The SEC

[chasseur4]

Let's Hear That Again, Yankee Boys?

Let's Hear That Again, Yankee Boys?

My, my, my! But this "SEC is overrated" thread has been mighty quiet since last Wednesday!
Cat (or Gator) got your tongue?!!!!

 

[VictorsValiant]

There are a lot of good but not great teams in the SEC. Every team (including Florida) has a weakness. Florida has a great defense, but their spread if amazingly vulnerable against teams with great LBs with strength and speed. Michigan has such a LB corp. We would be able to stop Florida pretty easily, though I think they probably could stop us pretty easily on defense because they have good DL and secondary guys.

Honestly, I don't think it was a coincidence that Wisconsin and PSU won their games. The SEC is not clearly superior and I honestly think Michigan would play well against any of those teams.

Our team has one basic weakness, secondary play. We have top level talent at every position except safety. Our corners are raw. Hall couldn't do everything himself. But that's the basic weakness. If you can go up top against us, you will have success. ND could not because our DL (no drop off there even with Branch gone) and LB (no drop off either) were able to get to Quinn in time. USC was able to go up top, and that's why they won the game (that and lack of adjustments on offense for us).

But how many SEC teams can actually go up top? Tennessee and South Carolina, maybe, but they can't run the ball at all and their lines aren't that great. Auburn has no offense to speak of, neither does Alabama or Georgia (this year). Arkansas would walk right into our strength, stopping the run. There would be a lot of 17-10s score in favor of Michigan if we played SEC teams. LSU would be a challenge. Florida would be a close game and would probably be decided by who plays at home.

 

[Satans Little Helper]

My, my, my! But this "SEC is overrated" thread has been mighty quiet since last Wednesday!
Cat (or Gator) got your tongue?!!!!

I was thinking the same thing. I am a ND fan, but i love the SEC. The championship game did not prove anything i did not already know, but hey there are still lots of people who should be convinced by now.

 

[grantland]

My, my, my! But this "SEC is overrated" thread has been mighty quiet since last Wednesday!
Cat (or Gator) got your tongue?!!!!

I ain't taken sides here (and as sick as I get of hearing it, I do think the SEC is the best conference this year), but what was the SEC's record against the Big Tweleven this bowl season?

 

[njuneardave]

Morgan Trent is Michigan's version of Ambrose Wooden.

 

[Katzenboyer]

SEC Bowl Wins
Florida beats Ohio State.
LSU beats Notre Dame.
Auburn beats Nebraska.
Georgia beats Virginia Tech.
South Carolina beats Houston.
Kentucky beats Clemson.

SEC Bowl Losses
Wisconsin beats Arkansas.
Penn State beats Tennessee.
Oklahoma State beats Alabama.


I think it's safe to say that the SEC more than proved that it is, in fact, not "overrated."

 

[njuneardave]

i wouldn't count SCar over Houston or Auburn over Nebraska very impressive... especially given how close the games were

 

[Satans Little Helper]

SEC Bowl Wins
Florida beats Ohio State.
LSU beats Notre Dame.
Auburn beats Nebraska.
Georgia beats Virginia Tech.
South Carolina beats Houston.
Kentucky beats Clemson.

SEC Bowl Losses
Wisconsin beats Arkansas.
Penn State beats Tennessee.
Oklahoma State beats Alabama.


I think it's safe to say that the SEC more than proved that it is, in fact, not "overrated."

Not to mention that of the losses, the Tennesse game was the only one that was not close.

 

[Satans Little Helper]

i wouldn't count SCar over Houston or Auburn over Nebraska very impressive... especially given how close the games were

A win does not have to be impressive. You just have to score more than your opponent.

S Carolina had 2 starting seniors on their team. They return everyone but Newton, Bennett and maybe Rice. They will be fighting for for a share of the east title next year and in 2008. There were one/two plays from beating FLorida, Auburn, and Arkansas as well as Tennessee. If they get those plays like wide open dropped TD passess, they end up the season with 1 real loss to UGA who shut them out in the second game of the season) in the conference. ( I know, if this if that,) i am just saying they are not too far off from being very competitive in the SEC. You will hear more from them soon. Houston had a huge offense and i am surprised to see SC handle them.

Auburn is almost as bad as ND in the bowl games. I cant figure them out. They have an awesome team on paper and through the season.

 

[Katzenboyer]

i wouldn't count SCar over Houston or Auburn over Nebraska very impressive... especially given how close the games were

Well, then I wouldn't consider LSU's win over ND impressive because it was only 17-10 at half.

Come on -- people were dissing the SEC earlier in this thread (go back to the first pages of this thread, it's laughable) and criticizing the people who were saying otherwise. I think it's safe to say that despite the 'weak out of conference' argument that many SEC-haters hung their hat on, they were wrong. The SEC showed that they ARE the best conference, that they can beat the best teams, and that just because they play a weak out of conference schedule doesn't mean they're a weaker conference than everyone says they are.

