2007 NCAA Football

[JohnL]

This thread was automatically split due to performance issues. You can find the rest of the thread here: http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...4#post10758654

[Old Yeller Tang]

From 1990 to 2000, UW has won it 5 times compared to SC's twice.

[Old Yeller Tang]

Originally posted by bluerug
OYT, how bout i get some biased articles as well and have them posted on here. Seems to me the articles seem to be from west coast people all the time from you. I will get some southern papers and the view will be so much different. What did Tenn do to Cal last year again? Did Tenn not have a bunch of key players injured as well?

Rug, it's because West Coast folks will print what interests West Coast people but when the PAC was down, our sports writers were not too kind either on the PAC. Plus, I doubt the Southern Papers will write stuff that makes them look bad. Tell the truth, had I not posted these articles, would you guys even know what really goes on outside the SEC?
Just like the discussion about rivalries. We don't care who wins the OSU/MI matchup even though it's usually a good game to watch. Even the Bama/AUB game isn't looked at like our own rivalries other than we hope no spouses or dogs are beat after that game because of the outcome.

Trust me, the PAC took a severe hit last year with Tenn blowing out CAL being constantly reminded here just as much as out there.

[bluerug]

I know one thing, UCLA beat USC to stop them from going to the big game.

[bluerug]

Originally posted by Old Yeller Tang
From 1990 to 2000, UW has won it 5 times compared to SC's twice.

Oh do you just stop at the year you like to make you feel better?

[The Grim Reefer]

He could go back further than that pile, SC hadn't been a force in the PAC since the early 80's.

[The Grim Reefer]

By the way Pile, UCLA beat USC but USC still won their BCS bowl game and finished ranked 4th with 2 losses. What was the Bullfrogs record and ranking last year again? You say their bowl game wasn't even a BCS bowl, You say the BCS didn't rank them, and was one of those 4 losses to a team WITH A LOSING RECORD

[bluerug]

Its all good that USC is such a dynasty like you are claiming them to be.

Back to reality.

I would not call a team that has won one National Championship since 1972 a dynasty, but heck if thats how the west coast mind thinks thats your problem.

[bluerug]

Originally posted by The Grim Reefer
By the way Pile, UCLA beat USC but USC still won their BCS bowl game and finished ranked 4th with 2 losses. What was the Bullfrogs record and ranking last year again? You say their bowl game wasn't even a BCS bowl, You say the BCS didn't rank them, and was one of those 4 losses to a team WITH A LOSING RECORD

When we lost i dont think we were playing for a spot in the National Championship game.

But if we had to just beat say UCLA to put us into the Big Game i think we would have pulled off a win. But wait, thats because its not a rivalry game.

With all the Talent that USC had last year it should have been a walk in the park for them, and please dont give me a load of crap and say it was a rebuilding year, but if you are going to use that excuse i too will also use that excuse as well, when it comes to the DAWGS this year.

[55semireef]

55semi, if you think everyone thinks UGA is a joke then you are the joke yourself by saying that. I would love to see the DAWGS beat the gators this year, and guess what? Its very possible they will beat the Gators this year, so dont be shocked if my joke team beats your team.

Of course you would love to see the pups beat the dawgs this year just like every year practically.

Rug it is possible that the pups might win but its not probable.

Your team is a joke.

[The Grim Reefer]

Pile,

You're the only one that would brag about the fact his team wasn't playing for a NC.

[fishypets]

Check out my new sig

[The Grim Reefer]

Originally posted by fishypets
Check out my new sig

Should be "they kicked the Rug off the short bus"

A birdie told me congradulations were in order Fishy.

[Old Yeller Tang]

Surprisingly, the Oregon schools didn't crack the top 25, even with those crazy fans in Eugene.

Top 25 College Football Rivalries

1. Ohio State vs Michigan
Series Record: Michigan leads 58-40-6.
Award: Ohio State players get a gold charm in the shape of a pair of pants if they win.
No rivalry has a better combination of history and championship implications than Michigan vs Ohio State. Since 1913, the two teams have combined for all or part of 70 Big Ten titles and the have finished 1-2 in the standings 15 times since 1968.

2. Oklahoma vs Texas
Series Record: Texas leads 57-39-5.
Trophy: The Golden Hat
Known as: "The Red River Shootout". The winning team's state is supposed to get ownership of the Red River for one year until the next game. It's one the few rivalries that are played on a neutral field. These two teams play in Dallas, Texas which is is exactly halfway between the two schools, Austin, Texas, and Norman, Oklahoma.

3. Alabama vs Auburn
Series Record: Alabama leads 38-32-1
Trophy: Omicron Delta Kappa-James E. Foy V Sportsmanship Trophy
This college football rivalry is number one as the fire, passion and hate between the two schools is unlike any other. This game literally stops a state. The teams didn't play from 1907 to 1948 because after the 1907 game, they couldn’t decide which referees to use. The trophy for this game isn't as important as the ownership of the state that comes with a win.


4. USC vs Notre Dame
Series Record: Notre Dame leads 42-31-5
Trophy: The Jeweled Shillelagh
The winner of this game has gone on to win the national title 19 times, plus these two schools have produced 11 Heisman winners.

