Why I Don't Respect The Sec

oldguystudent · September 14, 2008

Perhaps a two team sampling isn't indicative of an overall trend, but when I look at the best of each conference, LSU and USC, I see a huge difference.

LSU schedules Appalachian St. and UNT while USC starts it's season with a road game against Virginia and a home game against Ohio State. Both teams routed the competition in the first two games, but USC at least put a hell of a lot more on the line. They could have feasibly been challenged or lost either one of those games, thus ruining their chances at the BCS championship game. LSU, on the other hand, gets full credit for their two victories, but there was no chance in hell that they were going to lose either one of them.

The year that LSU and USC split the two voting polls (2003), LSU played ULM and Western Illinois. They lost one game to Florida. USC played BYU and Hawaii and lost to Cal in triple overtime. Doesn't seem equal to me.

This year, USC doesn't have a single game against a non-BCS school. So while LSU is warming up, USC is already pounding it out, making it more likely that fatigue will be a factor later on in the season. The polls will reward USC for this only if it runs the table, but if both teams have one loss, I bet LSU will somehow come out on top in the polls. The SEC has obviously found a winning, and easy, formula for reaching the BCS successfully.

good_ken · September 14, 2008

Just wait; because the rest of the PAC 10 is crap. USC won't face another decent opponent until the national championship game against OU (because overrated Georgia just won't make it).

Edited September 14, 2008 by good_ken

oldguystudent · September 14, 2008

Just wait; because the rest of the PAC 10 is crap. USC won't face another decent opponent until the national championship game against OU (because overrated Georgia just won't make it).

That is true, but it's not the fault of USC. My point is that they're not intentionally scheduling body bag games at the beginning of the season.

Just to be clear, I'm no USC fan. I used to live in that neighborhood, and the student body there was, well...the acronym University of Spoiled Children is quite appropriate.

aprice · September 14, 2008

It's not just the SEC teams that do this. There are several teams in all of the major conferences that do this, the big12 especially

oldguystudent · September 14, 2008

It's not just the SEC teams that do this. There are several teams in all of the major conferences that do this, the big12 especially

I suppose that's true. I'm just learning all this football stuff. Prior to coming to UNT, I've been mostly a college baseball fan, and the SEC is egregious in scheduling really easy OOC games.

Got5onIt · September 14, 2008

This has been going on for a while now. Just imagine what it was like when margin of victory held more weight in the BCS formula.

chomp · September 14, 2008

Admittedly, I am biased but I do not understand this exclusive focus on the quality of OOC games as an indicator of overall schedule quality. To me, you have to focus on the total schedule that a team plays, both in conference and out of conference. I agree that LSU's OOC schedule is pretty sad, but they do play #10 Auburn, #4 Florida, #3 Georgia, and #9 Alabama. Plus, if they make it through that schedule undefeated, they will have to play in the SEC Championship game against a time from the East that will almost certainly be ranked. Meanwhile, USC plays #5 Ohio State, #16 Oregon, #15 Arizona State, and #23 Cal. Is that really a tougher schedule than what LSU plays? I am not really sure that anyone in the SEC has an easy route to getting to the BCS title game. Plus, I don't think that you can indict the SEC for LSU, Georgia (as much as I hate them) plays Arizona State and Georgia Tech this year and Tennessee routinely plays a decent OOC each year (losing to UCLA this year). Florida, in addition to its SEC schedule plays Hawaii, Miami, and Florida State this year. Although I am not too happy that The Citadel is also on the schedule for the Gators.

Until we have a playoff system, this is all just one big beauty contest.

Edited September 14, 2008 by chomp

oldguystudent · September 14, 2008

Until we have a playoff system, this is all just one big beauty contest.

Oh dear lord, can we please in the name of all things decent skip the swimsuit competition?

chomp · September 14, 2008

Oh come on, you can't tell me that you don't want to see Charlie Weis in a speedo.

Your welcome for that mental image.

good_ken · September 14, 2008

Oh come on, you can't tell me that you don't want to see Charlie Weis in a speedo.
Your welcome for that mental image.

