Auburn unhappy with early kickoff time for LSU TV game
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Posted 3:16PM on Monday, October 21, 2002
AUBURN, Ala. - The Auburn-LSU game will begin too early for Auburn's tastes.<br>
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The host Tigers wanted to play the game as scheduled at 1 p.m. or at night, but were forced to change to an 11:30 a.m. kickoff so Jefferson Pilot Sports could televise Saturday's game.<br>
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"We didn't want to do it," athletic director David Housel said. "We don't think we should have to do it, but we were told we had to. That's probably all I ought to say about that."<br>
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Jefferson Pilot can require Southeastern Conference schools to appear on its network for two home games during the season. Auburn has already appeared twice.<br>
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But the SEC's contract with the network states that the league cannot "unreasonably withhold" a third game, Associate Commissioner Mark Womack said.<br>
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The league determined that Jefferson Pilot should be allowed to televise the game because the Sept. 14 Auburn-Vanderbilt game was the only league contest on that date. Also, six other teams have played three games in a season on the network, Womack said.<br>
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"It would be unreasonable of us not to allow Jefferson Pilot to have a third appearance, given the fact that there was precedent for it before," Womack said.<br>
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He said Auburn officials "expressed their desire not to do that."<br>
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