The $EC has no equal

[fish-fighting-illini]

Face the facts the last two years everyone in the nation had OSU as the undisputed #1 team in the nation going into the BCS championship game only to be completely blown out by SEC teams.

Why?

Got lucky?

As I remember, Alabama used to have a football program, too.

No doubt the SEC is a premier conference, but over the years other

programs have been just as strong (Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas).

Sports dominance comes in cycles, enjoy yours while it lasts.

8-)

RW makes a very good point about the cycles. Wasn't there ( I'm not positive ) a coaching hire then unhire at LSU? It will take a while with an existing well stocked team but things could perhaps change fairly quick in a situation like that. Probably not in this case but things can change fast.

[roadwarrior]

1997 season

Correct...

1997 season, bowl game played 1/02/08. Let's just agree to disagree.

The SEC is a great conference, but...

the BIG 12 RULES!

;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D MIZZOU-RAH, MIZZOU-RAH, MIZZOU-RAH...TIGERS! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

[Catt]

This is the start of Leslie Edwin "Les" Miles 4th year with LSU where his record is

Overall: 34-6 (.850)

Conference Division Titles: 2

Conference Titles: 1

BCS bowl games: 3-0

National Titles: 1

Les Miles on the Michigan job prior to playing for the SEC Championship:

"There was misinformation on ESPN, and I think it's imperative that I straighten it out," Miles said. "I am the head coach at LSU. I will be the head coach at LSU. I have no interest in talking to anybody else. I've got a championship game to play, and I'm excited about the opportunity of my d**n strong football team to play in it. And that's really all I would like to say.  "It was unfortunate that I had to address my team with this information this morning, but that being done, I think we'll be ready to play. There will be no questions for me. I represent me in this issue. Please ask me after. Thank you very much. Have a great day."

Les Miles on Nick Saban after beating Alabama: I enjoyed coach Saban journey through here but this is my team

[loomis spookwalker]

Don't mess with the SEC. It's a whole lot better than ND stuck up NBC's rear. And look where they are at. And the Big 10... well Appalachian State...  well you get the picture.

[Hookemdown.]

SEC is too fast.

[RiskKid.]

Ahhhhhh.....this is what's so much fun about college football.....let the trash talk begin!!!!

GO VOLS!!!!

[fish-fighting-illini]

Sorry about the bad guess on the teams. I thought when someone left LsU they hired someone else who had falsified their resume. I must have the wrong team. Even if right that was 4 yrs ago so things should have played out by now. I thought it might even have happened to 2 teams ( was Notre Dame one before the Charlie Weis? hire) I'm all confused.

[burleytog]

Sorry about the bad guess on the teams. I thought when someone left LsU they hired someone else who had falsified their resume. I must have the wrong team. Even if right that was 4 yrs ago so things should have played out by now. I thought it might even have happened to 2 teams ( was Notre Dame one before the Charlie Weis? hire) I'm all confused.

You're thinking of ND and George O'Leary.

[TheBeast]

1997 season

Correct...

1997 season, bowl game played 1/02/08. Let's just agree to disagree.

The SEC is a great conference, but...

the BIG 12 RULES!

;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D MIZZOU-RAH, MIZZOU-RAH, MIZZOU-RAH...TIGERS! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

I can't do that, not with a tiny 12 backer.

I SAID IT'S GREAT TO BE A TENNESSEE VOL, I SAID IT'S GREAT TO BE A TENNESSEE VOL, I SAID IT'S GREAT TO BE A TENNESSEE VOL!!!! V-O-L-S GO VOLS GO.

[Matt Fly]

You can say what you want, but when has Miss.  Miss. State, Vandy, Kentucky, South Carolina even under Lou Holtz didn't do that great, Alabama, and Arkansas say they have been legit top ten teams year after yea?.  top 25??? Long time!!!!

  The SEC is great when they play in their back yards.   Just how many of those teams have had schedules like USC, Notre Dame and others every season?  Playing teams that can end your title hunt within the first two games.    Notre Dame has played USC, Michigan, Penn State and others for years,   USC beat Ark. 70-10  two years ago when Ark won the west conf.  of the SEC.

Cal travelled to Tenn 2 years ago and got trashed, Tenn travelled last year and got trashed in Cal.  You know that weak Pac 10 who at least travels to play Big 10, Big XII, and SEC teams.

4-5 good teams every year that feast amoung themselves.      Florida and LSU play div II colleges,   whats that about, wins?  

How would you like to be Florida, and have to face Miss, Miss. State, and Arkansas for your West scheduled games?   Every few years, the schedules align to be great seasons, then the other years they feast on themselves.

Big XII is no different.    

How Georgia is number 0ne beats me.   Do love that winning Texas QB they have pulling the trigger.

