SEC is mediocre conference?

[BamaBay]

Sporting News Today reported that the SEC has lost "its annual label as undisputed best league in the land."

Sporting News Today - November 19, 2009

They say parity has caused all the teams to be about the same, except for Alabama and Florida.

To me, that makes us tougher because any almost any team can beat the other on any given Saturday. Almost all the teams are better than most other conferences, IMO.

I guess we will find out come bowl season!

 

[NYBamaFan]

I disagree with them about LSU. IMO, Florida, Bama or LSU would be the best team in every other conference in America this year. Yes, I think that LSU is better than Texas, and many will disagree. But the dropoff after LSU is tremendous.

Still, if the top two or three teams in the SEC would win every other conference in America, how is that mediocre? Because our 4-12 teams are not top 20 caliber? And which other conference has their 4-12 teams in the top 20 with their top three in the top 10? :conf3:

 

[CrimsonDollar]

I disagree with them about LSU. IMO, Florida, Bama or LSU would be the best team in every other conference in America this year. Yes, I think that LSU is better than Texas, and many will disagree. But the dropoff after LSU is tremendous.

Still, if the top two or three teams in the SEC would win every other conference in America, how is that mediocre? Because our 4-12 teams are not top 20 caliber? And which other conference has their 4-12 teams in the top 20 with their top three in the top 10? :conf3:

I think Texas would destroy La. Tech. but there is no way to find out. Otherwise I agree.

 

[DiamondDust]

If it wasn't for BCS rules, the SEC would be sending 3 teams to BCS Bowls this year.

 

[NYBamaFan]

I think Texas would destroy La. Tech. but there is no way to find out. Otherwise I agree.

But if you think that LSU is that bad, then the SEC is mediocre this year. A two team conference is weak, IMO - even if those two teams are great...

 

[Tidewater]

Sporting News Today reported that the SEC has lost "its annual label as undisputed best league in the land."

Sporting News Today - November 19, 2009

They say parity has caused all the teams to be about the same, except for Alabama and Florida.

To me, that makes us tougher because any almost any team can beat the other on any given Saturday. Almost all the teams are better than most other conferences, IMO.

I guess we will find out come bowl season!

The conference has become more top-heavy. Florida and Alabama both going undefeated means that the rest of the conference has to swallow more losses.

 

[Tide1986]

I suspect that our second tier is consistently deeper and better (over time) than everybody else's second tier. Would be interesting to have a "foreign exchange team" join us for a season as a test case.
Posted via Mobile Device

 

[GulfCoastTider]

I suspect that our second tier is consistently deeper and better (over time) than everybody else's second tier. Would be interesting to have a "foreign exchange team" join us for a season as a test case.
Posted via Mobile Device

That would be interesting, but I don't think you'd find many takers.

 

[CrimsonDollar]

I could see LSU dropping games to both Ole Miss, and Arkansas to finish up the year. Which would put them behind a struggling Ole Miss team in the conference standings, and likely overall standings as well. LSU's marquee victories include teams like Washington and Auburn while their marquee losses were close losses to both Florida and Alabama (a resume shared with Tennessee). Despite the talent level at LSU, I don't see them as BCS caliber this year. Granted, they're not the only team in the top ten this year I don't see as BCS caliber, so what gives?

 

[fireater]

Much to our delight, ucheat and the barnfarm are way off now for two years running. The what if factor is gawga, what if they have ever recovered from the Black Out last year.

If gawga had beaten OkSt and ucheat, this conversation may not be taking place. But look at the bowl situation, this week Jess has the bulk of the SEC teams in play for 5, 6, 7 bowl possiblities. It is a down year for the SEC, but also a down year for the Big 12 (no BSC bowls except NCG).

In the next year or two, the Big 12 will again be the 'darling' conference with the job CBP has done at UN and figuring Stoops stays at Ou or uO--with Leach being the wildcard. For the SEC to maintain it's place as the premier conference, we are going to need 5 or 6 great programs in place at once.

The problem with this is the conferences that DO NOT HAVE A CHAMPIONSHIP GAME. The Big 10, Big East, MAC, JAC:rolleye2:, SAC, FAC:tongue:, and WAC get a one game free ride to the big show.

To answer the question, no we are mediocre. we just a little down this season...and yes to a previous poster, we deserve 3 teams in the BCS this year...

