Please no all-SEC Championship Game
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I'm dreading an all SEC championship as well. Ive come to hate Paul Finebaum. You guys catch what he said?
https://saturdaytradition.com/big-t...th-carolina-knocks-off-michigan-outback-bowl/
https://saturdaytradition.com/big-t...th-carolina-knocks-off-michigan-outback-bowl/
Haven't won anything? Actually won the award (and there is one) for best winning percentage by a league in bowl games. Eat it, Paul.
Comments seemed pretty cheeky to me. He’s obviously pandering to his audience there.
In this universe, I think hatred of Michigan outweighs hatred of SEC homerism.
In this universe, I think hatred of Michigan outweighs hatred of SEC homerism.
And now... the narrative of the SEC as the preeminent conference continues. Even though Alabama’s exhaulted status on top has heavily contributed to the lowering in quality of the rest of their conference. For the top recruits, it is now Alabama-or-bust. Meanwhile, former top programs Tennessee, Florida, and to a lesser extent LSU and Texas A&M flounder.
I prefer the B1G where anything can happen any year to the SEC with “I wonder if anyone might beat Bama this year?” There really is no SEC. Just Alabama and minions.
Of course, the entire NCAA is becoming minions to Alabama.
At least the SEC will *lose* the National Championship this year too.
I am looking forward to not watching the game and contributing to the lowest viewed NC since Alabama/LSU. At least we can start a narrative that the nation is tired of Alabama and maybe get the media rooting against them the way ESPN did with Peyton Manning and the Heisman.
Hate to say it, but I think the two best teams will be playing for the big trophy.
In the foreseeable future, the rest of the SEC will serve as a foil for Bama and Georgia to go to the playoff. Maybe Auburn can get in there, but the rest of the conference is far behind. The quarterbacking outside of Georgia and Bama is lousy. The best coaches are in other conferences.
In the foreseeable future, the rest of the SEC will serve as a foil for Bama and Georgia to go to the playoff. Maybe Auburn can get in there, but the rest of the conference is far behind. The quarterbacking outside of Georgia and Bama is lousy. The best coaches are in other conferences.
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I can’t argue that. I can’t see another team that could stay on the field with either one. Props to Georgia. They clawed their way out of the muck of the SEC East to reach this game. But, when you are in the best recruiting area in the nation and you completely castrate an entire conference in support of one or two teams, then you better have the best two teams in the nation. This is as bad or worse than the worst years of the Big 2 / little 8 period of our conference.
Outside of the play-offs, the SEC managed one quality win in the bowls. MSU beating Louisville. The USC/Michigan debacle does not meet anyone’s definition of quality.
I'm not that convinced about Alabama. Georgia definitely is a quality team (and didn't have much to worry about in its division this year), and Oklahoma's lousy run defense matched with the Bulldogs' strong running game was made to order for them. I still think Urban must have been asleep at the switch to score fewer than 20 points against Oklahoma. But then again, OSU lost to Iowa by 30 as well. Quite a few teams actually stayed with them on the field this season. I was surprised at how poorly Clemson played. I don't look for the SEC to stay as down as they are this year. That's why I'm ticked to see the SEC in the title game this year. With any coaching at all, Florida is not going to keep going 3-5 in that division. There simply is too much talent down in that area. Their biggest problem is that they also have FSU and Miami down there, with UCF and South Florida now also viable alternative destinations. Doubt Tennessee will keep going 0-8, either, despite the tendency of Vol nation to shoot itself in the foot. They're kind of the situation the B1G was in a couple of years ago when both Penn State and Michigan were not good football teams.
Mullen should be able to coax wins out of the Gators, but we will see how far he goes. UT hired a coach who can stabilize that train wreck, but there is a mountain to climb there. The rest of those programs are pretty meh, though LSU, with its home grown recruiting advantage, could be a giant with the right coach.
UT's coach has yet to stay at any one location at the college level for longer than two years. I will be intrigued if he is a stabilizing influence.
I don't mind the Bama-Georgia situation because they both beat top-shelf opponents and equally important to me: they didn't play each other during the regular season. We are seeing a pair of teams that earned their way into the playoff.
