Posted on 01/01/2010 3:27:29 PM PST by William Tell 2
SEC is going south in the bowls...
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2-3 I believe. Not awful not great. Actually about normal and probably better if you include the national title. Only game that was an upset loss was LSU. Kentucky and Tennessee were bigtime dogs.
Tonight’s game should be interesting.
All the talking heads and so-called “experts” who are saying the it will be a cakewalk for the Tide should really slow that talk a bit.
They lost, but I thought Northwestern looked pretty good against Auburn. Five Interceptions, a Blocked Extra-Point, and two missed field goals will usually kill your chance to win, and it did for the ‘Cats. But the Big Ten has looked respectable, 2-2.
On the other hand, most of the SEC games are still ahead, such as Florida, South Carolina, Arkansas, Ole Miss, and Alabama.
Tide doesn’t play until next week.
Tonight’s game will be interesting, all I have heard about is Meyer’s heart.
Living in the South, I have seen many fans who think that the SEC deserves to be proclaimed the best simple because it’s the SEC. When Utah beat Alabama last year, it wasn’t because Utah was good, it was because Alabama didn’t give a damn about the game, otherwise, Utah would have been creamed. Personally, I find that to be a crock of $hit.
I don’t like rooting for the University of Utah, but when they played Alabama, an SEC team, I acted like the U was my favorite team.
SEC was dowen a bit from especially 2007 and 2008 when they were clarly dominant. ANd surprise surprise the Big Ten is 2-2 and could be 3-2 of OSU can hold on here.
Yes SEC fans will always have a ready excuse for any game they lose.
That’s because the SEC is better than all the other conferences.
Go Big Ten. NU put up a valiant effort and shot themselves in the foot, but this Wildcat was shocked by how well NU played.
He has exhausted Saban’s players and now the only sure thing for olde smily is the rent a wins and the down trodden within the SEC on his schedule.
>>> LSU is loaded with talent, but they will never be more than a 8-4 or 9-3 team with Miles. <<<
OTHER THAN THAT NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP UNDER MILES ... ;)
Yeah, other than that National Championship he had with LSU two years ago.........he’s awful...LOL
At least my Dawgs won.
Georgia 44
Texas A&M 20
“Only game that was an upset loss was LSU”
LSU is ranked 107th in total offense...they shouldn’t have been in this bowl in the first place...LSU was ranked WAY too high this year.
.
Tennesse had the most eractic QB in football...when he is hot, which is rare, they do well...when he is not, they don’t have a chance...like last night.
Tennessee fans have dubbed Crompton “In-Crompetent”
Don’t worry, Florida will score an easy win against a way-overmatched Cincinnati tonight.
“Personally, I find that to be a crock of $hit”
You can think that...it isn’t true, but you can think it.
Teams who come within a breath of the big game and lose, have a long history of losing their bowl games...two years ago, Florida lost the SEC championship game after being # 1...they went on to lose big to a Michigan team that had just fired their coach because they had a lousy season.
Texas Tech last year had a shot at the big game...lost a close one to OU and went on to get clobbered by Ole Miss in the bowl game.
“LSU lost because of Miles. He is a few fries short of a Happy Meal. LSU is loaded with talent, but they will never be more than a 8-4 or 9-3 team with Miles.”
You are so right...Two years ago I heard some comentator say that Miles was an underacheiver...they had two loses that year, both of which they SHOULD have won with ease...they lucked up with a win over Floriday and then got a luck draw of Ohio State, who they killed...thus Lucky Les wins a national title and looks like a good coach...the luck is running out.
Before Saban and for a few years under Arnsbarger LSU has always been an average team.
“Yes SEC fans will always have a ready excuse for any game they lose.”
5 national championships in 11 years including 3 in a row (two of which were embarrasing stompings of THE Ohio State)..
We don’t have to make excuses...Ohio State has to play a PAC-10 team with two loses to finally get a bowl win...An Oregon team that was beaten by Boise State and gave up 51 points to Stanford, who got beat in their bowl by a 5 loss OU team.
“LSU lost because of Miles. He is a few fries short of a Happy Meal. LSU is loaded with talent, but they will never be more than a 8-4 or 9-3 team with Miles.”
Yeah, it had NOTHING to do with Penn State at all. Right. Is there a coach who is better at preparing his team for a bowl game than Joe Paterno?
How about them Buckeyes?