Lost to South Carolina at home who lost last 5 games.    Lost to Tenn on the road.   Tenn got thrashed by Pac 10 team.    Almost lost to Troy at home.

Best two conference wins, 6-2 was Florida and Auburn, and Florida lost 4 games.  They beat Vandy, Kentucky, Ole Miss, and Albama who was 4-4 in conference.  

Florida has Tim back, they'd be number one before Georgia got my vote, but thats just me.

[Hookemdown.]

Matt, that's some serious football knowledge right there.

[burleytog]

You can say what you want, but when has Miss.  Miss. State, Vandy, Kentucky, South Carolina even under Lou Holtz didn't do that great, Alabama, and Arkansas say they have been legit top ten teams year after yea?.  top 25??? Long time!!!!

The same could be said for Baylor, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Kansas St  (other than Snyder's juco teams), Oklahoma St., Colorado or Iowa St.  Heck, other than last season, what about Kansas (perennial losers) or Missouri.

  The SEC is great when they play in their back yards.   Just how many of those teams have had schedules like USC, Notre Dame and others every season?  Playing teams that can end your title hunt within the first two games.    Notre Dame has played USC, Michigan, Penn State and others for years,   USC beat Ark. 70-10  two years ago when Ark won the west conf.  of the SEC.

Just in their back yards huh?  :

Cal travelled to Tenn 2 years ago and got trashed, Tenn travelled last year and got trashed in Cal.  You know that weak Pac 10 who at least travels to play Big 10, Big XII, and SEC teams.

45-31 is trashed?  Yet another  :

4-5 good teams every year that feast amoung themselves.      Florida and LSU play div II colleges,   whats that about, wins?  

Yeah, because you know the Little 12 schools NEVER schedule gimme games.

Guess that's why the great and mighty Texas Longhorns have Florida Atlantic, UTEP, and Rice on their schedule this year.  Or why Oklahoma  has Chattanooga and Cinncinnati on their schedule.  Or Nebraska with those powerhouses Western Michigan, San Jose St. and New Mexico State.

As for your 'div II' comment, you do know that there is a difference between the former I-AA division (now the Football Championship Subdivision) and actual NCAA Division II teams.

[Hookemdown.]

Hey Burleyman, he said:

Big XII is no different.    

[RiskKid.]

I'm loving it!  

Can't wait for tomorrow night.....let's play some ball!!!!  

[RiskKid.]

Hey Burley and the Beast.....you guys going to the UAB game?

[Matt Fly]

This wasn't about big XII or a personal attack on you Burley.

Its about the SEC has no equal.  

But since you went there, my tiny little 12 has 3 of the top winningest programs in college football history.

SEC, they have Tenn and Alabama and there not top 5.

The others being Michigan, Notre Dame, Nebraska, Texas, Penn State, Oklahoma, USC, Ohio state.  Thats some good company and great series between them.  

Where does the SEC rivalries play into these power houses series.  They didn't!!!   I remember Thanksgiving many moons ago, Neb vs OU.     Don't remember Florida and USC or Georgia and Notre Dame   or LSU and Penn State.

  Facts say you have some good teams, like every body else does.   Facts will show that when the SEC wasn't making news in the south, it was the University of Miami and Florida State, when those programs slipped in the southern belt, SEC football took the stage.   All the press was with those two programs and look at the Title games those two represented in that era.    

By the way, the same analysts who say the SEC is the greatest,

are the very same people to announce USC as the greatest college team ever before Texas beat them in the BCS championship series.

LOL and they pay them for that stuff.    

     

[Muddy]

WHY ARGUE WHEN AL YOU HAVE TO DO IS ADDEM UP: FROM THE NCAA RECORD BOOKS: NATL CHAMPS 1949 to 2007

2007  Louisiana State BCS

2006 Florida BCS

2005 Texas BCS

2004 Southern California BCS

2003 Louisiana State BCS

2002 Ohio State BCS

2001 Miami (Fla.) BCS

2000 Oklahoma BCS

1999 Florida State BCS

1998 Tennessee BCS

 