For anyone who was advocating for Ohio State...they had their chance when they played Oklahoma...at home...and blew it.
For anyone who was advocating for Ohio State...they had their chance when they played Oklahoma...at home...and blew it.
And if Bama and Georgia had had to play an additional conference game, like Ohio State and Oklahoma, perhaps neither would have even made it to the CFP either. I think it's despicable that the system has a built in bias that favors the SEC's subpar scheduling. Having to only play an eight-game conference schedule (when the B1G, Pac-12 and Big-12 play nine), and allowing for the likes of Bama vs. Mercer games late in the season (because late season losses are worse than early season losses, so by all means lets stack the deck further) is patently unfair.
Frankly, I'd be delighted if Delany, Scott, and Bowlsby forced the issue and threatened to withdraw from the whole rigged system unless the SEC finally agrees to play it fair.
You say that as though the conferences themselves have no choice in what self-imposed rules they set for scheduling.
Scheduling is a strategy. The Big Ten, Pac-12, etc. chose to add a ninth conference game in theory to present a greater strength of schedule while also upping their price tag to the networks for offering a better "inventory" of games for broadcast. You can't blame the SEC for this; blame our own conference's leadership.
Blame the conference for what? Creating a better overall product for the fans? SEC fans pay through the nose for season tickets in order to watch their team dismantle the likes of Mercer in November? The SEC lets the fans of 12-13 teams suffer through an additional crap game per year so that the fans of 1-2 teams can enjoy the play-offs.
Alabama is to the SEC as Texas used to be to the Big 12. A selfish bully requiring the other teams to make their rules around keeping Bama happy. As much as we complain about BTN with OSU and Michigan, they are nothing like how Bama manipulates the SEC.
False - Saban has said time and time again he wishes P5 teams could only schedule against other P5 teams - perhaps the conference and the ADs enable him to be the "good cop" by knowing how this game is played at the scheduling level and imposing their will against Saban's, but it is what it is.
Like I said before - you can't always have it both ways. In some cases, the Big Ten's scheduling model will yield the best results for the playoff - our teams will play tougher schedules and win out, locking down playoff berths. In other years, it will bite us as it has this year. All I'm saying is each conference has chosen its scheduling strategy with clear eyes, and this year it worked out for the SEC. I would also argue that if it had come down to Ohio State or any other SEC team besides Bama, Ohio State would've gotten the nod because CFB brand royalty always goes before any team that "earns it" on the field in a particular season, and Ohio State is top-shelf CFB royalty.
To my original point, I don't personally mind two SEC teams in the championship game because they haven't played each other this season, which as a fan is personally important to me.
Not false. Saban was in favor of the 9 game schedule but Bill Battle/Greg Byrne is/are the one(s) that voted on behalf of Alabama, not Saban. I never mentioned Saban. While Battle believed that television will force a 9 game schedule in the future, he believed that the 8 game schedule is best for Alabama's chances to win the NC. I do not know anything about Byrne's specific statements on the issue.
I acknowledged a distinction between Saban and the administration, but whatever - we disagree on who is to blame here. I think all parties are playing every aspect of the game to the best of their abilities, and this year it came up roses for the SEC. You can resent it all you want and we can beat our chests for the 7-1 bowl record, but meanwhile our conference's season is over and we'll all tune in for the 2nd SEC championship game of the season on Monday, because the SEC played its hand just right.
For the record... I have no interest in seeing Alabama play Georgia and will not be tuning in. They probably are the best two teams in the nation. Alabama will play unimaginative and uninspired football and win in the end based on having the best players in the country at every single position. I am personally tired of watching this every year and am hoping that the rest of the nation feels the same and they see a negative impact on ratings.
How does Saint Saban feel about massive recruiting classes and dropping scholarship players at the end of every year right after it is too late for the players to get on at another team? Wins games. Trashes lives. That is also standard in the SEC and not in the (non-Harbaugh) B1G. I am glad we are so impressed by them.
Georgia has the best RB group between them, and UGA's Safety #3 might be the best player on the field Monday night. But your point is well taken.
