I'm a die-hard Ohio State fan. That's a good starting point for these comments. At no time during this season did I feel that Ohio State had the strongest team in the nation, nor do I feel their schedule was anything close to that of the SEC, Big 12, or even Pac 10 this season. Of course there were the patsies scheduled early in the season, most of them in-state. Tressel has addressed this before. He believes in giving all those Ohio teams a shot, guaranteeing them a huge influx of cash. Other than that, the Bucks are in the Big 10, that's who they play every year. If the conference is stacked, like in the early 90's, they play a stacked schedule. If the conference is relatively weak compared to some others, they play a weak schedule. That's how conferences work. The fact is, they were undefeated last week against a top-tier conference, therefore, the #1 rating. They lost to an improving Illinois team, hence, dropping the #1 rating. Simple, see? Debo, not sure where the info comes on Ohio State's playcalling. Tressel's system is based on running, and stopping the run, as are almost all successfull football teams. But the three yards and a cloud of dust cliche just doesn't fit. For years now, Ohio State (and many other Big 10 teams) have been running three and four receiver sets. Try watching a game before you talk out of your ass. As to last year's drubbing in the title game, it was just that. There's no denying that Florida came in the more prepared, seasoned, quicker team. One could site many reasons for that: a more consistent schedule, time off before the title game, understanding your opponent, etc. But it was one game in one season, to believe that it signifies beyond a doubt the superiority of any one conference over another, try looking at the history of the BCS. Champions have come from the Big 10, Pac 10, SEC, Big 12, and Big East (Miami was Big East when they won it all, right?). Sounds like any given year, the best team can come from almost anywhere, huh? Final comment deleted on preview, good call YYM.
"As to last year's drubbing in the title game, it was just that. There's no denying that Florida came in the more prepared, seasoned, quicker team. One could site many reasons for that: a more consistent schedule, time off before the title game, understanding your opponent, etc. But it was one game in one season, to believe that it signifies beyond a doubt the superiority of any one conference over another, try looking at the history of the BCS. Champions have come from the Big 10, Pac 10, SEC, Big 12, and Big East (Miami was Big East when they won it all, right?). Sounds like any given year, the best team can come from almost anywhere, huh?" SEC teams are stacked with huge, agile and fast defensive linemen and hard hitting, agile, rocket fast corners and safeties. This is why teams like Ohio State of last year and looks like Oregon of this year get beaten badly by an SEC opponent. Last year, all the talk was about the Ohio State quarterback and how fast and agile he was. This year, all talk is about the Oregon quarterback and how fast and agile he is, fine, but he will face 11 players across the line that are just as fast and agile or even faster and more agile.
Looks like there is no need for the NFL to scout college players anymore, not when all the SEC teams are stacked with the best defensive players in college. Lets get away from the notion that the SEC teams dominate teams from all the other BCS conferences because it isn't true. For one, it is quite difficult to manhandle other BCS teams when your non-conference schedule consists of Western Kentucky, Troy, Florida Atlantic, and Florida State. More importantly, the SEC as a whole has played three games against currently ranked non-SEC teams; winning two and losing one. That hardly proves dominance.
Well, at least now we can do away with any argument in favor of a playoff. The SEC championship will forever be the national championship, and the rest of these programs will be relegated to also-ran status. The powers that be in the NCAA will be relieved. Cave man, by including my entire paragraph in your post, you tell me that you read it all, yes? Now tell me, in the last ten years, how many national titles have been won by the SEC? (Here's a hint, if the answer is less than ten, your point, if you have one, is wobbly, at best.)
For one, it is quite difficult to manhandle other BCS teams when your non-conference schedule consists of Western Kentucky, Troy, Florida Atlantic, and Florida State. More importantly, the SEC as a whole has played three games against currently ranked non-SEC teams; winning two and losing one. That hardly proves dominance. Certainly not like whipping up on a Division I-AA school, right? How'd that work out again? Sorry YYM, you leave it open, I'll walk in. I believe the SEC is generally the toughest conference in the nation. I'm a UF grad, yeah, but I like to think that if Florida, or Bama, or LSU were the only team in the conference in the Top Ten, and the rest of the SEC had losing records, I'd be able to recognize, as a Football Guy, that the conference sucked. I'm not downgrading the Big 12, or the Pac-10, or anybody else, but the SEC is one of the thickest, most well-stocked football conferences in the counrty, and the last time a Big Ten and an SEC team met for all the marbles, the results spoke loudly.
I'd rather lose to a DI-AA team and be 8-3 with a shot at the Rose Bowl than be 1-9 any day. I also believe that the SEC is the best conference in the country. They have some tremendous teams and almost every team in the conference is competitive. They have several teams in the Top 25 as well. However, I wouldn't hand them the championship just yet. There are many quality teams out there who could give any SEC team a run for their money.
I'd rather lose to a DI-AA team and be 8-3 with a shot at the Rose Bowl than be 1-9 any day. More power to you, bud. I'd rather lose to a schedule full of Div. 1A teams than one Div. 1AA team. But then again, that's just me. That's how I roll. And, if we're comparing non-conference opponents, we would be remiss if we didn't mention football powerhouses like Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan, and Central Michigan (got MI pretty much covered, don't ya?); Eastern Illinois and Western Illinois; Youngstown State, Buffalo, Indiana State, Toledo, Kent State, Ball State, Florida International, Akron (twice!), and the aforementioned Appalachian State. You can criticize any conference's non-conference schedule, because everybody schedules a couple of cream puffs. Most schools just don't lose to them. Q: What do you call it when Notre Dame loses to Navy and Air Force, at home, in the same season? A: Supporting the Troops!
I never said the Big Ten had a tough non-conference schedule. My point was there isn't really evidence (from this season) that shows that the SEC will dominate all of their opponents from other BCS conferences.
I don't want to sound like a homer here, but I still don't understand why there is so little mention of the Big 12 in this thread.
NoMich - Hawkguy is my tribute to the Jayhawks.
Ah, I see. If hawkguy's post is confusing anyone, justgary zapped two of my posts (it's a long story and of no consequence) in which one of them I accused hawkguy of being an Iowa Hawkeyes fan. Whoops! Sorry guy. Also in that one post, I wondered if the lack of respect for the Big 12 teams currently in the top 10 didn't have to do with the fact that two of the teams are not perennial football powerhouses. If the Big 12 teams that are in the top 10 were Texas, Oklahoma and, say, Texas A&M, I'm sure you would see more respect for that conference. As it is, we have Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma representing the conference. Two of the three aren't really known for their football teams. So, maybe that answers your question, hawkguy?
