SEC: Overrated

[Crossbar]

The SEC does not need to schedule tough OOC because the conference SOS is brutal enough that there is no need to kill themselves while it's hard enough to go undefeated.

 

In most years, USC plays garbage teams in conference (except Cal and Oregon are middle of the road teams, except Cal this year is very good). This means that USC needs to schedule tough OOC (Arkansas/Nebraska) to make up for the lack of quality teams in most years.

 

I don't think that the top 3 from the BEast would win either division of the SEC.

[AverageJoesGym]

The SEC is the best conference most years, but not this year.

 

Here's why:

 

The best teams struggle to win at home against the worst teams in the conference.

Florida needed a FG block at home to escape SC

LSU needed OT to beat Ole Miss

UGA crushed Auburn

Just to name a few

 

Arkansas comes out of nowhere to establish itself as the best team in the conference. On the strength of basically one player.

 

Kentucky is having a great year in the conference, yet struggles at home against an absolutely awful team.

 

Bottom line: The SEC lives off that "top to bottom" hogwash, yet refuses to schedule tough non-conference games. What are they afraid of? That the unfortunate ugly truth will be exposed?

 

The SEC us 38-7 in non-conference games. You can't count conference games if you're really debating top to bottom ability because of course the best conference top to bottom will have a bunch of upsets. Out of that 38-6 no one out side of KY, Miss, Miss St, Vandy, lost except for Arksansas and before you put too much weight on that one. UT Smoked the team they played tonight for the conference title and the team that beat USC lost to an SEC team.

]

[LSURock]

Like I've said all year. All of the conferences are pretty even this year. The comments that were made about the SEC can be made about all of the major conferences this year. The SEC, Big 12, Pac 10 all have some great teams, some middle of the roaders and some stinkers. The Big East is better than most thought before the season started. Thee ACC has really fallen on hard times due to the drop in the Florida schools. I'm an SEC guy but this is how I see it.

[andigidy]

The SEC isn't overrated; it's balanced.

 

:thumb:

[Log Mountain Boy]

If you took Florida, LSU, and Arkansas and put them in the Big East they would be, IMO the 3 best teams in the Big East. Those teams are bigger and faster than Big East teams overall. UL is probably the closest from a talent perspective.

 

Its interesting you say that no one in the SEC plays anyone when

UT played Cal

Ark played USC

UK played UL

Vandy played Mich

Florida plays Fla St (unfortunately Fla St is down)

South Carolina plays Clemson

Georgia plays Georgia Tech

 

Arent those some pretty good non-conference teams?

[T-CAT4LIFE]

It seems this debate gets rehashed at least once a week. Yet noone can prove that another conference as a whole, is better than the SEC. Who care's if a conference is overrated anyway? Personally I think the BCS is overrated and it pretty much makes the upper tier bowl games meaningless. Teams should decide who is the best on the field, rather than relying on a bunch of numbers being thrown into a computer.

[bugatti]

College football is one of the tougher sports to gauge how good or bad a conference is. Fact is, very few teams in D1 schedule difficult OOC games because they want a shot at the BCS and losing is not the way; and, the bowl games, I do not feel truly show how good or bad a conference is because of the time off.

[colonel-fan]

The Sagarins have the SEC second overall, behind the Pac-10. There is a fairly tight grouping of the SEC, Big East, and Big Ten after the Pac-10 at the top.

 

Jeff Sagarin NCAA football ratings

[The Scribe]

Top to bottom, the Big 10 is the best conference this year. I'd rank the SEC second and the Pac-10 third.

[bugatti]

As far as your argument, JS, it is fine and dandy and all, probably a lot of truth to it as well. I am not sure if you have convinced yourself otherwise, but there is not one conference any different from the SEC in the case that you tried to make make.

 

You say "at best, the SEC is equal to the other major conferences." And I will give you equal to, but to argue worse is, to steal a phrase from you, "hogwash."

 

What makes the insert conference better than the SEC?

[bugatti]

As for me, I think the SEC, Pac 10, and Big 10 are all rather solid and could make a case for #1. BEast, Big 12 behind them... then the ACC.

[Boucher]

Jim, had you been to Richmond before making such a thread?

 

You normally bring a pretty good argument to the table, but it's pretty clear that this time all your doing is try to stir the pot. Pretty easy to see that it's the bottom teams getting better, and not the top teams getting worse. I'll admit that this year the SEC has been pretty wacky, but imo, it is still the best College football conference. (this is coming from one who grew up with the Big 10).

 

Every analyst that I hear thinks its king, and they also understand why the OOC scheduling is what it is in the SEC. Your argument about the ACC being as good is garbage. All of the ACC teams in the top 25 are in the bottom half. They have 0 in the top 10, to the SEC's 3.

 

I look forward to seeing your research that backs up this argument. (after your head clears).

[mobaar]

The Sagarins have the SEC second overall, behind the Pac-10. There is a fairly tight grouping of the SEC, Big East, and Big Ten after the Pac-10 at the top.

 

Jeff Sagarin NCAA football ratings

 

Which is completely ridiculous when you look at Pac10 vs SEC in head to head matchups this year.

 

USC crushed Arkansas

Auburn crushed Washington State

LSU crushed Arizona

Tennessee crushed Cal

 

Thats 3 to 1 for the SEC. Including the #5 team in the SEC stomping the Pac10s #2.

[RowdyRedRam]

If you took Florida, LSU, and Arkansas and put them in the Big East they would be, IMO the 3 best teams in the Big East. Those teams are bigger and faster than Big East teams overall. UL is probably the closest from a talent perspective.

 

Its interesting you say that no one in the SEC plays anyone when

UT played Cal

Ark played USC

UK played UL

Vandy played Mich

Florida plays Fla St (unfortunately Fla St is down)

South Carolina plays Clemson

Georgia plays Georgia Tech

 

Arent those some pretty good non-conference teams?

Out of the four games that have been played the SEC got spanked in three of them. Also Miss St played WVU, they got spanked at home to.

 

What is embarrasingly bad is the BCS record and simply the number of times they play on the road.

The BCS wins include Duke twice, Colorado, Washington State and the two good wins Arizona and Cal.

[letabrotherspeak]

The SEC is the best conference most years, but not this year.

 

Here's why:

 

The best teams struggle to win at home against the worst teams in the conference.

Florida needed a FG block at home to escape SC

LSU needed OT to beat Ole Miss

UGA crushed Auburn

Just to name a few

 

Arkansas comes out of nowhere to establish itself as the best team in the conference. On the strength of basically one player.

 

Kentucky is having a great year in the conference, yet struggles at home against an absolutely awful team.

 

Bottom line: The SEC lives off that "top to bottom" hogwash, yet refuses to schedule tough non-conference games. What are they afraid of? That the unfortunate ugly truth will be exposed?

 

At best, the SEC is equal to the other major conferences.

 

And don't use the whole "the SEC has five ranked teams" garbage. So does the ACC, and they're in a very down year.

You make some valid arguments.

You say Arkansas makes a rise off of one player. OK. If OSU were to lose Troy Smith, what happens to OSU? What if Michigan loses Hart? One player means a lot to many teams.

The SEC doesn't have a dominant team this year. This year, I agree it is not because of the league.

The SEC does have 9 of 12 teams qualifying for bowl play.

The Big 10 has 7.

The PAC 10 has 7, I believe.

Florida is playing FSU, which in most years is a tough game.