CEDeoudes59
USA HOCKEY
- Awards
- 1
this is his argument:
THIS IS NOT MY ARGUMENT, ALTHOUGH I AGREE WITH MOST OF IT THIS YEAR.
Before you people get your panties in a bunch, read the following:
Saying the SEC is the best coference in the country is common among fans in the SEC. The evidence proves otherwise...
Several SEC teams play seven home games a season. They usually bring in a bunch of lousy out-of-conference teams from C-USA, the Sun Belt, or some non-BCS conference. When they do bring in a team from a good conference, its usually a bottom-dweller from that conference. (i.e. Arizona or Duke). As a result of such easy schedules, a number of SEC teams enter conference play undefeated. As a result of that, they're ranked higher than teams with losses (whether those losses came against good teams or not). Then, when all the teams in the conference beat up on each other, they use that as evidence that they're all good teams. Its a self-fulfilling prophesy.
Take LSU for example: When people ask how Auburn and Florida have proven themselves, the answer is usually that they beat LSU. What does beating LSU prove? LSU is ranked in the top 15 because they only have two losses. Aside from their two losses, they haven't beaten a winning team (except Louisiana-Lafayette). LSU hasn't proven that they're good-- they've proven they aren't absolutely horrible by not losing to some of the worst teams in D1. Therefore, beating LSU doesn't prove anything.
The only way one conference can prove superiority over another is by beating teams from the other conferences in question. The Big Ten has done that. Ohio State won at Texas. Michigan won at Notre Dame. The SEC hasn't been able to do that. If anything, its been the opposite. The only team undefeated in SEC play is Arkansas, and they got destroyed at home by USC.
SEC proponentsl argue two things. 1) the non-conference teams they play aren't that bad, and 2) conference games are so tough that they can't afford to play good non-conference teams.
1) SEC fans will point to the fact that So. Miss and UCF (UF's first two opponents) are both bowl teams. That's true. It's also true that they play in a lesser conference and don't have the talent to compete with the big schools. Florida was favored by more that 20 points in both games. Neither win proved anything about the quality of Florida.
2) What makes you so sure playing through the SEC schedule is difficult? Is the fact that no team usually emerges undefeated proof the conference play is better there that anywhere else? As established above, there is no way to gauge whether all these teams are good or just average. The conference has manipulated the polls by playing nothing but lousy teams all year, so those aren't helpful either. How do we, then, ultimately prove which conference is the best?
Bowl games. Conferences play against conferences when the teams have had all year to improve. In theory, if the SEC is the best it should be able to prove that during bowl season. They haven't been able to.
In fairness, the SEC has done okay in bowls. Last year, they had a few winners: LSU over Miami, UF over Iowa, Alabama over Texas Tech. They also had a few bad losers: UGA fell to West Virginia. Wisconsin beat Auburn. South Carolina lost to Missouri. The SEC hasn't had the best bowl record among the top conferences in any of the last five years.
I'm sure you crybaby SEC fans will have excuses for all of this, but it speaks for itself. The only thing the SEC excells at is talking about how great they are. They never actually prove it on the field. That's why it's overrated.
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USC-50
Arkansas-14, at Arkansas
Colorado (1-6)-13
UGA-14, at UGA
Wofford (D1-AA)- 20
S. Car.-27, at SC
Air Force- 30
Tenn.- 31, at Tenn.
And these are the good SEC teams?
THIS IS NOT MY ARGUMENT, ALTHOUGH I AGREE WITH MOST OF IT THIS YEAR.
Before you people get your panties in a bunch, read the following:
Saying the SEC is the best coference in the country is common among fans in the SEC. The evidence proves otherwise...
Several SEC teams play seven home games a season. They usually bring in a bunch of lousy out-of-conference teams from C-USA, the Sun Belt, or some non-BCS conference. When they do bring in a team from a good conference, its usually a bottom-dweller from that conference. (i.e. Arizona or Duke). As a result of such easy schedules, a number of SEC teams enter conference play undefeated. As a result of that, they're ranked higher than teams with losses (whether those losses came against good teams or not). Then, when all the teams in the conference beat up on each other, they use that as evidence that they're all good teams. Its a self-fulfilling prophesy.
Take LSU for example: When people ask how Auburn and Florida have proven themselves, the answer is usually that they beat LSU. What does beating LSU prove? LSU is ranked in the top 15 because they only have two losses. Aside from their two losses, they haven't beaten a winning team (except Louisiana-Lafayette). LSU hasn't proven that they're good-- they've proven they aren't absolutely horrible by not losing to some of the worst teams in D1. Therefore, beating LSU doesn't prove anything.
The only way one conference can prove superiority over another is by beating teams from the other conferences in question. The Big Ten has done that. Ohio State won at Texas. Michigan won at Notre Dame. The SEC hasn't been able to do that. If anything, its been the opposite. The only team undefeated in SEC play is Arkansas, and they got destroyed at home by USC.
SEC proponentsl argue two things. 1) the non-conference teams they play aren't that bad, and 2) conference games are so tough that they can't afford to play good non-conference teams.
1) SEC fans will point to the fact that So. Miss and UCF (UF's first two opponents) are both bowl teams. That's true. It's also true that they play in a lesser conference and don't have the talent to compete with the big schools. Florida was favored by more that 20 points in both games. Neither win proved anything about the quality of Florida.
2) What makes you so sure playing through the SEC schedule is difficult? Is the fact that no team usually emerges undefeated proof the conference play is better there that anywhere else? As established above, there is no way to gauge whether all these teams are good or just average. The conference has manipulated the polls by playing nothing but lousy teams all year, so those aren't helpful either. How do we, then, ultimately prove which conference is the best?
Bowl games. Conferences play against conferences when the teams have had all year to improve. In theory, if the SEC is the best it should be able to prove that during bowl season. They haven't been able to.
In fairness, the SEC has done okay in bowls. Last year, they had a few winners: LSU over Miami, UF over Iowa, Alabama over Texas Tech. They also had a few bad losers: UGA fell to West Virginia. Wisconsin beat Auburn. South Carolina lost to Missouri. The SEC hasn't had the best bowl record among the top conferences in any of the last five years.
I'm sure you crybaby SEC fans will have excuses for all of this, but it speaks for itself. The only thing the SEC excells at is talking about how great they are. They never actually prove it on the field. That's why it's overrated.
---
USC-50
Arkansas-14, at Arkansas
Colorado (1-6)-13
UGA-14, at UGA
Wofford (D1-AA)- 20
S. Car.-27, at SC
Air Force- 30
Tenn.- 31, at Tenn.
And these are the good SEC teams?
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