Is the SEC Really the Best?
As the dawn of another NCAA college football season is upon us, I was absolutely thrilled to see all of the SEC teams in the preseason Top 25 rankings. Add to my delight, the fact that most major news and publication outlets have pretty much crowned the Florida Gators the 2009 NCAA champions.
Short of an SEC Network getting a home on basic cable, I don't think I can handle the media and fan gushing over the SEC anymore. The rumblings have been around for years, and having a national contract with CBS to chow games, the SEC has always been thought of as one of the top conferences, not without a doubt THE top conference. Thanks to Troy Smith choking so badly, the Gators ran away with the 2006 season championship, the SEC love had become so unbearable that I quickly became delirious.
During the past few years I lived right in the heart of SEC country. First, while attending graduate school in Kentucky, I was softly welcomed into the fire by University of Kentucky fans who swore up and down to me that their team would take my alma mater (Ohio State) to the shed if they ever played. Once Florida dominated OSU, it was all over for me. My first job out of graduate school was in Tennessee, which is even further into the South, and worse of all, Volunteer territory. Here I was, living with people who were rooting for LSU to beat the Buckeyes in the 2007 title game. Just months before, I sat in a bar being heckled by UT fans about OSU. These same fans were living and dying with every snap of the SEC championship game against LSU. Now they were rooting for a rival?
You can call OSU and Michigan fans a lot of things, but dumb is not one of them. In a real rivalry, you don't root for your rival at any point. Ever. The SEC fans must be holding on to that ol' Civil War grudge to ignore these intense rivalries.
The SEC fans are confusing to say the least. When I moved back to Cleveland, I was glad to be away from the fans, but the coverage of how the SEC is football brought down from Heaven to Earth is still as strong as ever. And why? For starters, the bottom of the conference is putrid. Vanderbilt, Mississippi State, Kentucky, and South Carolina get 70% of their victories from playing 1-AA schools in non-conference games. How can the SEC be the best when the only "elements" they play in are tropical, or enjoyable? The weather is never freezing, snow and ice are absent, and the stiff Northern winds of Big Ten country rarely make an appearance down South.
But the SEC is so much faster? OK, so what? Football games are not always decided by who can run the fastest 40 yard dash. Yes, I know speed on the corners is what people mean by that, but what's the point of having a blazer at Receiver if the linemen can't protect the QB?
My point is, the SEC is one of the best conferences, yes. But this love affair has got to end. Much like the spread eventually died out, so will the SEC dominance. Teams from up North and out West will continue to be more physical and emulate a true NFL style of play. People will start to see that the SEC is not exactly over running the NFL with players. The last time I checked, players like JaMarcus Russell and Andre Smith were sizing up to be huge NFL busts. And those two were some of the better SEC players in recent memory. To boot, Tim Tebow won't ever take a snap under center in the NFL.
I may be crazy thanks to those years living in SEC country, and this speculation may all be revenge driven, but nobody stays on top forever. So why not? Why won't the SEC eventually fall? My gut says a major scandal in the next 5 years puts a major program down, Lane Kiffin tanks Tennessee beyond Michigan bad, Nick Saban leaves Alabama to coach USC (when Carroll leaves) and the SEC will fail to produce a quality quarter back not named "Manning" and people will finally stop swooning over the SEC.
Besides, the NCAA could end the SEC's run quickly by simply instituting a salary cap for its players.
Comments
That was the dumest artical i have ever read......
Best laugh I've had all day. I hope you didn't expect to be taken seriously.
The weather: bring your Big 10 (Big 11--did the conference lose count when it ran out of fingers--who's stupid?) teams down South in September.
Florida did not beat one OSU player for the MNC--they clobbered the whole team.
Current Quarterback not named Manning: Tebow.
Alabama's record against your Ohio State: 9-0, maybe only 8-0...keeping close track became pointless.
I do pity you, however, for you time with the Vols.
Not only is the article full of inaccuracies, you demonstrate quite well how stupid you are. Go back to your manufacturing job.
Oh my gosh! Are you really *that* stupid?
Andre Smith hasn't even played a game in football yet, so you can't really call him a bust.
The SEC is not "over running" (in the south they call that "overflowing" with NFL talent?
http://www.collegegameballs.com/2009/04/27/2009-nfl-draft-conference-breakdown/
http://www.houmatoday.com/article/20080706/OPINION01/617509449/1103/sports&title=What_conferences_are_the_NFL_s_starters_coming_from_
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/sec/0-1-367/SEC-players-dot-NFL-rosters.html?username=sec&sort=newest&archiveId=1&bId=0&entryId=367
Maybe it will come true, right? The only people up in the Midwest who could possibly bring down an SEC player would be one of the dumpy cheerleaders.
It's a nice city... and you clearly cannot stand much south of the Ohio River -- which is part of Kentucky by the way. Why did you go to UK? Take a deep breath and move on my friend.
I've been a Big Ten fan for 30 years. Now that we have access to more games via television, I must admit that it's been an eye opening experience to watch the SEC dominate time and time again. In reality, I don't believe the Big Ten is even 1/2 of the conference as the SEC. Even if we did have a play-off game prior to our given Rose Bowl Appearance (as the SEC East & West do every year), I am not sure any of our teams would even quailify for that game if they were in the SEC. Based on all recent results, they obviously wouldn't win that game either. In all honesty, it appears even the bottom of the SEC would come in 3rd, if not 2 of the Big Ten every year.
Praying for a Television Blackout,
Ron
What you call OSU and Michigan fans as smart are obviously oblivious of what real rooting is about. SEC Fans go above and beyond simply 1 team. Yes, during the regular season, Vols fans will be at the throats of LSU and Florida Fans. But irrespective of that fact, the SEC teams have a bigger pride, the Pride of being part of the SEC conference. You have no basis for calling fans who root for the conference as 'dumb'. The fact that the author said that further suggests that the author is a total idiot who was tired of being let down by OSU and being obliterated by SEC fans.
Dude your a loser!
I can understand non-SEC fans being sick of the SEC's dominance in sports, and no doubt it will pass some day, but not this year. I get tired of other fans saying the SEC is "overrated." The stats just dont support this contention. SEC has more BCS championships than any other conf, including 3 consecutive. Despite the article's comment that the SEC is not overrunning (sic) the NFL with players, the truth is the SEC has more than any other conference. At the top echelon, both Mannings have been super bowl MVPs. I know its a drag that our teams keep dominating the Big Ten's and Big 12's in face to face matchups, but you gotta accept reality, and dont knock us until your team learns how to beat us.
I guess you, not Cleveland, can be considered the "mistake by the lake."
Did the Cleveland Leader find the smartest writer on the block to write this truly enlighten article, that only shows someone lack of football knowledge.
Shame is, that this writen word was ever put to print for this fine example of sports writing should have been put out with the trash.
I guess it would come as a shock to you that on opening day 2007 the SEC had more players on NFL rosters than any other conference or that THE Ohio State is 0-9 in bowl games vs SEC teams. Its okay. We understand. You call yourself a journalist and we all know they never let themselves get confused with facts.
You don't deserve to live in sec country anymore you moron. Did you see lowly vandy beat the ACCs 2nd best team in the music city bowl game? The secs weaker teams could beat the mid tier teams of the big 10. Vandy would have winning seasons all of the time if in the "big" 10.