5. Army vs Navy
Series Record: Series tied 49-50-7
Award: Gold cloth stars to put on their letter sweaters for victories
Notes: This game probably has more history and tradition than any other rivalry in the country. This game is also part of the Commander-In-Chief trophy(Army, Navy, & Air Force)

6. Lafayette vs Lehigh
Series Record: Lafayette leads 73-62-5
Known as: "The Game"
This is the most-played rivalry in college football history.



7. Florida State vs Miami
Series Record: Miami leads 29-21
Since the 1987, Florida State has lost out on playing for the national championship five times because of losses to Miami. The two teams have met 13 times in the last 18 years when both were ranked in the top ten. Since 1983, these two teams have combined for more national titles than any other two rivals in the country.


8. Texas vs Texas A&M
Series Record: Texas leads the series, 70-34-5.
This was voted the top college football rivalry in a USA Today online poll.

9. Florida vs Georgia
Series Record: Georgia leads the series, 45-35-2.
Known as: "World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party"
Georgia may hold the series lead, but Florida has had Georgia's number since 1992. This rivalry is one of only a few that is played on a neutral site, Jacksonville, FL.

10. Nebraska vs Oklahoma
Oklahoma leads the series, 41-37-3.
The 1971 game was considered by many, the greatest college football game of all-time. 19 times during this series, one of these two teams have been rated #1.



11. Harvard vs Yale
Series Record: Yale leads 64-49-8
Known as: "The Game"
This game is the third most-played in history; only Layafette-Lehigh and Princeton-Yale have been played more often.



12. Auburn vs Georgia
Series Record: Auburn leads 52-48-8
"The Oldest Rivalry in the Deep South" . Like many other games, these two even argue about the overall record between the two teams. The schools played the first SEC overtime game in 1996. Both teams played their first College Football game against each other in 1892 in Atlanta, which Auburn won 10-0.

13. USC vs UCLA
Series Record: USC leads the series, 38-27-7
Known as: The battle for the Victory Bell
The winning team paints the bell in their color to match the gold: blue for UCLA, cardinal for USC.

14. California vs Stanford
Stanford leads the series, 54-40-11.
Known as: "The Big Game"
The rivalry has a history of tight scoring games, with 50 having been decided by 7 points or less.

15. Minnesota vs Wisconsin
Series Record: Minnesota leads 59-48-8
Trophy: Paul Bunyan's Axe
This is the oldest rivalry in NCAA Division I-A. The teams have met every year since 1907. Before Paul Bunyan's Axe, the teams played for the "Slab of Bacon", a piece of wood with the word "BACON". The idea was that the winning team "brought home the bacon".

16. Kansas vs Missouri
Series Record: Series tied 52-52-9
Known as: "The Border Showdown"
Trophy: The Indian War Drum
Notes: It's the second-oldest rivalry in Division I-A.The war drum has a picture of a Jayhawk on one side and the MU logo on another. This game was known as the "Border War", but after 9/11, two schools changed the official name to the "Border Showdown".

17. Florida vs Florida State
Series Record: Florida leads 28-19-2
In the 1990's, these programs were two of the best in the country.

18. Alabama vs Tennessee
Series Record: Alabama leads 43-37-7
Trophy: The winning team gets victory cigars
The victory cigar tradition for Alabama was started in the Bear Bryant era; Tennessee took up the tradition for themselves in the 1990's.

19. Virginia vs Virginia Tech
Series Record: Virginia Tech leads 44-37-5
Trophy: The Commonwealth Cup

20. Washington vs Washington State
Series Record: Washington leads 63-28-6
Trophy: The Apple Cup

21. Arizona vs Arizona State
Series Record: Arizona leads 44-33-1
Trophy: The Territorial Championship Cup
Known as "The Big Game". The Territorial Cup is the oldest prize given as part of a rivalry series. First given in 1899, the cup had been missing for fifty years until being recently discovered.

22. Mississippi State vs Ole Miss
Series Record: Ole Miss leads 58-37-6
Trophy: The Golden Egg trophy
The "Golden Egg" trophy is in the shape of an old-time football. Because of its ovalesque shape, it resembles an egg.

23. Indiana vs Purdue
Series Record: Purdue leads 66-35-6
Trophy: The Old Oaken Bucket

24. Georgia vs Georgia Tech
Series Record: Georgia leads 56-38-5
Known as: "Clean, Old-fashioned Hate"


25. Clemson vs South Carolina
Series Record: Clemson leads 62-36-4
Known as: "Battle of the Palmetto State"

[Old Yeller Tang]

Foxsports has a more modern list, minusing the whimpy Ivy League Schools.

FOXSports has a top ten list:

1 - Michigan - Ohio State

2 - Miami, FL - Florida State

3 - Alabama - Auburn

4 - Army - Navy

5 - Oklahoma - Texas

6 - ND - USC

7 - Florida - Georgia

8 - UCLA - USC

9 - Cal - Stanford

10 - Florida - Florida State

[Old Yeller Tang]

Somehow, the Fla-Tenn rivalry didn't crack the list.
I'll be watching the game just to see how good each team really is.


Tebow's legend grew after fourth-down run at Tennessee

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By MARK LONG
AP Sports Writer

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) - Florida coach Urban Meyer gave Tim Tebow the ball on the most important play of the first big game of last season.

Tebow did the rest.

