College Football Discussion

[CoasterGuy06]

Mississippi State faces Bama, Texas A&M, and LSU the next three games. It wouldn't surprise me for them to be 7-3 after that. IMO, there's a reason why Vegas made them a 24pt dog even though they are 7-0.

[Hilltopper39]

^In their defense 95% of the teams in America would go 0-3 against that schedule, that stretch is no joke.

[Brandy524]

And let's not forget Mississippi State at Bama. Another huge clash of unbeatens.

And by "huge," you mean the best team in college football reminding their opponent that they're still just "the other Bulldogs" in the SEC, and just as marginal as the ones in Athens.....right?

 

THIS!

[Jew]

Mississippi State is a perfect example of how the SEC has gamed the BCS: the middle of the pack SEC teams are always highly inflated in the rankings based on their record beating up on horrible teams, so that way when the good teams in the conference play them it is a quality win.

[larrygator]

Mississippi State is a perfect example of how the SEC has gamed the BCS: the middle of the pack SEC teams are always highly inflated in the rankings based on their record beating up on horrible teams, so that way when the good teams in the conference play them it is a quality win.

 

I love reading your conspiracy theroies. How many 7-0 teams from major conferences have been ranked outside the 10 Ten in the past couple of years. I commend you fanaticism for your "home" team, but it can't understand why you fail to give the SEC credit as the top conference over the past few years.

[Jew]

^I'm not saying their best teams that ultimately won titles didn't belong. However, there's no doubt that for the most part the SEC teams play weak out of conference schedules that helps inflate the hype. Look at Mississippi State's schedule: you mean to tell mean that any good football team wouldn't go 7-0 vs. that schedule? And even after they most likely lose their next three, they'll still be ranked in the top 25 (because the SEC is so "tough"), which in turns helps boost up the higher ranked SEC teams with a quality win.

 

I've said all along if you read through this thread that at the end of the day, every major conference is about the same: a couple of elite teams, a couple of teams that are above average and make runs every now and then, a majority of teams barely above average (6-8 wins), and a few bottom dwellers.

[simaticable]

Florida, I'm surprised you are managing to lose to Georgia. Go Dawgs!

 

And, Florida falls!

[Jew]

I don't think I've ever been so frustrated as a USC fan as I am watching this team. At least I knew they sucked during the Paul Hackett era. I've never seen a team be so good, yet so bad. Penalties, turnovers, bad throws (wide open TD to Woods overthrown), bad playcalling (reverse on 4th & 2 instead of FG, not airing it out). I don't even know what to expect anymore, but still hold out hope that they'll win the PAC-12 South and get a chance for the Rose Bowl.

 

In other news: looks like things are headed towards K-state and Alabama with the rest of the BCS pretty screwed up.

[Hilltopper39]

^I'm not saying their best teams that ultimately won titles didn't belong. However, there's no doubt that for the most part the SEC teams play weak out of conference schedules that helps inflate the hype. Look at Mississippi State's schedule: you mean to tell mean that any good football team wouldn't go 7-0 vs. that schedule? And even after they most likely lose their next three, they'll still be ranked in the top 25 (because the SEC is so "tough"), which in turns helps boost up the higher ranked SEC teams with a quality win.

 

I've said all along if you read through this thread that at the end of the day, every major conference is about the same: a couple of elite teams, a couple of teams that are above average and make runs every now and then, a majority of teams barely above average (6-8 wins), and a few bottom dwellers.

 

For the most part I agree with you, but don't forget about how difficult it is to win on the road in the SEC, every game in that conference is a played in a loud hostile environment in front of a ton of people. So while wins against Tennessee, Ole Miss and Auburn might not look like much on paper remember that all of those games are being played in front of 70,000 plus crazy fans. Yesterday when USC lost at Arizona there was a top 10 team in town that played in front of a capacity crowd of 47,000 in a stadium that looked half empty on tv. Even Kentucky who has been terrible this year is probably still averaging 60,000ish fans a game. Every win on the road in the SEC is a big win, other conferences, not so much.

[Jew]

^I don't really buy that. Sure a hostile environment adds a little to it...but when you're football team sucks, they still suck. A "hostile" environment might just mean one or two more mistakes than usual because of the noise so it's a little less of a blow out.

 

One thing I will say that the SEC has tougher is recruiting: with few exceptions, even the crappy teams in the SEC throw tons of money at their programs. On the west coast, it's really only USC and Oregon battling it out for the top recruits.

[ParkTrips]

While I agree that SEC teams should be used to the hostile environments (a MWC team going to LSU would be shocked), I'm sorry, but the SEC is still by far the best conference. They sell out huge stadiums, have legions of diehard fans, have the best defenses, attract the best recruits, and going underfeated in conference is a serious achievement.

