The short answer? No. Yes, that's contrary to popular opinion, but like all the other major conferences it seems, the SEC is down this year. Yes, the SEC is currently home of the top 3 teams in the country, in LSU, Alabama and Arkansas, but outside of those three teams, the SEC is fairly average this year. Georgia has bounced back nicely following their 0-2 start. South Carolina is currently 9-2, but not as good as their record indicates I don't believe. I don't believe Auburn is as good as their 7-4 showcases. Heck, if I want to go there (and I do), I honestly don't believe Arkansas is as good as their 10-1 record and #3 ranking would suggest. Florida is a disappointing 6-5 (3-5 in conference). Tennessee has had another disappointing season, at 5-6 (1-6 in conference). Kentucky's 4-7 (1-6 in SEC play), Ole Miss has collapsed under Houston Nutt this season, going 2-9 (0-7 in the SEC) and Mississippi State is a disappointing 5-6 as well (1-6 in conference play). Closing up, Vanderbilt is 5-6 (2-6 in conference). To sum up those numbers, the SEC is extremely top heavy this year.
I'll be the first to admit, at this point in the season, LSU is the top team in the country. Outside of Houston, they are the only unbeaten left in college football. They've defeated Oregon, West Virginia, Florida, Auburn and Alabama. They will face Arkansas on Friday and Georgia in the SEC title game. If they win those two games, there's no question they should go to the national title game. Heck, if Georgia beats them, it'd still be difficult to not invite the Tigers to the biggest game of the college football season.
Is Alabama the #2 team in the land? Maybe, but they haven't been quite as dominant as LSU and haven't faced as quality a schedule as the Tigers have. Alabama has defeated Penn State, Arkansas and Florida and still have to face in-state rival Auburn next Saturday.
I am not a believer that Arkansas is a top 3 team. They struggled against Troy earlier this season, beating the Trojans 38-28. They were demolished by Alabama 38-14. They should have lost to 6-5 Texas A&M, but came back against the Aggies to win 42-38. They struggled against woeful Mississippi, beating the Rebels 29-24. This was also the case against 5-6 Vanderbilt, as the Hogs beat the Commodores 31-28. The Razorbacks did beat Auburn and South Carolina fairly handily. Arkansas is a very solid team, but I honestly don't believe them to be top 3. If they defeat LSU this next week, I will definitely change my tune, but won't until that takes place.
How can we really compare the major conferences without head-to-head match-ups between the six automatic-qualifying conferences? To this point, the SEC has the top winning percentage of the six major conferences in such match-ups, as they're 6-2 in such games. They do play four more this coming week against the ACC, whom they're 0-1 against so far this season. Vanderbilt will take on Wake Forest. Florida will face Florida State. Georgia will play against Georgia Tech. Finally, South Carolina will square off against Clemson. I give the ACC an edge with Wake Forest and Florida State, the SEC an advantage with Georgia and give a push to the South Carolina-match-up.
What the SEC has going for them is the fact in their 6 wins against automatic-qualifying conferences, their opponents' record is a combined 42-21 (.667). Second place in this category is the Big XII with their opponents going a combined 33-32 (.507). The SEC has defeated: Connecticut (4-6), Cincinnati (7-3), Oregon (9-2), West Virginia (7-3), Penn State (9-2) and Texas A&M (6-5). Five of the six teams they've defeated will likely go to bowl games and the other could still possibly go bowling at the end of the year if they win their final two regular season games. That's very impressive and if we're just going on that, the SEC is tops in the land without question. However, they do have four such games this upcoming weekend and if my predictions are correct, they'll likely finish either 8-4 or 7-5 against automatic-qualifying conferences, which would either tie them with the Big XII (6-3) or place them slightly behind that conference in this category.
Where the SEC doesn't fare quite as well is the fact (this includes the four games this next weekend) the twelve teams in conference have played a total of 12 automatic-qualifying teams out of 48 possible non-conference games (25.0%), which is 5th amongst the six major conferences, only leading the Big Ten (11/48 = 22.9%). The SEC has faced as many Division I-AA teams (12/48 = 25.0%) as automatic-qualifying conference teams, the only conference that can say that. In comparison, the ACC has faced 18 automatic-qualifying conference teams in 48 non-conference games (37.5%). The Pac-12 and Big East aren't far behind at 36.1% and 35.0% and the Big XII finishing fourth in the category at 30.0%.