I really admire Poppa Joe, but if you had seen any of the football postings this year, you would have seen that I have claimed ALL year that LSU was over-ranked (and I am an SEC fan).
The fact is, LSU is ranked 107th in offsense, and that is AWFUL...I don’t believe LSU should have been in a New Year’s Day bowl with Penn State (who I thought would beat them by 20)..they either should NOT have been in a bowl, or in one of the mid Dec ones.
I was surprised at how anemic LSU's offense looked (actually didnt' realize that ranking). If Penn State had converted in the red zone that game would've been a comfortable win instead of a nailbiter.
I use the website:
NCAA.com -The Offical Website Of NCAA Champions -Statistics.
Even though stats don’t tell the whole story, over time they are helpful to determine how good a team may REALLY be.
There is a section for Total Offense, Red Zone Scoring, team defense, etc...it will not surprise you to know that the top THREE teams in the country have have been ranked 1, 2, and 3 in total defense all year.
Turned out to be a good game.I loved the field conditions!
Your comments actually pretty much prove what I said of SEC fans. In many ways they act like modern day leftist. The original poster was making the point that Utah beat Alabama and no SEC fans gave Utah any credit for that win. That point has not been refuted at all by SEC person.
They didn’t give Utah credit because they knew the truth...where is Utah this year, and where is Bama?
It was a fluke period.
Utah was beaten by BYU this year, and BYU was killed by a 6-6 Florida State...ONE FRICKIN’ bowl game win does not make Utah a team at the same level of a top SEC team...
Again, to prove my point about let downs...a few years ago a surprising Fresno State was undfeated and was beating USC (then ranked #1) in the fourth quarter...USC got two quick scores to beat Fresno....Fresno wanted that game SO MUCH...Fresno then lost their next four games.
That is what happened with Bama last year...
Florida, likewise lost to Michigan after being #1 and losing the SEC Championship game...after losing to Bama in this year’s game, Tebow said they would NOT have that type of let down again...
So how is that UNDEFEATED Cinncy doing? They, like Utah, are from a weaker conference and are UNDEFEATED...so far it is 37-10.
Classless SEC fan alert....see previous post.
“Classless SEC fan alert....see previous post.”
And your post is typical of a Ohio State fan...the ONLY way THE Ohio State team can win a bowl is if they DON’T play an SEC team...
Thought I would pile a little of that classless stuff on you....as a sportwriter said after the last time OSU was trounced by an SEC team in the big game: “Ohio State should be banned from the BCS Championship game if the opponent is from the SEC.”
Just a “classless” sportswriter....if you say you believe Utah was not really that good, and the game was a fluke, then a fan of THE Ohio State will call you classless...
Facts are facts...one game does NOT prove anything...and you and the Utah defenders want to claim that it does...where both teams are this year, proves MY point...but if I offer my reasoning, you label it classless...how sensitive you OSU fans are.
If you went to the blog you’ll see that is exactly what I wrote.
They did win by the same point spread Fla won against Ohio St in 2007. Cincy has a lot of holes to fill.
Fla won by 27 points. 51 to 26.
So what?
3 years ago Fla won 41 to 14 against Ohio St. That was also 27 points and the BCS Championship game. Ohio St wasn’t burdened by their head coach and interim head coach both leaving.
That same season Michigan lost to USC 32-18.
Is the Big 10 a weak conference.
This season the PAC 10 has lost 5 of 7 bowl games. The only 2 they won were against Temple and Boston College.
Is the PAC 10 a weak conference?
At least the Big East is 2-2 .500 the same as the SEC.
“Is the Big 10 a weak conference?”
Yes.... The year that a two loss LSU stomped them, by year’s end they had played only ONE top twenty team..of course they did beat Akron and Youngstown State that year...the Big Ten overall has been weak for about 10 years..thus, the bowl victory losing streak....the problem for the Big Ten is that for many years there was only two caliber teams in the conference, (Ohio State and Michigan). It has improved over the years, but still, to go undefeated in the Big Ten is not that difficult. Ohio State, in my view, is better this year...they are ranked 5th in total defense, and it showed in the bowl.
“Is the PAC 10 a weak conference?”
Yes...They have only one team in the top twenty in total defense, and have the last place team (Wash St) dead last in all of bowl division, while the SEC has four in the top twenty....they lost most of their out of conference games this year (although USC was able to beat Ohio State).
