CBS Passes on Auburn-LSU Game
by Jay Coulter on Sep 9, 2008 4:00 AM CDT
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CBS Sports has done it again. Despite Tennessee's opening weekend loss to UCLA, the network has chosen to go with the Volunteers and Florida for its telecast on September 20th. Auburn and LSU are again stuck with the tag of runner-up and will be carried by ESPN at 6:45 pm. CT.
In the name of Verne Lundquist, what in the hell are they thinking?
The network is saying they don't have an interest in broadcasting a matchup of two top 10 teams. Instead, they've chosen to broadcast a school that's not even in this week's top 25. And we feel snubbed sometimes by ESPN College GameDay? That doesn't come close to the slap across the face CBS just gave us. And we're stuck with them for the next 15 years.
I hope University officials remember this when CBS asks to do a doubleheader starting at noon with Auburn or tries to move the Iron Bowl to Thanksgiving Day. What a shame that perhaps the marquee game of the year in the SEC will not be televised by our "new" media partner.
One of the more memorable moments of last season was during the Miss State game when quarterback Brandon Cox, benched after a bad start, made his way over to his replacement, Kodi Burns on the sidelines. He quickly offered encouragement to the freshman and even pointed out some things to be aware of with the Bulldog defense.
It was one of the greatest acts of sportsmanship I've ever seen. A kid in his twenties was teaching all of us a life lesson.
Fast forward a year and we saw the same thing out of Burns on Monday. A day after Chris Todd was named Auburn's starting quarterback; Burns was saying all the right things. After all, he's been down this road before.
"Things happen, and I've just got to make the most of it," said Burns. "Chris is a good quarterback, and (Tony) Franklin made the decision that he needed to make and what he thought was best for the team. I'm just going to stay positive and when my time comes, when my name gets called, hopefully people will get to see what I can really do.
"(Tuberville) just told me some positive, encouraging things - just to keep pushing, keep going," Burns said. "I can't get my head down about this. I've got three more years, and anything can happen any time during the season." Burns best days as an Auburn football player are ahead of him.
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Auburn on ESPN
Jay,
I note your point on the CBS Sports telecast, but I believe that ESPN picked this game in the preseason without going through the weekly announcements. Though they don’t reveal the ones they pick (except from a few media outlets in August), ESPN chooses 3 games before the season starts.
Also....
In the past this has been a double header weekend for CBS in that they televised the Auburn/LSU at game at 2:30 then the UT/UF game that night when the games were at Auburn and Knoxville respectively. Admittedly I do not know the deals of the CBS contract but perhaps double headers of AU/LSU and UT/UF were omitted in the new deal. Besides which I will take a home game on ESPN before any game on CBS. ONE, because we play better at night on ESPN than the afternoon on CBS and TWO, I cannot stand the bias against us by Vern Lundquist and Gary Danielson.
Besides which I wouldn’t be surprised to see Game Day in Auburn for that game, especially if South Carolina upsets Georgia this weekend. Say what you want but I wouldn’t be surprised to see it happen.
Good post on the sportsmanship issue but as I have stated before that is the nature of Tubby’s program. They play as a team!!! Case in point the players (Dansby, Thomas, Williams, Brown, et al) who stayed for their senior year. They love playing for Tubs and the TEAM!!! Which is what Tubberville refers to when he loses the recruiting ranking to others. He recruits for the TEAM not the individual position or player and the subsequent Stars. Tubberville and his staff develops adolescents into honorable Men and Burns is another primes example.
PS – How about a poll on where Todd’s taste of the town will be this time since he did Byron’s last time!!!
I think it was ESPN's choice
If I remember correctly, I believe there are 2 weeks per season that ESPN gets first choice, and this was one of them. As someone else noted, they had this game pre-selected before the season. So I don’t believe it was CBS passing on it, but rather ESPN snatching it up.
The ESPN deal...