He got 2 yards on the fourth-and-1 play at Tennessee, setting up the game-winning touchdown and essentially securing a place in the history of the rivalry.

``It was special,'' Tebow recalled. ``It was a huge play in the game. It definitely gives you an extra sense of confidence and a boost that you helped the team out and you got experience and a big play.''

The Gators probably wouldn't have won the Southeastern Conference championship without Tebow's run. They almost certainly wouldn't have won the national title without Tebow's run.

And who knows what kind of hype would surround the sophomore quarterback without that run?

``That put Tim in elite status,'' Meyer said. ``That's one of the great plays in the history of this school.''

Tebow faces Tennessee again Saturday. This time, though, he will be making his first SEC start and trying to prove that everything he's done up to this point - including the fourth-down run - was no fluke.

``It was a defining moment for him,'' Florida tight end Cornelius Ingram said. ``He came in at a crucial time and made some big first downs for us. He really had the team on his back and did what he needed to do.''

Tebow has completed 31 of 42 passes this season for 536 yards and six touchdowns for fifth-ranked Florida (2-0). He also has 131 yards rushing and three scores.

His ability to run and throw could be cause for concern for the 24th-ranked Volunteers (1-1), who have allowed more than 800 yards in two games.

``Their offense centers on their outstanding quarterback, Tebow,'' Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer said. ``He is a really special football player, a big guy that can run and throw it. We'll certainly have to do a good job with them.''

But no matter what Tebow did against Western Kentucky and Troy, he understands that what he does against the Vols will provide a much more lasting impression.

He learned that growing up in Florida.

In fact, when Meyer came to Gainesville, he turned to his players to teach him about the rivalry with Tennessee. He probably would have learned more by calling Tebow.

Tebow knows just nearly everything about this one.

He was there for the 1995 game, when Florida scored 48 unanswered points in pouring rain to win 62-37. He was in Knoxville the following year when the Gators scored the first 35 points and then held on.

He remembers Tee Martin helping Tennessee end a five-game losing streak in 1998 and Alex Brown's five-sack performance a year later.

He recalls Jabar Gaffney's controversial catch in 2000, Travis Stephens' big day in 2001, Casey Clausen's Hail Mary in 2003 and James Wilhoit's redemption kick in 2004.

He's heard ``Rocky Top'' so often that ``it gets old.''

And he's seen replays of safety Lawrence Wright's vicious hit on receiver Joey Kent in 1995 - the one that caused Kent to sever his tongue - more often than any of his favorite movies.

``You felt bad for Joey Kent,'' Tebow said. ``Not really.''

Tebow didn't feel bad about picking Florida over Tennessee, either. He realized during the 2004 game, his junior year in high school, that Knoxville wasn't the place for him.

How?

``I think I was the only one not chanting 'Rocky Top,''' he said.

His fourth-down run last year silenced similar chants. It also confirmed everything Meyer thought he knew about his young quarterback.

``I had a feeling, but of course you don't know until he actually does it,'' Meyer said. ``That probably let him know that our coaching staff had a lot of confidence in him. That was one of the big things we got out of that play.''

[Anemone]

OYT, I like your sig.



Kevin

[Old Yeller Tang]

Originally posted by Anemone
OYT, I like your sig.



Kevin

Same to you! And it's all facts, too!

[The Grim Reefer]

Originally posted by Old Yeller Tang
And it's all facts, too!

Don't be clouding the issue with facts.

[Old Yeller Tang]

Tebow to Face his First Real Test
by Jake Walters
Filed Under: College Football, Tim Tebow, SEC Football, Florida Gators Football, Urban Meyer



Last year, the Gators toppled the Vols in Tennessee with a 21-yard touchdown pass in the final minutes to put the Gators over the top for good, 21-20. It wasn't Tim Tebow throwing the pass though. In fact, during their last showdown, Tebow didn't even have a single passing attempt. This year if the Gators are to have a game-winning touchdown, or any passing offense for that reason, Tim Tebow is going to have to handle it.

On top of the already heavy-load in simply facing the Vols, Tebow's first ranked opponent as a starter, this game is going to be an offensive battle. Both teams have showed weakness on defense this year, and the Gator defense will not be able to hold the Volunteer offense minus-11 yards rushing as they did last year. With a very young defense that allowed 31 points versus Troy last week, Florida will have to depend on Tebow to make plays and keep Florida in the game.

And he's going to have to do it short-handed. The Gators' leading returning reciever, Andre Caldwell, will be a spectator for the game. Caldwell sprained his MCL during last week's game vs. Troy, and could miss at least two weeks. "That's a blow," Florida coach Urban Meyer said Monday. "That's a frontal shot right there." he also stated that there is no timetable on Caldwell's return.

As far as performance goes, Tebow is looking like he is ready to face the challenge. In his first two games, Tebow is 31-42 with 536 yards, 6 TD's, and 0 INT's through the air while on the ground he has 131 yards and a score on 25 attempts. For a quarterback whose arm was questioned all summer, being ranked #2 in the nation in passing efficiency has been a welcome statistic for the Gator faithful.

In their last matchup Tebow was able to convert a late 4th and 1, a run that has gone down in Gator lore and led to the 21-yard game-winning touchdown between Chris Leak and Dallas Baker. Now it is Tebow's turn to start defining a legacy with his arm, not his legs.