Consensus National Champions

Year School Selecting organization

1950 Oklahoma AP, UPI

1951 Tennessee AP, UPI

1952 Michigan St. AP, UPI

1953 Maryland AP, UPI

1954 UCLA, Ohio St. FWAA, UPI, AP

1955 Oklahoma AP, FWAA, UPI

1956 Oklahoma AP, FWAA, UPI

1957 Ohio St., Auburn FWAA, UPI, AP

1958 LSU, Iowa AP, UPI, FWAA

1959 Syracuse AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI

1960 Minnesota, Mississippi AP, NFF, UPI, FWAA

1961 Alabama, Ohio St. AP, NFF, UPI, FWAA

1962 Southern California AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI

1963 Texas AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI

1964 Alabama, Arkansas, Notre Dame AP, UPI, FWAA, NFF

1965 Michigan St., Alabama FWAA, NFF, UPI, AP, FWAA

1966 Notre Dame, Michigan St. AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI, NFF

1967 Southern California AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI

1968 Ohio St. AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI

1969 Texas AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI

1970 Nebraska, Texas, Ohio St. AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI, NFF

1971 Nebraska AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI

1972 Southern California AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI

1973 Notre Dame, Alabama AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI

1974 Southern California, Oklahoma FWAA, NFF, UPI, AP

1975 Oklahoma AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI

1976 Pittsburgh AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI

1977 Notre Dame AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI

1978 Alabama, Southern California AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI

1979 Alabama AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI

1980 Georgia AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI

1981 Clemson AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI

1982 Penn St. AP, FWAA, NFF, USA/CNN, UPI

1983 Miami (Fla.) AP, FWAA, NFF, USA/CNN, UPI

1984 Brigham Young AP, FWAA, NFF, USA/CNN, UPI

1985 Oklahoma AP, FWAA, NFF, USA/CNN, UPI

1986 Penn St. AP, FWAA, NFF, USA/CNN, UPI

1987 Miami (Fla.) AP, FWAA, NFF, USA/CNN, UPI

1988 Notre Dame AP, FWAA, NFF, USA/CNN, UPI

1989 Miami (Fla.) AP, FWAA, NFF, USA/CNN, UPI

1990 Colorado, Georgia Tech FWAA, NFF, USA/CNN, AP, UPI

1991 Washington, Miami (Fla.) FWAA, NFF, USA/CNN, UPI,AP

1992 Alabama AP, FWAA, NFF, USA/CNN, UPI

1993 Florida St. AP, FWAA,NFF, USA/CNN, UPI

1994 Nebraska AP, FWAA, NFF, USA/CNN, UPI

1995 Nebraska AP, FWAA, NFF, USA/CNN, UPI

1996 Florida AP, FWAA, NFF,USA/CNN

1997 Michigan, Nebraska AP, FWAA,NFF, USA/ESPN

2003 Southern California AP, FWAA

 

AP National Champions

Year School Selecting organization

1936 Minnesota AP

1937 Pittsburgh AP

1938 Texas Christian AP

1939 Texas A&M AP

1940 Minnesota AP

1941 Minnesota AP

1942 Ohio St. AP

1943 Notre Dame AP

1944 Army AP

1945 Army AP

1946 Notre Dame AP

1947 Notre Dame AP

1948 Michigan AP

1949 Notre Dame AP

[burleytog]

Hey Burley and the Beast.....you guys going to the UAB game?

I don't know about Esmerelda, but I probably won't.

[Catt]

Here we go again with the out of conference schedules  

Matt look at USC & OSU conference schedules! They play no one! The only way they can get a strength of schedule is out of conference.

How does OSU explain to their fan base 0-9 vs the SEC in bowl games?

How does OSU explain to their fan base back to back blow outs in Championship games?

If the SEC is so weak why do the again have 5 teams in the top 25?

How many does PAC 10 & BIG 10 have?

Who has 4 BCS national titles out of 10?

LSU vs. Various Conferences

ACC: 17-1

PAC 10: 11-2

BIG 10: 7-3-1

[Sam]

Matt Fly asked why the big schools do not play each other on a regular basis.

I asked this question of a past LSU Director of Athletics a number of years ago and here is what he told me.

1.  Some schools do not want the powerhouses visit their location as it can hurt future recruiting.  This is why Texas and Texas A&M will not play LSU so LSU plays Houston on an on and off again basis to get into Texas for recruiting purposes.

2.  LSU can clear over $8 million for each home game, no matter the opponent.  So it is to every school's advantage to have seven or eight home games a year, even if they teams are not high level competition.

LSU is playing three Louisiana teams in 2009, which is a first and all games will be sold out. Let's see, $24 million and three wins. Sounds good to me.

3.  Why play a highly ranked team and have the possibility of losing?  This is why the big schools play the lesser teams to get a victory and to give the lower ranked schools a chance to play in a large arena.  Plus the money is good when you play one of the big boys which can make a lower level college football program solvent for the year.

4.  Rankings come and go.  Penn State can be in the Top 10 this year and next year they are not ranked. Virginia Tech travels to Nebraska this year and Nebraska has not done that well in the past but this is a major game for the Hokies.  So schedule Notre Dame when the Irish are weak only to face them when they get strong is not good scheduling.

And you have to schedule your games years in the future.  So Ohio State, Southern Cal and Georgia are the three big teams this year but if you want to play them you may not get the opportunity until 2015 or later.  And how will they be doing in 2015?