 

Speaking of recruits.. I don't have much more to say on football this year - the state of our program is an absolute mess, and it goes back to talent. I think we as a school have just gotten too stringent with our admissions - the latest freshman class had somewhere around a 1400 average SAT, we already have to special admit 2/3 of the football team, have a coach with an 8-figure buyout who has gone 16-18 in the past 2 plus seasons (and hasn't won a bowl game in 5, 1-4 vs VT, 1-3 vs UGA..)... we need to do something about attracting talent, and getting more kids enrolled. There ARE easy programs at Tech, the question is do we want to be a Stanford and have excellent athletics on top of academics, or like Vanderbilt/Duke...

[ernierocker]

Seriously, anyone who still doesn't buy that SEC is by far the best conference in the country is not living in reality. It isn't like it is the same team every year that is winning the championship. It has been 4 different teams! Has there even been another conference that has had four different champions since say the 1980's? The ACC is the only one that I can think of that would of come close with Miami, Florida State and Georgia Tech. I guess the Big 12 (or whatever they call it now) had it with Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado and Nebraska, but Nebraska and Colorado are no longer in the conference.

Edited October 29, 2012 by ernierocker

[Hilltopper39]

I've said all along if you read through this thread that at the end of the day, every major conference is about the same: a couple of elite teams, a couple of teams that are above average and make runs every now and then, a majority of teams barely above average (6-8 wins), and a few bottom dwellers.

 

For the most part I agree with this, however I still think the SEC is just a level better and has a few more teams in each category. Where most conferences 1 or 2 elite teams the SEC has 3 or 4 (LSU, Alabama, Florida, Georgia). Where most conferences have 2 or 3 above average teams that can make runs every now and then the SEC has probably 4-5 (South Carolina, Arkansas, Auburn, Tennessee, Texas A&M). Where most conference have the majority of their teams barely above average the SEC probably only has 3-4 (Missouri, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, maybe Vandy). And for for bottom dwellers I think you could argue that Vanderbilt and Kentucky are better than most conferences bottom dwellers like Colorado, Kansas, and Minnesota (last year Vanderbilt beat the worst team in the ACC Wake Forrest 41-7 at Wake). The other thing about the SEC is that I think if you put any of the "non elite" teams in other conferences they are all a category higher than what they are in the SEC. Two or three years ago Kentucky probably could have won the Big East.

 

It's hard to argue that it isn't the best conference especially with the number of players drafted, bowl game winning percentage, recruiting, etc. etc. I do think the Pac 12 is a clear cut 2nd slightly above the Big 12 and Big 10 and the rest of the country is pretty much the same.

 

And I know how much you dislike Georgia, so before you slam me for placing them in the "Elite" category they have won 8 or more games probably 9 out of the last 10 seasons (probably 10 or more wins in 5 or 6 of those seasons) they just haven't been as good as Florida Alabama or LSU so they haven't won the SEC or played for a BCS title. Winning that many games consistently for a decade make a team elite in my book.

[Jew]

The SEC is definitely the conference with the most prestige, and rightfully so for the reasons stated above. But as I said, when it comes down to it, I still think it is more hype than reality. But I can't fault the SEC athletic directors for that---the hype machine they've created is great business for them. Unbalanced schedules+guaranteed wins against schools nobody has heard from+avoiding top teams until the conference championship+hype=SEC champion is always guaranteed a spot in the BCS game no matter what. That formula has only been exposed once, when people actually looked at Auburn's schedule compared to USC and Oklahoma's.

 

The elite teams in the conference are most definitely elite, but the same can be said for the elite teams in other conferences as well. I believe that if college football had a true playoff system instead of the BCS (or even the old method of bowl games actually ending on New Years Day and letting the pollsters decide who is #1), the SEC definitely would not have won the title every year. Take the top 8 teams in the country at the end of the season and put them in a playoff, and they'd all match up pretty well against each other and you'd be hard pressed to find a clear favorite. I think the same could be said if you were to match up the "pretender" (teams that occasionally make runs) teams in every conference as well. I'll agree that the SEC would win the bottom dweller playoffs though.

 

 

Of course, I am slightly bias and still waiting for USC to get the chance to play one of the elite SEC teams after being screwed out of that game vs. LSU. They already showed they have no problem destroying the middle of the pack SEC teams on the road.

[Hilltopper39]

I will agree with you that some of the "elite teams" and most all SEC teams tend to load their schedule with easy games, but if you have to go undefeated to have a shot a national title can you blame them? I was hoping that with a "playoff system" of either 8 or 16 teams there would be an emphasis on winning the conference and teams with would be encouraged to schedule major non-conference games because having 2 or 3 loses wouldn't necessarily hurt your chances for getting into the playoffs. However with a 4 team system I feel like we will continue to see a lot of cupcake games because you are going to have to be undefeated or a one loss team to get into the 4 team playoff.

