Personally, I think the SEC is the toughest conference in football THIS year. Last year, it was the ACC, and the Big 12 had a few good years. The strength of the SEC lies in the relative dominance of it's top four teams. Auburn, Florida, LSU and Tennessee can compete with any team in the country. Well, realistically LSU couldn't roll with Ohio State, but otherwise I stand by that comment.
The SEC's problem the past 5 years has been the wild inconsistency of Bama, and the return to the crapper of Ole Miss and MSU (two teams that looked to have finally made it to respectability). The SEC's other problem this year is Georgia.
Check out The Wishbone. Even if I don't agree with them as it relates to Arkansas vs. USC proving anything. The ARK team of today would still lose to USC, but they are nothing like the Week 1 team with a healthy McFadden and a more experienced Mustain.
Baddest healthy RB in college now that Peterson is down. Image: SECSports.com
PWD
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8 comments:
Just noting the recent uprise of Arkansas football. USC is showing similarities to the 2002 Ohio State team in it's abilities to pull out extremely close games. After seeing how they played against Washington, Washingston St., and Arizona St. I believe a rematch of Arkansas would be great. Why? Because Mitch Mustain hasn't lost a game since taking the reigns of the Razorback offense. When put into the out of reach USC he finished off a scoring drive with a 4-yard run for a TD. They turned over the ball 3 times before Mustain came in to relieve struggling Robert Johnson. Anybody who thinks the same Arkansas team took the field in Week 1 compared to the present is a fool.
Nice job as always Paul. I enjoy your insight and as an LSU fan I understand Bulldog Nation's mood that the season has lost a lot of promise. Nothing like a Miss. State game to put things in perspective, though.
Just wondering why you think LSU couldn't hang with Ohio State (other than the obvious "can't win a big game" stigma). Given a neutral field, I think we see different results.
Regarding Arkansas, I think they're creeping up the pecking order, but still have a way to go before they can hang with what I consider to be the BIG 5, Florida, Auburn, Tennessee, LSU, and Georgia.
They have GREAT young talent at the skill positions, but to me they fall in the category of "not quite there" with Alabama and to a lesser extent South Carolina.
Keep up the good work.
LSU has world class talent.
If they had a world class coach and a competent QB, they would compete with anyone.
Jamarcus Russell is a bed wetter, and Les Miles isn't a big game coach. It took 6 or 7 missed field goals in Baton Rouge last year to get LSU into the Title game.
He'll be run out of Baton Rouge in 2 years.
pwd
Everyone remembers the field goals, but forgets the two dropped passes for TD's and the LSU missed field goal. Interesting study on selective media memory. I'm not saying it's not valid, it's just overated.
Agreed on LSU running off Miles and I can't disagree, it just has as much to do with lack of ability as it does with the mentality of most LSU fans that the Tigers are far superior to any other team walking the Earth right now.
It's annoying reading ridiculous ideas of what constitutes a good season based on a short time period of incredible success. That period varies based on whether you talk to normal, rational fans (2 years at most) and LSU fans (every year outside of the Hallman/Dinardo years).
Where is Arkansas ?
Since Mitch Mustain has been promoted to Starter at QB, Arkansas is generally considered a Top 15 Team in the nation – something that all but the winner of the Georgia Tech and Clemson Game Today for example wishes they could say in the stinking down ACC.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/rankingsindex
When you have 5 of the Top 15 Teams in America in The Final AP Poll last year too just exactly as the SEC has this year at this time on this day, it just grinds a bit to go read a blog stating that the ACC with 1 of the Top 16 Teams last year by direct contrast, is a better football conference last season than the SEC.
If you do not mind.
http://www.nationalchamps.net/NCAA/past_AP_Polls.htm
Now, if your point is that the ACC is down this season compared to the ACC last season; that would be accurate; but to state the ACC was better last year than the SEC is pure unadulterated BS.
To say that the SEC has 4 teams and leave out the 5 all of whom are ranked again this season ahead of every ACC team but one, is equally short sided and leaves your point utterly requiring correction with all due respect sir.
And, if Auburn Florida Tennessee and LSU (plus you left out Arkansas) can stand in there with any team in America, why do all 5 of these Top 15 AP Poll Football Teams on this day all have at least one loss ?
Clearly, they all 5 can lose.
Can’t they ?
Alabama and Georgia are at least BETTER than the 6th and 7th team in ANY OTHER CONFERENCE in America on this day for this season, last season, and all the other seasons going back to your point of the last 5 years of wild inconsistency.
Georgia had 22 Scholarship Seniors and 29 Seniors who played last season.
What did you expect ?
A Georgia Team to go for the Mythical National Championship THIS SEASON now ?
Matthew Stafford is playing in his 8th Game this season, True Frosh and has a grand total of one (1) TD pass all season long.
This is what transpires in college football.
Just in case you want some perspective on what in fact happens in a game where players play 4 or 5 years and then someone comes in to replace them.
When in the nature of collegiate football Division 1-A there is something other than there are 5 Top 15 AP Poll SEC Teams on this day and 5 Top 15 Final AP Poll SEC Teams when the season ended January 2006 for last season too, please let me know where I can go read a blog stating that the SEC isn’t as good as the ACC last year or this season either with them just 1 ACC Top 15 team after today yet again ?
Paul, your blog and the ridiculous argument today by the 1st blog of the other site trying to say that he didn’t mean to leave the impression that the SEC was last year or this year down, is beyond comprehension.
Thank you very much to have the strength of conviction to have a valid point, make it, and stick to it if you are so bold as to think you know this game.
There is NO OTHER WAY to measure a Division 1-A Conference OTHER THAN by the rankings of the teams themselves.
Certainly, NO ONE is qualified to say that a ranked team is not good or that a non-ranked team is better and the sum of the total teams in the conferences in question is none other than that ranking itself or lack thereof.
BuLLDawg
BuLLDawg,
I've already asked you to find another home to post. The length of your posts combined with your total lack of reading comprehension skills absolutely KILLS post threads.
If you want to write 1,000-2,000 word responses to blogs, then get your own blog.
The AJC misses you. Please return there.
PWD
Excuse me for saying that the SEC ain't down, worse than the ACC last year or this, and that I therefore respectfully disagree with your points and those of the nimrod blog you sent me to saying the ACC was better with 1 Top 16 Final AP Poll Team in total last year and is again this year while there REMAIN 5 Top 15 SEC Teams by DIRECT COMPARISON both last year and this year in the SEC.
Perhaps you have a problem with DIRECT CONTERPOINT Paul WesterDawg, sir ?
Is this is or is this ain't a public blog to say that in DIRECT REPLY to your BS Paul ?
Paul BS :
"...the toughest conference in football...Last year, it was the ACC, and the Big 12 had a few good years. The strength of the SEC lies in the relative dominance of it's top four teams. Auburn, Florida, LSU and Tennessee can compete with any team in the country."
I don't have any problem reading your FACTS that the ACC was better with 1 Top 16 Final AP Poll ACC Team to 5 count them five (5) SEC Top 15 Final AP Poll teams by DIRECT COMPARISON.
You have a problem. Perhaps you should not have a blog inviting such direct comparisons Paul ?
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