This is my first blog entry for 2011 so I thought I would discuss college football since that's one of the first broadcasts (or sporting events) we see after the clock strikes midnight on January 1. There have been some criticisms against the Southeastern Conference (SEC), folks saying that the conference is down, and its quality of talent. They are also saying that the Big Ten is the top conference of this past season. Well I respectfully disagree and here is why.
Here's a little back story for you. The SEC has been dominant for the past decade. They have 6 BCS champions overall, and 4 straight (Florida, LSU, Florida again, and Alabama). They consistently have at least 2 teams playing in BCS bowls, and often up to 4 teams in the AP Top 5 poll. Also, the SEC consistently dominates in the other major bowls, ESPECIALLY when matched up against the Big Ten. When you have teams like Alabama, Auburn (the team playing for this year's BCS title), Arkansas, LSU, Florida, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee and even Mississippi State, it's hard to deny the SEC of anything. Even this past season.
The 2010-2011 college football season was a bit different for the SEC. Georgia and Tennessee were basically doormats. South Carolina scored huge wins over Alabama and Florida to play for the SEC title against Auburn. Arkansas and LSU both finished 10-2 in the regular season, while Alabama finished 9-3. South Carolina finished 9-4 after Auburn dismantled them 56-17 in the SEC Championship game. And finally, Auburn is 12-0 and #1 in the country. Led by controversial Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Cam Newton, the Auburn Tigers will play the also undefeated Oregon Ducks led by LeMichael James and their high-octane offense for the big prize. Doesn't sound like the SEC has skipped much of a beat.
Now consider this. EVERY school in the SEC except for Vanderbilt (a perennial cellar team) and Ole Miss were bowl eligible and played in bowls. Matter of fact, the SEC was undefeated during the New Year's Day bowls, and went 3-0 against the Big Ten head to head. Arkansas played Big Ten power Ohio State in the Allstate Sugar Bowl. It was a great game, but in the end Ohio State prevailed, making it their first win in a BCS bowl game over the SEC. Name many (or any conference) that can boast of that success in any season.
OK now you have the Big Ten. This year, they had three 11-1 teams: Wisconsin, Ohio State and Michigan State. Based on the BCS tiebreaker, Wisconsin was the conference winner and got the Big Ten BCS nod. Even as the "best" team coming out of the Big Ten, they fell to unbeaten TCU. Michigan State got their clock cleaned in their bowl game against Alabama. And we already know what happened with Ohio State. Overall, the Big Ten looked better record wise and even had overall more bowl wins than the SEC this year. However, with the exception of Ohio State this year, they still have the reputation of failing to deliver when it counts, in the BIGGEST games. The SEC has made a habit out of that.
This year, at least 4 (maybe even 5) SEC teams probably could have went into the Big Ten, Pac-10, or any other power conference and ran the table. They're just that talented. If you look at their schedule and records, the only teams that could really challenge them this year was each other.
The SEC has also been cranking out plenty of NFL Draft picks and stars. Minnesota's Sidney Rice is from South Carolina. Jason Campbell and Ronnie Brown are both from Auburn. Tim Tebow and Percy Harvin are from Florida, Darren McFadden is from Arkansas. Of course, Georgia, Tennessee, and even Ole Miss have several current NFL players on their rosters. You can't deny the talent, power, and dominance of this conference.
I was watching the Under Armour High School All-American All-Star game the other night. I noticed where well over half of the players on either squad have committed to SEC schools next year. The nation #1 prospect from nearby Rock Hill, SC, JaDaveon Clowney is strongly considering either South Carolina or Alabama. Doesn't appear that the SEC will experience much of a drop-off for a while.
Now one can safely say that certain teams (Georgia, Tennessee, and even Florida this year) were down. But to say the SEC as a whole is down? I think not. Even if Auburn loses to Oregon tomorrow night, the SEC still has maintained their overall power as a conference. They sent yet another representative to the national championship game, 5th year in a row. Let's see the Big Ten accomplish that.
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