It's been 24 hours since the 2012 conference scheduled was released after months of haggling with athletic directors. The computer spit out 12 to 14 models that the SEC had to adjust 15 to 20 times to protect certain games and nonconference contests. The schedule model will only be for one season, as next year's schedule broke some past year parameters. Until now, teams couldn't play more than five conference games in consecutive weeks. Next season UK plays seven straight SEC games and South Carolina plays six. Until now, teams couldn't open or close the SEC season with two straight road games. Next season Florida opens at Texas A&M and Tennessee, LSU opens at Auburn and Florida, and Missouri finishes at Tennessee and at Texas A&M.

The Listener: Why Finebaum is Finebaum

To some, Paul Finebaum is a top-notch investigative journalist and truth-teller extraordinaire, exposing the underbelly of college sports and holding programs accountable. For others, his show is a purely gratuitous diversion, with Finebaum the master of ceremonies for a cavalcade of bad craziness that showcases college football fandom at its most deliriously rabid. In an in-depth profile, Weld publisher Mark Kelly explores the most influential media figure in the state of Alabama.

Paul Finebaum has been the leading authority in Alabama sports for over 20 years. He was a sportswriter and columnist for the Birmingham Post-Herald since 1980 and has won over 250 national, regional and area sports-writing awards. In July, he joined the Mobile Register and his column appears Tuesday and Saturday and on al.com. Finebaum's articles have appeared in a number of national publications, including the New York Times, Sports Illustrated and The Sporting News.