I bet he would beat out Mangino and Fulmer for the swimsuit competition title.

emmitt01 · September 14, 2008

The SEC is far from alone. After Ohio State beat UT in Austin a few seasons ago Mack Brown was quoted as saying he will never again schedule tough teams in the OOC. Before anyone tries to bring up Arkansas this year that game was already set...and I think Mack Brown knew about Ike. :lol:

StealthEagle84 · September 14, 2008

The thing that makes the SEC better than any other conference is their depth. You don't have a single game off during conference play. Even Vandy, Kentucky, or the Mississippi schools can sneak up on you and win if you don't show up to play. There is a reason the don't schedule big games out of conference. The reason is b/c they play enough in conference. LSU still has at Auburn(10), at Florida(4), and Georgia(2) and Alabama(9) at home. USC only has one remaining top 25 team left on the schedule, Oregon(17), at home. USC has to schedule big games out of conference b/c its the only way they will get respect. And also, I do believe LSU played V-Tech last season, who was 9 in the nation last year when they played.

Edited September 14, 2008 by StealthEagle84

untgeorge · September 14, 2008

Admittedly, I am biased but I do not understand this exclusive focus on the quality of OOC games as an indicator of overall schedule quality. To me, you have to focus on the total schedule that a team plays, both in conference and out of conference. I agree that LSU's OOC schedule is pretty sad, but they do play #10 Auburn, #4 Florida, #3 Georgia, and #9 Alabama. Plus, if they make it through that schedule undefeated, they will have to play in the SEC Championship game against a time from the East that will almost certainly be ranked. Meanwhile, USC plays #5 Ohio State, #16 Oregon, #15 Arizona State, and #23 Cal. Is that really a tougher schedule than what LSU plays? I am not really sure that anyone in the SEC has an easy route to getting to the BCS title game. Plus, I don't think that you can indict the SEC for LSU, Georgia (as much as I hate them) plays Arizona State and Georgia Tech this year and Tennessee routinely plays a decent OOC each year (losing to UCLA this year). Florida, in addition to its SEC schedule plays Hawaii, Miami, and Florida State this year. Although I am not too happy that The Citadel is also on the schedule for the Gators.
Until we have a playoff system, this is all just one big beauty contest.

Note that Arizona State and Cal lost this weekend to such powers as UNLV and Maryland. The PAC-10 is not as tough, top-to-bottom, as the SEC or Big XII.

Green P1 · September 14, 2008

Anyone who does not believe the SEC is the class of college football is just silly.

Censored by Laurie · September 14, 2008

Note that Arizona State and Cal lost this weekend to such powers as UNLV and Maryland. The PAC-10 is not as tough, top-to-bottom, as the SEC or Big XII.

Lets not forget about the ritualistic Mormon Bruin slaughtering

GoMeanGreen1999 · September 14, 2008

I suppose that's true. I'm just learning all this football stuff. Prior to coming to UNT, I've been mostly a college baseball fan, and the SEC is egregious in scheduling really easy OOC games.

If your team played in the SEC week in a and week out, you would do the same thing.

Crip*TeamKATT · September 14, 2008

Perhaps a two team sampling isn't indicative of an overall trend, but when I look at the best of each conference, LSU and USC, I see a huge difference.
LSU schedules Appalachian St. and UNT while USC starts it's season with a road game against Virginia and a home game against Ohio State. Both teams routed the competition in the first two games, but USC at least put a hell of a lot more on the line. They could have feasibly been challenged or lost either one of those games, thus ruining their chances at the BCS championship game. LSU, on the other hand, gets full credit for their two victories, but there was no chance in hell that they were going to lose either one of them.
The year that LSU and USC split the two voting polls (2003), LSU played ULM and Western Illinois. They lost one game to Florida. USC played BYU and Hawaii and lost to Cal in triple overtime. Doesn't seem equal to me.
This year, USC doesn't have a single game against a non-BCS school. So while LSU is warming up, USC is already pounding it out, making it more likely that fatigue will be a factor later on in the season. The polls will reward USC for this only if it runs the table, but if both teams have one loss, I bet LSU will somehow come out on top in the polls. The SEC has obviously found a winning, and easy, formula for reaching the BCS successfully.

First off if LSU played in the Pac 10 then it wouldnt have to scedule easy wins at the begining of the season because the confrence play would be ALL easy wins! Thats not so in the SEC were on any given Saturday a team can get upset because the playing field is equal!

Second NO ONE Wanted to play Appy St from DI this year. Dont believe me go to their board and ask. Not to mention the fact that Appy State has won the title 3 years in a row and would proably give your football team a run for its money!