When the SEC has faced automatic-qualifying conference teams, they've fared very well, but the conference has played a weaker overall non-conference schedule than any other possibly outside the Big Ten. Is the SEC the top conference in all the country this year? That is very possible. I'd say they're, without question, one of the top two, but I also don't believe that even if the SEC is the top conference in the land, that the gap is as wide between they and #2 as most would like to believe. It'll be interesting to see how they fare this next weekend in their 4 games against the ACC.
I'll be the first to admit, at this point in the season, LSU is the top team in the country. Outside of Houston, they are the only unbeaten left in college football. They've defeated Oregon, West Virginia, Florida, Auburn and Alabama. They will face Arkansas on Friday and Georgia in the SEC title game. If they win those two games, there's no question they should go to the national title game. Heck, if Georgia beats them, it'd still be difficult to not invite the Tigers to the biggest game of the college football season.
Is Alabama the #2 team in the land? Maybe, but they haven't been quite as dominant as LSU and haven't faced as quality a schedule as the Tigers have. Alabama has defeated Penn State, Arkansas and Florida and still have to face in-state rival Auburn next Saturday.
I am not a believer that Arkansas is a top 3 team. They struggled against Troy earlier this season, beating the Trojans 38-28. They were demolished by Alabama 38-14. They should have lost to 6-5 Texas A&M, but came back against the Aggies to win 42-38. They struggled against woeful Mississippi, beating the Rebels 29-24. This was also the case against 5-6 Vanderbilt, as the Hogs beat the Commodores 31-28. The Razorbacks did beat Auburn and South Carolina fairly handily. Arkansas is a very solid team, but I honestly don't believe them to be top 3. If they defeat LSU this next week, I will definitely change my tune, but won't until that takes place.
How can we really compare the major conferences without head-to-head match-ups between the six automatic-qualifying conferences? To this point, the SEC has the top winning percentage of the six major conferences in such match-ups, as they're 6-2 in such games. They do play four more this coming week against the ACC, whom they're 0-1 against so far this season. Vanderbilt will take on Wake Forest. Florida will face Florida State. Georgia will play against Georgia Tech. Finally, South Carolina will square off against Clemson. I give the ACC an edge with Wake Forest and Florida State, the SEC an advantage with Georgia and give a push to the South Carolina-match-up.
What the SEC has going for them is the fact in their 6 wins against automatic-qualifying conferences, their opponents' record is a combined 42-21 (.667). Second place in this category is the Big XII with their opponents going a combined 33-32 (.507). The SEC has defeated: Connecticut (4-6), Cincinnati (7-3), Oregon (9-2), West Virginia (7-3), Penn State (9-2) and Texas A&M (6-5). Five of the six teams they've defeated will likely go to bowl games and the other could still possibly go bowling at the end of the year if they win their final two regular season games. That's very impressive and if we're just going on that, the SEC is tops in the land without question. However, they do have four such games this upcoming weekend and if my predictions are correct, they'll likely finish either 8-4 or 7-5 against automatic-qualifying conferences, which would either tie them with the Big XII (6-3) or place them slightly behind that conference in this category.
Where the SEC doesn't fare quite as well is the fact (this includes the four games this next weekend) the twelve teams in conference have played a total of 12 automatic-qualifying teams out of 48 possible non-conference games (25.0%), which is 5th amongst the six major conferences, only leading the Big Ten (11/48 = 22.9%). The SEC has faced as many Division I-AA teams (12/48 = 25.0%) as automatic-qualifying conference teams, the only conference that can say that. In comparison, the ACC has faced 18 automatic-qualifying conference teams in 48 non-conference games (37.5%). The Pac-12 and Big East aren't far behind at 36.1% and 35.0% and the Big XII finishing fourth in the category at 30.0%.
When the SEC has faced automatic-qualifying conference teams, they've fared very well, but the conference has played a weaker overall non-conference schedule than any other possibly outside the Big Ten. Is the SEC the top conference in all the country this year? That is very possible. I'd say they're, without question, one of the top two, but I also don't believe that even if the SEC is the top conference in the land, that the gap is as wide between they and #2 as most would like to believe. It'll be interesting to see how they fare this next weekend in their 4 games against the ACC.
Comments
Post a Comment