The SEC East

[ThreatLevelOrange]

The SEC is fairly competitive, as everyone in the East (besides Georgia) has lost 3 or more games to other East teams. Lots of down to the wire games:

UK vs Mizz
Mizz vs SC
SC vs Fla
Vandy vs Mizz
Vandy vs Fla
UT vs SC

What’s disheartening is that we’ve gotten trucked 3 times this year vs the East, twice vs teams that have struggled vs other Eastern Teams. I hope Vandy isnt a 7-4 team with a 5-6 record.

 

[Jax_Vol]

Two keys:

1) Gotta tell the O-line whatever we told them before Kentucky game. Time for the buttercups to toughen up.

2) Defense front-7 gotta play with hair on fire:

Tuttle!
Phillips showing out in front in his hometown!
Johnson!
Bain!
Taylor!
Kirkland!
Buuuuuuuuuuuutoooooli!!!!!!!
Ignont!
Sapp!

These guys gotta ball. The back end will be ok, if the front can bring some heat.

 

[BeecherVol]

You have 1 really talented program and a mediocre quagmire behind that in varying degrees.

 

[VolsSportsFan]

I think Mizzou is better than their record. They were robbed of beating UK, and likely would have beaten SC had a monsoon not hit.

 

[bpalmer28]

I think our biggest problem moving forward will be Florida. Georgia doesn’t scare me. Smarts best signing classes are behind him and he hasn’t shown me that he can out-coach many people in this league.

Mullen, on the other hand, has proven that he doesn’t need top 5 classes to compete at the highest level. Look at the impact his departure has had on MSU’s offense. And look at how much better Florida is since his arrival. People say “yeah but he had Dak” well who signed and developed Dak? Mullen also won 9 games with Fitzgerald in the SEC West. Not easy. Florida will be as good as Georgia within the next couple years and I think we’ll be nipping at their heels.

Kentucky is having a once in 3 or 4 years run that good programs of their caliber have but they’ll never be stronger contender than they were this year.

Missouri is benefiting from having the best QB in program history. They’ve peaked and unless they find another Lock, they’ll regress.

Vandy is Vandy but right now they’re at least as good as us.

 

[rocytop2624]

Smart is better than Mullen.

 

[VFL-82-JP]

You have 1 really talented program and a mediocre quagmire behind that in varying degrees.

I think the story line that the SEC East is mediocre is becoming less and less true.

Consider this:

• The SEC as a whole is way out-performing all other conferences this year. Our OOC win rate is 90% (46-5). Next best is the B12 at 75%, and the other P5 conferences are all in the 60%-69% range.
• So the SEC is strong.
• Within the SEC, the East is 8-5 against the West, with only 2 games remaining (Mizzou vs Arky, and the SEC CG).
• So the East is as strong as the West. Maybe even a little stronger, overall. Even with #1 Bama on their side.

Put all that together, and you have the East stronger than the West, within the strongest conference in college football.

And none of that is opinion, it is all objective fact. Ws and Ls. Decided purely on the field.

Yep, East as a mediocre quagmire may have been true in past years. Don't think it's true any more.

 

[BeecherVol]

I think the story line that the SEC East is mediocre is becoming less and less true.

Consider this:

• The SEC as a whole is way out-performing all other conferences this year. Our OOC win rate is 90% (46-5). Next best is the B12 at 75%, and the other P5 conferences are all in the 60%-69% range.
• So the SEC is strong.
• Within the SEC, the East is 8-5 against the West, with only 2 games remaining (Mizzou vs Arky, and the SEC CG).
• So the East is as strong as the West. Maybe even a little stronger, overall. Even with #1 Bama on their side.

Put all that together, and you have the East stronger than the West, within the strongest conference in college football.

And none of that is opinion, it is all objective fact. Ws and Ls. Decided purely on the field.

Yep, East as a poster-child may have been true in past years. Don't think it's true any more.

Never mentioned it wasnt stronger. It has moved from sucks to mediocre outside UGA.