[Old Yeller Tang]

SEC Preview: Florida, LSU on a Collision Course

East Division

1. Florida Gators

Projected Record: 10-2 (6-2)
Losses: Auburn (9/29), at LSU (10/6)

Key Players: QB Tim Tebow, WR Andre Caldwell, WR/RB Percy Harvin, TE Cornelius Ingram, T Phil Trautwein, C Drew Miller, DE Derrick Harvey, DE Jermaine Cunningham, LB Brandon Spikes, S Tony Joiner, S Kyle Jackson

Newcomer: DE Torrey Davis

With several players gone from the 2007 National Championship team, Urban Meyer and the Gators will regroup for another run at a title.

The big change for Florida will be at quarterback, where Tim Tebow takes on full-time from four-year starter Chris Leak. Tebow ran for 469 yards and averaged 5.3 yards per carry last year, but he will have to prove his worth throwing the ball in 2007, as defenses will key on his legs.

Tebow will throw to talented receivers Andre Caldwell, Percy Harvin, and Cornelius Ingram. Harvin may be the fastest athlete in college football, and will be utilized both in the backfield and at receiver.

The running game will be decent with Kestahn Moore. It may be significantly better when USC transfer Emmanuel Moody is eligible in 2008.

The Florida offensive line returns at least three out of five starters, which will help a great deal on an otherwise inexperienced squad. Senior captain tackle Phil Trautwein may be unavailable for the season because of a stress fracture in his foot; his status is unknown.

Aside from D-end Derrick Harvey, the Florida defense is comprised of young, unheralded players—but don’t sleep on their potential. Sophomore linebacker Brandon Spikes has the chance to be as good as stalwarts Andra Davis and Channing Crowder were before him. Safety Tony Joiner holds the distinction of being the only returning player who started every game last year.

Despite the inexperience, the defense should be solid.

Final verdict: Florida will have a target on its chest all season long. Many of the key contributors from last year are gone, but Urban Meyer’s spread system and an athletic defense should keep Florida atop the SEC. Florida won several close games last year, and the same will probably be true in ’07.

West Division

1. LSU Tigers

Projected Record: 11-1 (7-1)
Loss: at Alabama (11/3)

Key Players: QB Matt Flynn, RB Keiland Williams, RB Jacob Hester, WR/KR/PR Early Doucet, WR Brandon LaFell, T Ciron Black, G Will Arnold, DE Tyson Jackson, DT Glenn Dorsey, LB Ali Highsmith, CB Jonathan Zenon, CB Chevis Jackson

Newcomer: WR Terrance Toliver


LSU head coach Les Miles had high expectations for the 2006 season. However, after losing at Auburn and at Florida, LSU failed to reach the SEC Championship Game.

To their credit, they still walloped the Brady Quinn-led Notre Dame squad in the Sugar Bowl at the end of the season.

And this year, even without top pick QB JaMarcus Russell and sixth-pick safety LaRon Landry, the Tigers could be even better.

Enter fifth-year senior Matt Flynn, who backed up Russell and last played in a bowl game two years ago. Flynn, who once almost beat out Russell for the starting job, is efficient and makes few mistakes.

He’ll be supported by a crew of running backs that includes Keiland Williams, Jacob Hester, and redshirt freshman Richard Murphy. Senior RB Alley Broussard quit the team after saying his heart was not in the game.

Ciron Black and Will Arnold are two of the best linemen at their positions. Early Doucet will certainly be a candidate for the Biletnikoff Trophy, given out to the top receiver in the country.

On defense, no single player has a greater impact on opposing offenses than defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey. Dorsey is an absolute monster on the interior line. He accumulated an unusually high number of tackles for his position with 64 (including 8.5 for loss), and racked up three sacks.

Opponents have to double Dorsey, which allows end Tyson Jackson (37 tackles, 10 for loss, 8.5 sacks) more freedom to wreak havoc.

Corners Jonathan Zenon and Chevis Jackson are two of the best shutdown defensive backs in the conference. All told, the LSU defense is the best in the SEC and one of the best in the NCAA.

Final verdict: LSU’s defense played well in big games in ‘06, but the offense was another story. In the Tigers’ two losses, the offense managed to score only 13 points. A big test for LSU will be the September 8th matchup against Virginia Tech. An undefeated season in the balanced SEC will be hard to achieve, so it’s crucial for LSU to win its out-of-conference schedule if it wants play for the BCS Championship.

[Old Yeller Tang]

Which conference is the BEST this year?....SEC or Pac-10? How bout the Big East!

by Robbie Munroe

There is a lot of talk swirling around college football about which conference is the best. The obvious choices for many fans are the SEC and the PAC-10. With California beating Tennessee in week 1, the PAC-10 wants recognition. Lets approach this dilema...

One easy way to compare conferences is to look at the rankings.

USC is #1 in several polls. Does that give the PAC-10 the edge over other conferences?

The SEC has 6 ranked teams in the current polls. Clearly having half of your conference ranked in the top 25 gives you a boost in the conference rankings.

So which conference is #1? Neither the SEC nor the PAC-10.

Check out the non-conference winning percentages after week 2:

Big 12 75% (18-6)

Big East 87.5% (14-2)

Big 10 81.8% (18-4)

PAC-10 81.3% (13-3)

SEC 82.4% (14-3)

Clearly, the Big East has been the best confence this year...with 7/8 undefeated teams going in to week 3 (talk about top to bottom)! Each of these 5 conferences have at least 6 undefeated teams at the moment. So who is the Big East playing in week 3?

