer that all non-conference opponents were from other BCS conferences. As a lifelong fan of Alabama Football, I understand the desire to not drag these players through a slug-fest each and every week of the season. It's a double-edged sword.....on one hand, by scheduling lower-tier opponents, we can sell more tickets ourselves and thereby make more money to fuel the program. On the other hand, the fans get a slightly lesser quality game; however, Bryant-Denny hasn't hosted a non-sellout since the early 90's.
Plus, the neutral-site games have become huge Cash Cows.
didn't sellout last years A-Day game....
just a joke Chris K.
Not the first time Saban reneged on a commitment to Michigan State,
or LSU or the Miami Dolphins!
where's the like button
I like this
Texas can't do it as we've already got home games with Notre Dame and UTEP (Longhorn Network broadcast no doubt, ugh) and an away game @ Cal. Don't forsee us dropping any of those to play Bama. Frankly I'm sick of the neutral site games. Give me a good home and home series any day. Thankfully, we have Notre Dame, USC, and Ohio State as future home and homes.
I do believe that the SEC teams need to decide on what format they going to use for the games. I'm with "Nick Saban" on the 6-1-2 schedule. Let the students get a chance to play all the SEC teams, before worrying about the non-SEC teams. Sometimes, I think it's crazy that programs can plan games 5 years from now, when not knowing what type of post-season might be in place, and/or a team changes coach or conference. When SOS (strength of schedule) is such a big deal in the BCS Standings, I think teams should wait before planning non-conference games for future schedules. ROLL TIDE!!!
Alabama is too chicken to play any good teams like Wisconsin or Michigan State on the Road north of the Kentucky border. They schedule cream puffs like West Carolina, Charleston to name a few. Bama is a bunch of poor sports if it ain't the national championship game, they tank and get stomped out of the building. Back to back Sugar Bowls. They would earn the championship if there non conference was at Wisconsin, and Florida State, Home vs USC and Oklahoma plus their brutal SEC schedule.
I'm not just speaking about Alabama. I think ALL of the SEC West teams should be similar to Florida and Georgia; having a home-and-home series with another P5 conference team. I noticed that the SEC West teams rarely travel outside of SEC country, unless it's a neutral site game. I wish they would change that, but of course, they would want the same thing in returned, so I'm not sure if the fault is with the SEC West teams, or the opponents they talk to. Even Tennessee went and got picked off by Oregon, but I don't see a Pac-12 team trying out teams from the SEC West.
So when SEC goes to 9 conference games (I assume they will) and schools have 5 Conference Road games will they not have a BCS non conference opponent or will they just have 6 home games. Seems like this extra conference game is gonna eliminate big non conference matchuos. I expect Alabama will play a neutral site game when they have 4 conference road games but not years they have 5.
Alabama's schedule is not rigorous in any way this year so the days of using a bruising weekly SEC schedule to schedule bad non conference teams are over. It is now a 14 team league so most years they will have an easier conference slate than ever before by missing certain teams for years at a time. Hopefully they will get some good non conference teams to replace Michigan State and create some great games.
It's all about revenue and wins.
I agree, MSU, Clemson. Because my favorite is in the Big 10, go MSU.
I am all for an increase in conference games but the crappy thing about it is that these will be the games cancelled and not the cupcake ones. I don't mind every team playing a cupcake game at all but I can see the writing on the wall, AQ OOC games will be minimized.
Can somebody explain to me how strength of schedule will factor into the upcoming playoff system? Wouldn't logic dictate that Alabama would want to keep Michigan St. on the schedule and drop one of the cream puffs?
Nobody knows yet how strength of schedule will factor in. Alabama will still have a tough schedule because they'll likely add a big time opponent at a neutral site.