 

There have been several SEC teams play major non conference opponents recently and on a regular basis, Florida plays Florida State every year (and Miami prety often), Georgia plays Georgia Tech every year and has played Boise and at Arizona State in recent years, LSU has played home and homes with Washington and West Virginia the past 3 or 4 years, Clemson and South Carolina play annually, Kentucky and Louisville annually, so yeah there are some soft games but when you have 5 top 25 teams on your schedule every year plus a non-conference rivalry it's hard to blame the AD's for scheduling a cup cake every now and then.

[ernierocker]

^A playoff system will definitely be interesting and should finally end any question about who the true national champion is each year. But, since there hasn't been one, you have to go with the facts. The facts are that the SEC wins national championships, year in and year out. You can speculate all day long how a playoff system would of changed that, but that doesn't change the facts.

[ParkTrips]

avoiding top teams until the conference championship

I guess these top-10 matchups in the SEC don't count?

AL vs LSU this weekend

UF vs UGA

UF vs USC

UF vs LSU

UGA vs USC

LSU vs USC

 

An SEC school has participated in the Chick fil A kickoff game most of the time too (Playing the likes of Clemson, VT). Alabama opened with Michigan and has played Penn State recently too. LSU played Oregon last year. Just because they usually have one or two cupcakes doesn't mean they are playing a soft schedule - their in-conf schedule more than makes up for it

[Hilltopper39]

^Alabama plays Virginia Tech in 2013 and West Virginia in 2014

LSU plays TCU in 2013 and Arizona State in 2015

Florida play FSU every year and Miami in 2013

Georgia has a home and home with Clemson in 2013-14

Tennessee plays at Oregon in 2013, then a home and home with Oklahoma in 2014-15

Auburn plays at Kansas State in 2014

Ole Miss played Texas this year and will again in 2013, and plays Boise State in 2014

Mississippi State play Oklahoma State in 2013

 

This post was brought to you by futuresecschedules.com

[larrygator]

^Also

Arkansas plays Texas in 2014

Kentucky plays Louisville 2013-2014

 

As a Florida fan, the one thing that pisses me off, is that they haven't played a a non-SEC regular season road game outside of Florida since 1991. I would like to be able to travel to a game close to me. But hey, if you can schedule road games at neutral sites in Florida more power to you. I would like a home and away against someone within a 6 hours radius of NYC.

Edited October 29, 2012 by larrygator

[BeemerBoy]

It's tough to argue one fact. In the history of the BCS, regardless of how they actually got there, an SEC representative playing in the championship game has only lost once...to another SEC team. So, basically, they tend to always win the "out-of-conference" game that means the most....against teams from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, and former Pac-10, respectfully.

 

 

It has been 4 different teams! Has there even been another conference that has had four different champions since say the 1980's? The ACC is the only one that I can think of that would of come close with Miami, Florida State and Georgia Tech.

Sadly though, Miami hasn't won a damn thing since they entered the ACC. We were members of the Big East the last time we won.

[Hilltopper39]

^Also

Arkansas plays Texas in 2014

Kentucky plays Louisville 2013-2014

 

As a Florida fan, the one thing that pisses me off, is that they haven't played a a non-SEC regular season road game outside of Florida since 1991. I would like to be able to travel to a game close to me. But hey, if you can schedule road games at neutral sites in Florida more power to you. I would like a home and away against someone within a 6 hours radius of NYC.

 

Yeah, Kentucky plays Louisville every year.

 

Florida does seem to be about the only team in the SEC that hasn't scheduled any home and homes with major out of conference opponents other than Florida State, I guess Kentucky really hasn't played anyone recently either but no one cares about them.

 

I think it would be cool to see some type of SEC vs Pac 12 showdown (or any other conferences for that matter) where one week of the season every team in one conference plays a team from a different conference, maybe even a few on neutral sites in big cities in that region. Maybe even have 2 or 3 games in a day in one stadium somewhere like Atlanta, or Dallas, or Phoenix. Could be cool.

 

Another scheduling thing that I've always though sounded like a cool idea was last year Coach Calipari (yes, I'm a Kentucky Fan) suggested that at some point he wants to schedule a major non conference opponent where they play men's and women's basketball and football in the same city on the same weekend. So have Kentucky and North Carolina play in all 3 sports in Atlanta or something, could be cool.

[ParkTrips]

I don't have much more to say on football this year - the state of our program is an absolute mess

aaaaand almost on cue, our AD bolts for Clemson. I won't have anything significant to contribute to this thread for at least five years

 

If anyone has the time, I'd love to see the timing of Joey's SEC-is-overrated posts in relation to USC losses

[BeemerBoy]

^ Hey, at least you're getting a new basketball arena. Yay?

[larrygator]

If anyone has the time, I'd love to see the timing of Joey's SEC-is-overrated posts in relation to USC losses

 

Has he ever made a post without saying the SEC is overrated?

[ernierocker]

^Nope. He probably will not give the SEC any credit until one of them drubs USC and then he will just blame the sanctions.