West Virginia @ Maryland Win 31-14

Cincinnati @ Miami (Ohio)

Pittsburgh @ Michigan State

Connecticut vs. Temple

South Florida...bye week

Louisville @ Kentucky

Rutgers vs. Norfolk St

Syracuse vs. Illinois (Illinois had one of the top recruiting classes)

I really don't see the Big East losing this week except for that last game. Then again...Ron Zook is an awful coach.






The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy of the SEC
by Ben Johnson


Every year the self-fulfilling prophecy continues...the over hype regarding the continued dominance of the South-Eastern Conference, better known as the SEC. Every year, it happens like clockwork and this year is no exception. Les Miles, the Head Football Coach at LSU began his rant against the PAC-10 Conference by proclaiming the dominance from top-to-bottom within his own conference, and the relative ease of USC romping through their own conference due to the fact they are the only decent team in the PAC-10. You see, this happens every year with glaring regularity and there is a reason for this, but I will get to that later.

First and foremost, like most things in life - if it seems to good to be true, it probably is. What is often overlooked in college football is that the BCS actually only rewards a team over the course of a two-to-three year run. The 2005 Rose Bowl is a glaring example. A magical run to the BCS Championship actually takes a minimum of two, and most likely three years to complete the process. In the 2002 season, the USC Trojans manhandled a highly ranked Iowa program (11-1, only loss to National Champion Ohio State) 38-17 in the Orange Bowl, completing a 11-2 season and capping a renaissance return to the glory years that Trojan fans had become so accustomed to from the late 1960's to the early 1990's.



In the season opener a year later, the Trojans shut-out Auburn on the road 23-0. Many people felt that if a playoff was in place, USC would have most likely won the championship in 2002, much like Oregon State (11-1) might have won it in 2001 after their 41-9 dismantling of perennial power Notre Dame. These two victories over the course of two seasons propelled the Trojans to the AP National Championship during the 2003 season as the Trojans defeated Michigan 28-14 in the Rose Bowl, capping a 12-1 campaign.

LSU defeated Oklahoma that same season 21-14 in the Sugar Bowl to win the BCS National Championship. However, this was the second straight season that the national championship participants included a team who didn't win their own conference as Kansas State manhandled Oklahoma 35-7 in the Big-12 Championship game that year, and a year earlier, Nebraska gained enterance after being blown out by Colorado 63-28 in the season final, which was even more shocking because the loss dropped the Cornhuskers out of the Big-12 championship game altogether. So when (11-1) USC was left out of the BCS title game after ending the season being ranked number one in both polls, it left college football on shaky ground. There was a dead rat to be found because the stench was everywhere in college football over the course of the previous three seasons.

The next season in 2004, a three-way trifecta occurred as USC and Oklahoma both won their conference championships (12-0), but the new blip on the BCS radar was Auburn, who also won their conference championship (12-0). Much was made regarding the lack of respect for the SEC due to Auburns omittance from the championship game, but what people fail to realize is that the BCS doesn't reward a one-year wonder with entrance into the national championship game, especially when the Trojans crushed the Tigers less than 12 months earlier. Sure you can get into a money-loaded BCS game, but not THE big game. This takes a minimum of a two year run and many times, a three-year run is needed.

The same 2004 season turned out to be a breakout year for Vince Young and the Texas Longhorns as they defeated Michigan in one of the all-time great Rose Bowl venues 38-37 on a last second 45-yard field goal in the closing seconds. Due to the emergence of Vince Young as a Heisman trophy candidate and their big game the following season (2005) in week two against mega power Ohio State, who won the 2002 BCS championship in thrilling fashion as well (31-24 OT victory over Miami), the winner of this game would likely face USC in the national championship if everything worked out. Indeed it did as both teams romped through the regular season undefeated, capping perhaps the greatest game in the history of college football with a 41-38 comeback vicotry by the Longhorns in Pasadena for the BCS National Championship.

The SEC however, has never gotten over the disrespect shown to Auburn, but again, the BCS doesn't reward one year wonders. It was very similar to Oregon's BCS slight in 2001 when the Ducks were left out of the national championship game while the fore-mentioned Nebraska team gained entrance while not even competing for their conference championship. Every year the big ol' chocolate chip on the SEC shoulder has gotten bigger and bigger as their self-fulfilling claim as the best conference in the country gets louder and louder, all the while bashing that conference out west called the PAC-10. Now there is a history behind all this whining and bashing, but once again, I'll save that for the grand finale.

I have stated many times that every conference has two dominant teams, a couple of very good teams, a bunch of average teams and two horrible teams. In just about every season this rings true. The average fan of the SEC claims that the conference is so strong from top-to-bottom. With a closer look, I think we can put this notion to bed. The reality is that the conference does have 4-to-5 traditional powers that gained much of their authority in college football from the emerging and ever growing television industry, not to mention these same four or five teams are among the original Godfathers of the College Football Assoication movement.