In 03 Va Tech was suppose to come and play the first game of the year. THEY PUSSED OUT and we had no choice but to scedule anyone that could play us, NO ONE WANTED TO!!!!! So we had to play W. Ill.

Are you from Texas of the west coast?

oldguystudent · September 14, 2008

If your team played in the SEC week in a and week out, you would do the same thing.

My team plays in the Big West and most OOC games are in the Pac-10. It's a rough schedule out west in baseball.

GoMeanGreen1999 · September 14, 2008

My team plays in the Big West and most OOC games are in the Pac-10. It's a rough schedule out west in baseball.

There is a HUGE difference between the Big West, Pac-10 and the SEC. From top to bottom it is not even comparable.

oldguystudent · September 14, 2008

Are you from Texas of the west coast?

I'm from the west coast.

September 14, 2008

It is also tired to say that SEC in-conference is SOOOOO terribly difficult. SEC is just like all the other power conferences, they are top loaded... at at least one of the top teams is overrated in a year, so they will lose to one of the lesser SEC teams, then pundits can say, "see how difficult playing in the SEC is!?!?"

Tired. Tired. Tired.

If all you do is say how great your conference is and don't play the other "good" conferences... then how can you truly know? As far as I can tell, SEC *should* win the championship *every* year, but they don't. Then they say, "it is because we beat ourselves up during the in-conference schedule and have nothing left for the bowl games."

I don't buy it.

I am tired of of the SEC lovers and apologists.

Of the East, I say Georgia and Florida are national elite teams (and Georgia needs to prove it to me).

Of the West, I say LSU is the national elite team.

....so of the 12 teams, 3 are what I would consider powerhouses. The other ones are just completive.. and some outright terrible. When you think of the SEC, you think Tennessee, oh yeh, they are good... but really? When is the last time they have been really good? UK, they are good now... but have been in stretches, but have they really proven it? That can be said for 9 or 10 of the teams in the SEC. Just like EVERY BCS conference..

EAST:

Georgia 1-0 1.000 14 7 3-0 1.000 115 45 2-1 1-0 0-0 W3

Vanderbilt 1-0 1.000 24 17 3-0 1.000 96 51 2-1 1-0 1-0 W3

Florida 0-0 .000 0 0 2-0 1.000 82 13 2-0 0-0 0-0 W2

Kentucky 0-0 .000 0 0 3-0 1.000 85 19 3-0 0-0 0-0 W3

Tennessee 0-0 .000 0 0 1-1 .500 59 30 1-1 0-0 0-0 W1

S. Carolina 0-2 .000 24 38 1-2 .333 58 38 3-0 0-2 0-1 L2

WEST

Auburn 1-0 1.000 3 2 3-0 1.000 64 15 1-2 1-0 0-0 W3

Alabama 0-0 .000 0 0 3-0 1.000 95 23 3-0 0-0 1-0 W3

Arkansas 0-0 .000 0 0 2-0 1.000 56 51 1-2 0-0 0-0 W2

LSU 0-0 .000 0 0 2-0 1.000 82 16 2-0 0-0 0-0 W2

Ole Miss 0-0 .000 0 0 2-1 .667 103 64 1-2 0-0 0-1 W1

Miss. State 0-1 .000 2 3 1-2 .333 50 35 2-1 0-0 0-1 L1

CMJ · September 14, 2008

First off if LSU played in the Pac 10 then it wouldnt have to scedule easy wins at the begining of the season because the confrence play would be ALL easy wins!

Yeah SEC schools really have a easy time when they play Pac-10 schools don't they?? Before this season, the Pac-10 had a head to head advantage over the previous 10 years over the SEC 9-6 - and this year a UCLA school that just got demolished, beat the defending SEC East Champions.

Yes, the Pac-10 is a cakewalk.

Edited September 14, 2008 by CMJ

oldguystudent · September 14, 2008

There is a HUGE difference between the Big West, Pac-10 and the SEC. From top to bottom it is not even comparable.

I would think that if you look at the number of post-season bids, national seeds, and national championships, that it is comparable.

September 14, 2008

I would think that if you look at the number of post-season bids, national seeds, and national championships, that it is comparable.

Then they come back with the "we have nothing left in the tank after we kill one another in conference play... it isn't fair. Pac10 needs a championship game. SEC SEC SEC!"