…..is good for me. I’m driving home from the beach that day, and I’d have had to miss a CBS one. Or try to catch glimpses of the 2nd half while unpacking the car. I’ll be settled into my chair and ready to go, by 6:45.
……And I have to agree with bammer on the commercials. A CBS game can last 4 and a half hours, easy. Tony Franklin’s spread wouldn’t be able to wear down LSU, on a CBS broadcast. Too many rests!
The only thing Tony Franklin's spread offense is wearing down...
…is Tubby’s confidence, and Miles’ fear.
Besides, our two deep on D-line and D-backs could start anywhere. Linebackers, well that’s another story, but I doubt they’ll be on the field much anyway.
I fully expect this game to be an offensive pillow fight. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if 50% of the points scored in the game were defensive scores.
Problem solved...
The only issue now is of we get Erin Andrews or Holly Rowe…
I have to agree with all—we do play better at night, there doesn’t seem to be as much love from CBS and there are fewer commercials on ESPN. Not to mention that ESPN has the clearest HD signal on my cable package—for recording the game, that is…
And it’s best that Acid Reign can attend in person, rather than being forced to listen to radio or something like that. Makes him kinda CRAZY….
by War Eagle Atlanta on Sep 9, 2008 11:50 AM CDT reply actions
Explanation
Some population figures:
Florida: 18.1 million
Alabama: 4.6 million
Lousiana: 4.3 million
That explains part of it
but how many Auburn and LSU transplants are there living in Fla? I think CBS is just continuing their love affair with Tim Tebow
by GumptownTiger on Sep 9, 2008 11:55 AM CDT up reply actions
And
How many of that 18 mill are actually from Fla and are Fla fans?
by GumptownTiger on Sep 9, 2008 11:57 AM CDT up reply actions
I figured that's a wash
Not all the 4.6M in Alabama are Auburn fans, either. But proportionally, it should come out in the same ballpark. Florida’s the largest TV college sports draw in a state with several other I-A programs, lots of pro sports, and lots of non-natives. LSU’s the only significant college football draw in a state with some pro sports. Auburn’s the #2 draw in a state with no major-league pro sports. And of course I totally left out Tennessee because the point is the high population of Florida, but TN is 6 million population with no other college football program that attracts much of an audience.
Point is, even if you assume the % of Floridians who care about the Gators is half the % of Alabamans who care about Auburn, the numbers still favor showing Florida in close cases. Last year CBS carried Florida-Kentucky; I forget who else was playing that week, but it was obvious to me at the time that their goal was to get UF on TV a lot.
(I wasn’t aware that ESPN could veto, though — I doubt that’s what’s happening here, though, because Florida is a big draw for ESPN too.)
Population is also the only reason terrible Big Ten games can find the light of day.
How's it feel?
to kick some OBC ass two years in a row???
by War Eagle Atlanta on Sep 9, 2008 6:44 PM CDT up reply actions
Been fun....
…. but I’ve seen enough fast starts ruined by losses to the likes of Tulane and MTSU to get too giddy just yet. We’ve gotta keep improving as a team and all that other coachspeak that we all know how to recite.
At least...
You got us coming to pay you a visit here soon… I’m thinking of making the trip to Nashville—the first since 1991…
by War Eagle Atlanta on Sep 10, 2008 3:18 PM CDT up reply actions
Snub us every week please
I really dislike morning and afternoon games. I’ll take a ESPN game any day (unless they decide to pull a morning kickoff starting next season with the new contract).
CBS sucks....
Lunquist and Danielson are morons, ESPN may be the evil 3 headed giant but at least they have good play by play and a night game.
How's us being on espn being scewed?
I think showing it on espn is a much better deal for fans. Its on primetime and I’d think night games create a way better enviornment. I’d take any night game over a day game regardless of who’s covering it. Plus Mike Patrick and Todd Blackledge are way better then Verne Lundquist and Gary Danielson.
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