Walter Byers, who was the original president of the NCAA developed a television resolution in 1952 that gradually destroyed the foundation of college football as the ever growing revenue from television would turn many administrators into green eyed monsters. The original television resolution mandated that every team could only be shown once nationally and twice regionally during a season and the revenue from the broadcasts would be equally shared. Many administrators, specifically in the southern sector where football reigns supreme distrusted Walter Byers and his legion of generals from the Big-10 and PAC-10 Conferences. Although the NCAA controlled both price and output of the regular season, the bowl season was open game. It operated in a free market controlled only by public demand.

The Big-10 and PAC-10 Conferences cut their own throats here initially as they only sent their conference champions to the venerable Rose Bowl, considered by many to still be the grand daddy of them all. So if you didn't win the conference championship you didn't go bowling. However, in the Southeast, Southwest and Atlantic Coast Conferences, due to the money available from televised bowl events, they often sent as many as five or 6 teams per conference to season ending bowl games. As television gained more popularity and raced ever onward toward critical mass, the teams from these three southern conferences became forever branded in the eyes of television as the elite programs. They still harness much of their branding identity created from the early days of television today, even though their overall records since 1990 are less than stellar.

Since 1990, the SEC records against rival conferences is not as impressive as the SEC die-hards would lend you to believe: Big-12 (20-16), PAC-10 (10-9), Big East (15-20), Big-10 (30-23), ACC (65-50) and the old Southwest Conference (20-19). So against the BCS Conference members since 1990, the SEC has an overall mark of 160 - 127. While this is good, it isn't exactly dominant. But what the SEC teams hang their hat on is their record against the non-BCS regime: BWest (30-0), Sun (43-3), MAC (33-5), WAC (32-6), CUSA (57-20) and MWest (9-4) for an overall mark of 204-38.

The overall records inside their own conference supports my hypothesis. There are only two teams with over 100 conference wins since 1990. They include Florida (116) and Tennessee (101). There are three teams with at least 80 conference wins. They include Alabama (84), Auburn (83) and Georgia (81), while LSU is within five games of this group with (76). After that it gets downright ugly. Arkansas and Ol' Miss (56), Mississippi State (47), South Carolina (45), Kentucky (36) and Vanderbilt (20). So the SEC in reality has two dominant programs, four pretty good programs, four very average programs and two completely awful programs over the course of 16 years.

However, what makes the SEC so dangerous today is that Arkansas, Kentucky and South Carolina are on the rise, but the reality for me is only South Carolina with Steve Spurrier has the chance to sustain their emergence. Arkansas and Kentucky will prove to be one or two year wonders and then drop back to reality.

Now if you need a little more proof and your convinced these statistics are too old, lets take a look at the last couple of bowl outcomes. Sure this past season, the SEC went six and three in bowl games, but the season before they went a dismal three and three. So their two year bowl record of 9-6 isn't exactly off the charts. Coupled with the fact that the All-time Chick-fillet bowl record matching the ACC and SEC Conference teams is 8-6 in favor the ACC throws a big monkey into the SEC domination theory as well.

What the SEC really has is six of the all-time television darlings of college football coupled with a great atmosphere of rivalry games. The icing here is the fact that the College Football Association flag, now better know as the Bowl Championship Series Alliance, runs deep through the heart of SEC country. If you follow the benchmark dots ever occurring at the administrative level in college football since the CFA movement from 1973 - 1984, we can begin to put some substance behind the continual bashing of the PAC-10 Conference.

You see, back in the mid 1970's, when the civil war over television revenue broke out in college football, the Big-10 and PAC-10 Conferences supported Walter Byers and the NCAA. In fact the only two schools from each conference who supported Chuck Neinas and CFA was USC and UCLA from the PAC-10, and Ohio State and Michigan from the Big-10. These are the only two schools who have drawn the favor of the CFA alliances since the CFA revolution took place in 1984. Thus, they have special priviledges within the BCS framwork. In fact, if you look at the history of the participants in the BCS bowl picture, nearly all of the participants have been schools who whole-heartedly supported and defended the CFA cause. While schools like Utah, Oregon State, Oregon, Louisville, Boise State and Wisconsin have been granted the occasional entrance into BCS events, none of the fore-mentioned teams have gotten to the championship game, even when an undefeated or one-loss season may have merited a berth.

So in conclusion, much has been made of the possibility of moving to a Final Four for college football. The reality of this is that the four participants are most likely to be the original members of that southern fried fraternity called the CFA. The BCS is nothing more than the evolutionary extension of the College Football Association movement and coupled with the Big-10 / PAC-10 / Rose Bowl Alliance, it feeds the continual self-fulfilling hypocrisy of the SEC, ACC and Big-12 Conferences, who are at the heart of the BCS Controversy due to their original alliance with Chuck Neinas and the CFA. We are less than 45 days from the controversy continuing. So from Les Miles and company, let the smear campaigns and self-fulling prophecies begin as they are proven strategies to oust all non-BCS members (now exposed as non-CFA members) from ever competing for the national championship.

[Old Yeller Tang]

SEC Football: Believe the Hype
by Leon Wynn

Some writers may claim that the SEC's reputation for dominance is in fact a product of hype.

I've put together a collection of statistics to rebut this falsehood.

Since SEC expansion in 1992, the SEC and Big 12 are tied for the most national championships (AP/USA Today), with five each.

During that time, the SEC has had more teams with national titles than any other conference: Florida—1996, 2006; LSU—2003; Tennessee—1998; Alabama—1992.