Now, as to your “So what” regarding Florida killing Cinncy...you are missing my point..There are too many in the nation who believe “undefeated” means “best”. Cinncy was ranked HIGHER than Florida...yet got the crap kicked out of them by the second place SEC team.
“Undefeated” only means something if the team has played a tough schedule, and if they win impressively....Cinncy BARELY beat some opponents...it was just a matter of time before they got beat...Ohio State would have beaten them as well...they should not have been ranked that high..
So the same “undefeated” crowd claim TCU and Boise should be in the big game...take the time to look at the WHOLE schedule..so who they beat, but what margin, and then you will see that ALL these teams suffered bigger loses to other teams through out the year..
Big East is an improved conference...no doubt about it..However, when we start this “number of wins in bowls” please keep in mind whether the wins are in major bowls, or the also ran bowls..strength of conference needs to be measured to some extent by whether the majority of the games are early mid December, or in the BIG games.
SEC going south? No. They are in the south. That headline, though, sounds like someone who is tired of having his hopes dashed by the likes of Florida, Alabama and LSU.
I forgot to include Tennessee......BCS National Champions by conference (1998–present)
Conference Championships Schools BCS Championship Game Record
SEC 5 Tennessee (1998), LSU (2003, 2007), Florida (2006, 2008) 5-0 (1.000)
Big 12 2 Oklahoma (2000), Texas (2005) 2-4 (0.333)
Pac-10 1 USC (2004) 1-1 (0.500)
Big Ten 1 Ohio State (2002) 1-2 (0.333)
ACC 1 Florida State (1999) 1-2 (0.333)[91] (2-4 current alignment)
Big East 1 Miami (2001) 1-2 (0.333)[91] (0-0 current alignment)
[edit] See also
“Now, as to your “So what” regarding Florida killing Cinncy...you are missing my point..There are too many in the nation who believe “undefeated” means “best”. Cinncy was ranked HIGHER than Florida...yet got the crap kicked out of them by the second place SEC team.”
If Alabama was adversely affected during their Utah game why can’t you say Cincy was adversely affected during the Florida game. After all, they lost their coach at the end of the season AND lost their interim coach just before the bowl game. That obviously affected their play.
BTW LSU was ranked higher than Penn St. Alabama higher than Utah.
I haven’t taken the time to analyze the Big East’s bowl wins during the past several years. There is an SEC Big East game today though.
“If Alabama was adversely affected during their Utah game why can’t you say Cincy was adversely affected during the Florida game. After all, they lost their coach at the end of the season AND lost their interim coach just before the bowl game. That obviously affected their play.”
You are not comparing apples to apples...The coach leaving versus missing a chance at a national title by two plays are not the same emotional circumstances.
Cinncy’s record this year suggested that they were lucky to be undefeated...the beat Fresno State 28-20, while Boise beat Fresno 61-10...heck, even lowly Hawaii beat Fresno.
Cinncy gave up 45 points to U Conn (the second most U Conn scored all year, second to the 52 they scored against Rhode Island.
Cinncy gave up 45 points to Illionis who won only 3 games this year.
There were plenty of clues this year that Cinncy was ranked too high...undefeated does NOT always mean a team is great.
As for LSU, if you had seen my college football posts a mid seasson, you would have seen that I many times said LSU was ranked TOO HIGH...they were 107th in total offense in the country and did not deserve their ranking..I really thought Penn State would whip them be a larger margin.
I am NOT saying the SEC will win all bowl games..don’t even know for certain that Bama will win...The SEC does have some mediocre teams...LSU, Kentucky, Auburn, Vandy, Tenn, Mississpi State, etc...but OVERALL most years, it is the strongest and most competitive conference. No other conference sent 10 teams to bowls this year.
Lastly, back to Alabama / Utah last year...I PREDICTED a Utah win...not because I thought Utah better, but because over the years I have seen college teams give up after coming with in a breath of playing for the title...Sabin said after the Florida loss last year that it would be very hard to get them up for the game...he was right.
Since the BCS began in 1998 the SEC has won as many National Championships as the rest of the country combined.
The coach leaving is much more serious. It affects strategy, playcalling, preparation everything. The national championship is merely an emotional state.
I’ll go along with you and say Cincy was shouldn’t have been ranked number 3, I was shocked they were. After all, Florida had a Heisman Trophy/future Hall of Fame QB among other things.