 

[jthomas666]

When you consider the number of perennial powers that have fallen on hard times--Georgia, Tennessee, Auburn, and, to a degree, LSU, they have a point--though I wouldn't go so far as to say "mediocre". It'll only take a couple of those teams to rebound and we'll be easily on top again.

These things go in cycles, and it's pretty impressive that we've stayed on top for as long as we have.

 

[CrimsonSEC]

I think it is an overall down year for the SEC. New coaches at traditionally stronger schools (Tenn/Barn). Georgia took a step back into mediocrity and Petrino's still building. After Alabama and Florida, there's a fairly big drop off to LSU and the others this year.

But at the same time, it's kind of stupid to take one year and proclaim it a trend. The way the SEC, as a conference, has been dominating the recruit rankings the past few years, I don't see it falling off much overall anytime soon.

 

[rhYno]

I didn't bother to read the article, but name another conference that's better? Pac-1's only team is waaaaay down this year. Stanford and Oregon aren't as good as advertised, IMO.

The Big-10 is still the Big-10...

The Big-12 is almost as pathetic as the Big-10. Who has Texas played? The best team they've beaten was OU, and they only done so by 3 points. Guess what? OU was also defeated by a mediocre Miami team, a heavily overrated Nebraska team, and BYU who was BLOWN OUT by possibly the worst team in the ACC, Florida State.

If Alabama, Florida, LSU, Ole Miss, and heck, even Aubarn played UTEP, Baylor, UCF, Wyoming, and Idaho State every year, we'd all "appear" just as good as Texas does right now.

Texas' and the Big-12's reality check will hit them in the BCS Championship game.

 

[THE BAMA IRISHMAN]

Funny,

If the SEC did not have a conference championship this year, Alabama and Florida would play for the National Title. The sporting crap needs to do some research. :BigA:

 

[Redwood Forrest]

Current "out of conference" records:

SEC..........37-6 86%
Big East....30-7 81%
Big 10.......31-10 76%
Big 12.......35-13 73%
Pac 10......21-9 70%
ACC..........29-15 66%
MWC.........21-15 58%
WAC.........17-19 47%


SEC looks pretty strong to me!

 

[sanjosecrimson]

I think it is an overall down year for the SEC. New coaches at traditionally stronger schools (Tenn/Barn). Georgia took a step back into mediocrity and Petrino's still building. After Alabama and Florida, there's a fairly big drop off to LSU and the others this year.

But at the same time, it's kind of stupid to take one year and proclaim it a trend. The way the SEC, as a conference, has been dominating the recruit rankings the past few years, I don't see it falling off much overall anytime soon.

OH no!! don't say down year in the SEC. heavens forbid, this is what those delusional barners always claimed is the main reason when BAMA is on top and when the aubarn family is down!!:eek2:

 

[sanjosecrimson]

Funny,

If the SEC did not have a conference championship this year, Alabama and Florida would play for the National Title. The sporting crap needs to do some research. :BigA:

BINGO!!! heck, if that was the case then last season BAMA would have played for the MNC vs. OU...

 

[Ole Man Dan]

If you compare it to WHAT? The NFL?

TRUTH
SEC second tier schools seem to match up quite well with top teams from the rest of the country. Our conference is set up to beat up on each other. This affects the won/lost record of most of the SEC schools...

Who do they think is better? Big 12, Atlantic Coast conference, ACC.???

I'll just keep my Crimson glasses on till the end of the year, and see which conferences play for the title.:BigA:

 

[CrimsonEyeshade]

The other night a Charlotte talk show host made the point to Danielson that the SEC was down.

Danielson disagreed. He said Auburn, Tennessee, Arkansas and LSU are clearly better. So is Miss. State and South Carolina. Ole Miss, he said, is about the same but playing their best football of the year.

The dropoff: Georgia, of course, but surprisingly he said Florida doesn't appear as good, but given their defense, they don't really have to do as much on offense to win games.

He loves us, of course, and can't wait for Atlanta.

The question I have is that the SEC hasn't had a signature out-of-conference win all year. Personally, I don't think Va. Tech qualifies, since the season has shown they aren't as good as advertised when we played them.

(Another interesting point: Florida hasn't played an out of conference regular season opponent outside the South since 1991, when they were beaten pretty badly by Syracuse.)

So we think the SEC is again the best. But given the lack of national competition so far, we won't know for sure until the bowl games.

 

[BEATtutorsee]

If you compare it to WHAT? The NFL?

Exactly what I was thinking as well. It may be a bit of a down year for the league, but when you go around and compare it to the other conferences the SEC is still the king hands down.