Since 2000, the SEC has the nation’s best nonconference record (including bowl games): 247-95, for a .722 winning percentage.

Using current conference alignments, SEC teams have appeared in more bowl games (352) than teams from any other conference. Since 2000, the SEC has more bowl appearances (52) and bowl wins (29) than any other conference.

Much of that success is no doubt due to the elite competition within the conference: SEC intra-conference games had the closest scoring margin of any conference in 2006 (11.14 points per game).

Here's a look at the breakdown:


2006 OVERALL NONCONFERENCE RECORDS
(Includes Bowl Games)
Conference W-L ACC 33-23
Big East 37-8
Big Ten 31-10
Big 12 36-20
Conference USA 21-32
MAC 14-38
Mountain West 19-21
Pac-10 25-12
SEC 47-10
Sun Belt 11-31
Western Athletic 21-21

SEC NONCONFERENCE RECORD
(Since 1992 - Regular Season Games Only) Year App. W-L Pct. Bowls
1992 36 27-9 .750 5-1
1993 36 28-7-1 .792 2-2
1994 36 27-8-1 .764 3-2
1995 36 29-7 .806 2-4
1996 36 27-9 .750 5-0
1997 36 32-4 .889 5-1
1998 36 27-9 .750 4-4
1999 36 28-8 .778 4-4
2000 36 27-9 .750 4-5
2001 36 29-7 .806 5-3
2002 49 37-12 .755 3-4
2003 46 31-15 .674 5-2
2004 36 25-11 .694 3-3
2005 28 21-7 .750 3-3
2006 48 41-7 .854 6-3
Combined
TOTALS 575 442-131-2 .770 59-41 (.590) 501-172-2 (.744)

[Old Yeller Tang]

Perception, Hype, and Reality: Settling the Pac-10/SEC Feud
by Ben Johnson

In response to Leon Wynn's article setting me straight—of course—about the dominance of the SEC, I'm going to make this argument one more time...and then I'm going to put it to bed.

I am, after all, getting a little nauseous discussing it again.

While I appreciate Leon's youth and exuberance...and his fetish for stats that don't tell us a thing...I think it's important that I provide you folks with some recent stats that actually have some bite to their bark.

In others words, stats that actually measure how the SEC fares against legitimate competition.

By the way: 1) I love SEC Football; and 2) I really admire a person of Leon's age expending a great effort in such a wonderful enterprise—writing about sports! I wholeheartedly commend you on your efforts!

Before I dive into this long-winded and final argument, I'd like to say one more time that I'm a tremendous fan of college football, and I agree that parity has arrived in the game.

It's unfortunate that TV culture, thanks to the power of TOMA (read the whole article to find out what TOMA is), has created a false perception of a hierarchy within college football.

The truth is that the game has changed so fast, especially in the BCS era, that any team can win on any given day.

Boise State and Appalachian State have shocked the football establishment of late, and Notre Dame, Michigan, Florida State, and Alabama have all struggled. Bottom line: The paradigm has shifted in college football.

It isn't Leon's fault that he feels so strongly about the SEC; it's a bias that has been fed to him by the networks, who are in cahoots with the old power platform of the College Football Association—the unionized alliance that was the driving force behind the BCS.

We hear it constantly—bashing the Pac-10 and lauding the powers that be in the South.

The battle cries continue. So as long we're are spewing stats, I thought I'd make final splash before getting out of the pool. The following is a series of articles and information I've compiled for my book project, all within the last month...


This is a blurb from my Pac-10 Preview on USC:

For Pete’s sake, Coach Carroll continues to build a dynasty in the PAC-10. Despite what Les Miles said early this summer about USC’s easy ride in the PAC-10, a considerable advantage in his mind on the road to the BCS championship game, the carnage continues. In the last 5 years (since 2002), the Trojans have a 57-6 Record, with 4-of-the-six losses coming to rival PAC-10 teams. During this streak they have beaten Notre Dame five times, by a combined score of 208-82. How far have the Irish fallen in the last decade? Oregon State has beaten Notre Dame by a combined score of 79-30 (2000 Fiesta Bowl and 2003 Insight.com Bowl), with their victories coming just a couple a years after a string of 38 consecutive losing seasons, the most dubious streak in NCAA history.

Les Miles must be on crack because last year the Men of Troy beat a slew of BCS Conference 2nd-place teams handily. The scores are as follows: Big-12 Championship game participant Nebraska (9-5) 28-10, Big-10 runner-up Michigan (11-2) 32-18 (twice in BCS Rose Bowls by a combined score of 60-32), PAC-10 runner-up CAL (10-3) 23-9, CFA orchestrator and BCS special privileges member and the Grand Poobah of college football - Notre Dame (10-3) 44-24 and SEC Championship game participant Arkansas (10-4) 50-14.

I still get quite a laugh about Arkansas, claiming in the 2005 game on national television at the LA Coliseum, that USC is just another SEC team. Name another SEC team in the last two years who has beat them by a combined score of 120-28? By halftime, USC had scored on all six possessions and the average drive was less than 5 plays! They play great defense in the SEC ya’know.