5.  In the SEC, teams beat each other up during the season so why play Ohio State, Penn State, Oklahoma, Southern Cal, etc. when you know you will have at least five or six major battles on your hands, all of which you could lose?  So play a patsie at home; make a lot of money; give the alumni something to be proud about; and get that "W" towards your bowl game scorecard.

This is true for the other conferences, too.

So every now and then the big boys will play each other to remove the monkey off their back, such as Ohio State playing Southern Cal this year.  Otherwise, if you look at the big conference's teams' out-of-conference schedules, you will see the easy games being scheduled more and more.

Let's face it, LSU plays Appy State, North Texas, Troy State and Tulane. Not an out-of-conference schedule that gets the blood pumping but it will be four wins at home and at least $32 million dollars in the bank.

And then there are schools, such as Tennesssee, who play the big time schools on a regular basis, at least one a year if possible.  This year it is UCLA.

6.  Money. As said above, LSU can make $8 million for each home game.  And football funds the other sports so it is imperative that the big time programs make as much money as they can to fund women's and the lower level men's sports programs and their associated team costs and scholarships.

So for these reasons, teams make their schedules fit their program to make their programs stronger; get rich; get more victories; and to get to those bowl games to make the additional money.

Just follow the money!  

[Sam]

And by the way.

Alabama plays Clemson in their season opener.

Do you think Bama scheduled Clemson when Clemson was doing that well?

Nope. Clemson is a name brand school with a great football tradition but has not jumped into the league with the big boys, as Alabama sees itself with the big boys.

So, this year Clemson is loaded and Bama is not.

What a surprise to the Bama people.  They thought they would beat Clemson and start the season with a nice win but now, Clemson is favored by five points and Bama may be 0-1 when the last second ticks off the clock.

Scheduling: the most difficult part of an Athletics Director's and head coach's job.  

[RiskKid.]

Come on Sam....nobody wants the truth.....let's just keep arguing about it....it's a whole lot more fun!!!!  

[TheBeast]

Hey Burley and the Beast.....you guys going to the UAB game?

I don't know about Esmerelda, but I probably won't.

I would love to but alas I cannot.  

[Matt Fly]

Moot point Catt.    You think just because 4 of your colleges beats up on its own, thats a test.    Its only a test when they beat other premier college to show case their strength.  You can't control the depth of talent in your conference, but you can challenge other programs.   To say USC and OSU play outside their conference is why USC was selected as best college team ever, along with two Heismans in the same back field that year.    Same guys getting paid then for saying that are the same ones saying SEC is best conference in football.

AGain, howed that work out for USC that year.    

University of Texas Longhorns,    2005 NCAA Football Champions!!!!lol

Games are decided on the field by scoreboard, not analysts.

AGain,  the WEST.,   Arkansas, Miss State, Ole Miss, Auburn, LSU, and Alabama.   Your west winner two years ago was thrashed by USC 70-10.   Other than Auburn and LSU, who in the west has been BCS contender?      LSU beats the same boys over and over.

In the East.   Vandy, Kentucky, South Carolina, have been BCS bound when?  That leaves Florida, Tenn, and Gerogia.  Wasn't Georgia's last hurah in 82 with Hershal Walker?

And which one of those schools gets the softer confernce schedule looks great in standings, but who did they beat to show case the strength of the conference?  

Just like all other conferences, some talent comes along to make the other teams look good, but they aren't title contenders.

Eli Manning did what at OLE Miss,   BCS?    Yep, Jay Cutlter put Vandy on the map.     South Carolina and Holts and Spurrier have done what?   Kentucky??

Same can be said for the ARizona, UCLA, Oregons, Purdues, K states, Tech, Okla STates and so on.    Every once in awhile, schools get talent and compete, but BCS contenders year after year.

Those are the facts, like its been said, college football goes in cycles.

Every year, the debate of a BCS playoff system is brought up.    MY standard response is to put more emphasis on strength of schedule and play more meaning ful games.

I haven't changed on my postition at all.

[Matt Fly]

In 2003, USC could have just as easily been BCS winner if they were allowed to play.  

   Why was Auburn, undefeated  and get passed by?   I argued that one for the Tigers as well.     Do they get the title game right every year.  Last year?

 Do they not tweak the system every year even after schedules are set for years.    All these things change the landscape of college football.

  The year OU got blown out is the year that I think KSU whipped them in the Big XII title game and USC got slighted.     Was that fair for OU to lose the big Xii title and still get the BCS championship game?

I love all college football, why wouldn't any fan want to see the best games every Saturday.

      Who wouldn't want to see Georgia play USC in regular season.    You think Vandy playing Michigan like two years ago is the match up we all watched.   I bet if it was Florida and Michigan, it would have been huge, but not the Vandy Michigan matchup>

Again, as a fan, who wouldn't want the best to play the best during the season.    To be the best, play the best, it leaves no doubt!