 

[Satans Little Helper]

Well, then I wouldn't consider LSU's win over ND impressive because it was only 17-10 at half.

Come on -- people were dissing the SEC earlier in this thread (go back to the first pages of this thread, it's laughable) and criticizing the people who were saying otherwise. I think it's safe to say that despite the 'weak out of conference' argument that many SEC-haters hung their hat on, they were wrong. The SEC showed that they ARE the best conference, that they can beat the best teams, and that just because they play a weak out of conference schedule doesn't mean they're a weaker conference than everyone says they are.

thank you. for being so rational. reps

 

[njuneardave]

Well, then I wouldn't consider LSU's win over ND impressive because it was only 17-10 at half.

bad argument. LSU was dominant over ND. SCar snuck by Houston as did Auburn. No excuses. Those were both games that both teams were supposed to easily win. i agree that SEC is the best... and i have said it before, but i dont buy your argument... it's too biased. look at it realisitically: UF stomps OSU (great win), LSU stomps ND (great win), Auburn sneaks by Nebraska (failed to cover. sloppy. ugly win over far inferior opponent), UGa beat VaTech (good win with a nice upset), SCar sneaks by Houston (inferior opponent was more than competitive), Kentucky beats Clemson (not that impressive... unless you consider that Clemson is the best 5 loss team in the country...), Ark loses to Wisc (bad loss... Ark was favored to win), PSU over UT (UT was overwhelming favorite), OkSt over Bama (no biggie here... not too bad of a loss).

So you have 2 upset wins (UF and UGa over good quality), 2 upset losses (UT and Ark to decent-good quality), 1 rout over an inferior team (LSU), 2 sloppy close wins over inferior quality, and 1 loss (Bama) and 1 win (Ky) over equal competition.


SEC's bowl season was a box of JellyBelly -- some good, some really good, some bad, some really bad. I still think that SEC is the best conference, but their bowl showing was not impressive to me. Also, if you want to throw biased stats, here's one: Big 10 was 2-1 against SEC in bowl season. To me, just like the stats you gave, this means nothing.

 

[Katzenboyer]

bad argument. LSU was dominant over ND. SCar snuck by Houston as did Auburn. No excuses. Those were both games that both teams were supposed to easily win. i agree that SEC is the best... and i have said it before, but i dont buy your argument... it's too biased. look at it realisitically: UF stomps OSU (great win), LSU stomps ND (great win), Auburn sneaks by Nebraska (failed to cover. sloppy. ugly win over far inferior opponent), UGa beat VaTech (good win with a nice upset), SCar sneaks by Houston (inferior opponent was more than competitive), Kentucky beats Clemson (not that impressive... unless you consider that Clemson is the best 5 loss team in the country...), Ark loses to Wisc (bad loss... Ark was favored to win), PSU over UT (UT was overwhelming favorite), OkSt over Bama (no biggie here... not too bad of a loss).

So my stats are biased, but you're relying on covers and "how teams looked" in judging a conference?

Hmmm. That's fine and good. But here's what I judge by:

W's.

Florida STOMPED the supposed "best team in the nation". LSU STOMPED us. Auburn BEAT the current national champions in an ugly, ugly game -- and won their bowl over a BCS conference team in an ugly, ugly game. South Carolina -- a team referred to as not a competitive team in the SEC earlier in this thread -- beat a Houston team that boasted one of the best passing attacks in the country. Georgia came back against a very solid Va. Tech team who had just hit their stride, with a freshman quarterback no less. And don't give me that bull that Kentucky's win over Clemson as "not that impressive" because it's BUNK. Again, Kentucky was classified as a bottom feeder of the SEC, and a team that would get beat by most conferences bottom feeders in this thread -- yet they win a game, and all you can say is "oh, but Clemson isn't that impressive".

As for the losses -- Arkansas was favored to win? Really? How many people here said a 1 loss team in the Big 10 would be underdogs against a "overrated" SEC team? Give me a break. PSU over Tennessee was a very good win for the Nittany Lions, and unexpected. And Alabama lost on a last second field goal to a pretty good Ok. State team.

Seems to me like you're the one being biased. The SEC wins to you weren't all that impressive, yet PSU and Wisconsin beating SEC teams seem to weigh heavily in your mind. And I'm the one biased.

Oh, and the Big 10 is 2-1 agains the SEC? Those must have been dominating wins then, right? Oh wait...sorry, the Big 10, in their victories, won by 10 points combined over SEC teams.

But the class of the Big 10 must have CERTAINLY had a good showing, right? Oh, wait, I forgot, the best team in the Big 10 lost to the best team in the SEC by over 20 points. But I'm sure that won't mean anything either.