In the last two years in the SEC, LSU is the only team who has beaten the Razorbacks in successive fashion, but it’s only by a combined 7 points, 50-43 over the two years. LSU has not only beaten the Hogs the last two seasons, but now has run their consecutive win streak in the annual series to four, and only when combining their four-year run over Hogs does it equal… or better yet, even come close to USC’s two year domination (148-81) . Defending national champion Florida did not play the Razorbacks in 2005, but if you combine their 2004 & 2006 victories it is still only an 83-58 margin. In fact, you have to go all the way back to LSU’s two-year reign over the Hogs in 2003-04 when they won both games by a combined score of 98-38 to get some kind of measure of just how dominant USC has been during this magical period. Still think they are just another SEC team?

In the 2002 & 2003 season’s, USC beat Auburn twice by the combined score of 47-17. Georgia is the only team since 2002 who has beat the Tigers in back-to-back seasons, and oddly enough, it occurred in the same 2002 & 2003 seasons, but the victory margin…50-28? So much for the ballyhooed strength of the SEC, because over the long haul the numbers just don’t add up.

Although the carnage of wins is hyper impressive, the most intriguing aspect of this five year return to glory by the Trojans actually comes from analyzing their losses. A 57-6 record is impressive by any standard, but 6 losses by a total of 25 points is scary good. Four-of-the-six losses have come via PAC-10 rivals and even more impressive, every loss (other the UCLA’s 4 point victory last fall), has been by 3 points or less. Only Kansas State’s 27-20 victory in 2002 has been much greater than a field goal, and yet still, it was a one possession affair.

To this day, I am still amazed at the comment from John Saunders of ABC, “We knew when USC finally played a good defense they would lose,” after the 2005 Rose Bowl game when Vince Young literally placed the “Eyes of Texas” on his back and willed the Longhorns from behind to claim the national championship 41-38.

Umm…John, the Trojans had nearly 500 yards of offense on the night and if Reggie Bush hadn’t been on his Heisman high, the attempted lateral in the second quarter still slays me, along with a few questionable, but aggressively greedy play calls throughout the game by head coach Pete Carroll, I don’t think the Longhorns would have won.

It was almost as laughable as the ABC Pre-Gameday Crew, John Saunders and Craig James specifically, prior to the 2004 BCS National Championship Orange Bowl, declaring that the Trojans, and the rest of the PAC-10, were going to find out just how physical the game is played in the Big-12.

Umm…Guys…It was 38-10 at halftime and the Men-of-Troy were heard to be singing loudly in the locker room, while the Sooners might as well have been showering as the final score mushroomed to 55-19.

Given the statistics we have rehashed, you really wonder where Saunders, James, Miles and the rest of SEC Nation has been during this five year run as the Longhorn defense was so good on that fateful night in January of 2005 that Vince Young had to come from 16 points down in the final quarter to win. Nonetheless, it was a hellacious game indeed, and we must give credit where credit is due, because the Horns are only one of two teams to put-up over 40 points on the SC-Speed oriented defense in the last 5 years, and the other team ain’t from the SEC…it’s Fresno State. By the way, name an SEC team who has been to 5 straight BCS Games, or even 5 BCS games overall with a 4-1 record?

A word to the wise, if you plan on beating the Trojans, you need to score at least 30 points. The tender spot in the Trojan armor is that Pete Carroll only has a 4-4 record in LA when the opponent scores 30 points or more, and the Trojans are 1-2 when their offense scores 20 or less.

Since 1990, the SEC records against rival conferences is not as impressive as the SEC diehards would lend you to believe: Big-12 (20-16), PAC-10 (10-9), Big East (15-20), Big-10 (30-23), ACC (65-50) and the old Southwest Conference (20-19). So against the BCS Conference members since 1990, the SEC has an overall mark of 160 - 127. While this is good, it isn’t exactly dominant. But what the SEC teams hang their hat on is their record against the non-BCS regime: BWest (30-0), Sun (43-3), MAC (33-5), WAC (32-6), CUSA (57-20) and MWest (9-4) for an overall mark of 204-38.

The overall records inside their own conference supports my hypothesis. There are only two teams with over 100 conference wins since 1990. They include Florida (116) and Tennessee (101). There are three teams with at least 80 conference wins. They include Alabama (84), Auburn (83) and Georgia (81), while LSU is within five games of this group with (76). After that it gets downright ugly. Arkansas and Ol’ Miss (56), Mississippi State (47), South Carolina (45), Kentucky (36) and Vanderbilt (20). So the SEC in reality has two dominant programs, four pretty good programs, four very average programs and two completely awful programs over the course of 16 years.

[kev apsley]

For me, as a long time fan of the Florida Gators I would have to say, especially during the 1990's that the UF vs FSU game was the most anticipated game on my yearly football calander, it always had NC implications. It has since shifted to the game against the Vols since FSU has been nothing but mediocre for the past several years. I still get up for UF vs FSU but not like I do UT!

as far as Big Ten rivalries? I say Yuck! I cannot stand the Big Ten and my wife is a Penn State grad. Big Ten football makes me wanna puke! :P

Here are my Top Ten (Personal Choices mind you)

1) UF vs UT

2) UF vs FSU

3) Cal vs UT (new one)

4) Ala vs Auburn

5) USC vs ND

6) Miami vs FSU

7) BC vs ND

8) USC vs Cal

9) Texas vs OU

10) Rutgers vs Louisville