As far as Cincy’s schedule, you omit they won against Oregon St playing away 28-18. Ore St won Stanford and Calif.
As far as SEC v Big East, UConn won 20-7 against South Carolina which won against Ole Miss, which won against LSU.
The Big East is 1-1 v SEC and 1-1 v ACC
I mean you can go on and on with these comparisons. One can easily say that the SEC is merely Florida and Alabama and a bunch of also rans.
The only two consistent conferences are MWC and MAC; one 4-0 the other 0-4.
I think Notre Dame has won almost as many national championships by itself than the entire SEC combined.
William:
I can tell you from experience that coming within a breath of playing for the title and losing a heartbreaker will have FAR more impact on a team than losing a coach. If your assertion were true, then Texas Tech should have lost last night.
Cinncy didn’t lose because the other team had a Heisman player, they lost because they weren’t nearly as good as the other team. In fact, it is rare that Heisman Trophy teams win their bowls..last one to do so in many years was USC with Leinart.
I didn’t mention Cinncy beating Oregon State because it wasn’t a big deal. Oregon State has FIVE losses in a conference that is down and is the weakest defensive conference in the BCS. Oregon State was beaten in the bowl by BYU (who was KILLED by a 6 loss Florida State team during the year). California and Stanford both lost their bowl games...the PAC-10 is down this year.
UConn beat South Carolina because UConn is better than South Carolina...SC was 76th in total offense this year..and was okay on defense...not surprise that they lost....SC had games that they played well (Ole Miss), but most of the year was a struggle for them.
Saying the SEC is only Florida and Bama and the rest are also rans is silly. Yes, Flordia is not as good as last year (lost Harvin and two great receivers to the pros), but still good enough to kill an unbeaten Cinncy..I will admit that the SEC is down just a bit this year, and in my view should have lost more bowl games this year than they have. Auburn was auditioning for the PAC-10 giving up 600 yards...Arkansas was lucky..both should have lost...the lower SEC teams are still competitive, though not great.
Most sports analysts and commentators say that the SEC is the toughest conference overall. That doesn’t mean it will always produce the national champion or win all its’ bowl games.
As for the MWC being the only “consistent” conference, I would submit that being 4-0 against 5 loss teams doesn’t prove anything...Florida (the 2nd place SEC team) killing Cinncy says more that those 4 wins.
At the end of the day, a playoff system would, for the most part, put an end to all of this...at least then you and I could sit back and, hopefully, see the best team crowned...it, perhaps, would also settle some of the “my conference is better than your conference” stuff...
No because MSU lost 14 players.
Also I said MWC and MAC being consistent. They’re both perfect one is 4-0 the other 0-4.
You’re correct Fl is a superior team to Cincy.
No doubt about it. Also SEC is probably the strongest conference now and the Big East is starting to slip.
MWC has some value though.
A playoff system wouldn’t do much. The same teams would be there. Check my previous articles about this.
A true tournament system would have all the same teams playing one another - which is impossible.
This system is just as good and I get to watch a lot of kids play for games that are important to them ( and even get to watch some good marching bands). Put them in a tournament and they aren’t nearly as excited. There is no trophy for being in the sweet sixteen.
“A playoff system wouldn’t do much. The same teams would be there”
I could not disagree more...at least with a playoff system, Notre Dame and Ohio State would not get FREE rides to the big game if they manage to only lose one game through an easy schedule...the teams that currently play conference championships are at a disadvantage, laying it all on the line on one game that can cost them a shot at the title.
Also, the TCU’s and Boise States of the world would get their shot...The BCS REALLY screwed up this year pitting these two against each other which proves NOTHING.
If the SAME teams end up in the final four, well it would just PROVE my point about conference strength...There is a way to design a good system, and it would be FAR more fair than RANKINGS...I mean, look at the idiocy of those who vote to rank these teams:
At one time this year Ole Miss was ranked 4..What were they thinking? At one time LSU was ranked 3rd...Oklahoma was #3. USC was #3. California was #6 and ended the season unranked. Florida by years’ end was ranked lower than Cinncy.
A playoff is the ONLY fair way.
I don’t think the benefits of the playoff are that impressive. Look at basketball. For 70 odd years I think there was only may 5 or 6 times a team not ranked in the top 5 made it to the championship.
The championship which is not dispositive because it all depends on the bracket anyway.
The current system allows lesser known teams and lesser programs to play for something.
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