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Eric Hyman wants to keep playing South Carolina

The former USC AD - now in the same position at Texas A&M - voted to ensure that the Gamecocks and Aggies will face off every year.

By ChickenHoops
Eric Hyman wants to return to Columbia as often as possible.
Eric Hyman wants to return to Columbia as often as possible.
Jeff Blake-US PRESSWIRE

Eric Hyman holds interesting scheduling beliefs.  While at South Carolina, he found himself of the opinion that major football programs sign agreements that include travel to such exotic locales as Greenville, North Carolina (to face ECU on a future, to-be-determined date), and Orlando, Florida (for the right to play a glamorous game against widely-regarded UCF - though that actually ended up nearly costing us a victory in the 2013 season).

He also had no problem using his cheapness to potentially cost the football program - his scheduling of Navy was done solely to save money in 2011, and led to a near-loss along with a team that suffered numerous chop blocks and a week wasted on preparing for a gimmick offense they would not see the rest of the year.

So it's no surprise to see Eric Hyman once again come out for a scheduling proposal that does not suit the needs of the Gamecocks.  What is surprising is that he's still doing it even though he now directs the athletic department at Texas A&M:

Given the Gamecocks have never played the Aggies before, one can only assume that Hyman believes the Gamecocks represent an easy mark for Texas A&M football in future years.  Given the chance to see more of Kentucky and Vanderbilt, Hyman instead chose to preserve the historical significance of the Aggie-Gamecock rivalry, currently waiting for its first game to ever be played.

As we all know, Ray Tanner and Steve Spurrier strongly favor the removal of permanent opponents due to the competitive imbalance they create, especially given the recent scheduling shake-up in the SEC, which has allowed Georgia to somehow avoid any regular-season game against Alabama since 2008.  During that same time, divisional rivals Tennessee played the Tide every year, while Florida has faced the Tide in 2010, 2011, and is scheduled to rotate onto their schedule yet again in 2014, despite the Bulldogs' odd absence.

So what does everyone think of Hyman jones-ing to keep the Gamecocks around on a permanent basis?

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