Theres no true second contender to UGA in the east. The varying degrees covers that statement. The west is not a ton different. You have Bama an argument that LSU is the second best team (that throttled the clear cut #1 in the east) and then a bunch of varying mediocre teams behind them.

 

[VFL-82-JP]

Never mentioned it wasnt stronger. It has moved from sucks to mediocre outside UGA.

Theres no true second contender to UGA in the east. The varying degrees covers that statement. The west is not a ton different. You have Bama an argument that LSU is the second best team (that throttled the clear cut #1 in the east) and then a bunch of varying mediocre teams behind them.

And all these mediocre SEC teams are beating the crap out of 90% of their OOC opponents, including Power 5.

Does that mean the rest of college football is all worse than mediocre (aside from a handful of good teams)?

Push this logic far enough, and the word "mediocre" ceases to have meaning. As in, "the average team is well below average"?

No, I think Kentucky and Florida and Mizzou and South Carolina and even Vandy are better teams than we're normally willing to give them credit for.

The East has improved.

That's what the win-loss columns are telling us.

 

[BeecherVol]

No, I think Kentucky and Florida and Mizzou and South Carolina and even Vandy are better teams than we're normally willing to give them credit for.

That's what the win-loss columns are telling us.

Go scream it from the rooftops JP I havent made that argument. Went as far to say that it's better than it has been. UGA is still 2 steps ahead of the next best east team and their gonna more than likely get rolled by the 2 best west teams.

Go find something better to have a fit over.

 

[VFL-82-JP]

Go scream it from the rooftops JP I havent made that argument. Went as far to say that it's better than it has been. UGA is still 2 steps ahead of the next best east team and their gonna more than likely get rolled by the 2 best west teams.

Go find something better to have a fit over.

Not having a fit, Beecher. You won't find a single cross word in either of my previous posts.

Just pointing out that the common perspective about the East being weak (or mediocre, or whatever word you choose that means less than good) is an old cliche, and seems to have become an untrue one. Just based on the facts.

 

[BeecherVol]

Not having a fit, Beecher. You won't find a single cross word in either of my previous posts.

Just pointing out that the common perspective about the East being weak (or mediocre, or whatever word you desire that means less than good) is an old cliche, and seems to have become an untrue one. Just based on the facts.

You have 1 contender and a couple teams that were better than expected. One of which has faded down the stretch.
If UT beats Vandy they will finish with the same record as last year. Mizzou is 1 game better if they beat Arky. Unless SC beats Clemson they re gonna finish 1 game off last years total.
Is it better than it has been? Yes
Does that mean good? No.
Varying levels of mediocre works for me.

 

[TXStiger]

I think our biggest problem moving forward will be Florida. Georgia doesn’t scare me. Smarts best signing classes are behind him and he hasn’t shown me that he can out-coach many people in this league.

Mullen, on the other hand, has proven that he doesn’t need top 5 classes to compete at the highest level. Look at the impact his departure has had on MSU’s offense. And look at how much better Florida is since his arrival. People say “yeah but he had Dak” well who signed and developed Dak? Mullen also won 9 games with Fitzgerald in the SEC West. Not easy. Florida will be as good as Georgia within the next couple years and I think we’ll be nipping at their heels.

Kentucky is having a once in 3 or 4 years run that good programs of their caliber have but they’ll never be stronger contender than they were this year.

Missouri is benefiting from having the best QB in program history. They’ve peaked and unless they find another Lock, they’ll regress.

Vandy is Vandy but right now they’re at least as good as us.

Nobody who knows much of anything regarding Mizzou’s program has Lock in the top five. He’s not even in most people’s top three since 2000.

 

[bpalmer28]

Nobody who knows much of anything regarding Mizzou’s program has Lock in the top five. He’s not even in most people’s top three since 2000.

Sounds like you think Chase Daniels is better. Ok. But don’t miss the point. He’s a first round QB.

 

[wmcovol]

Two keys:

1) Gotta tell the O-line whatever we told them before Kentucky game. Time for the buttercups to toughen up.

2) Defense front-7 gotta play with hair on fire:

Tuttle!
Phillips showing out in front in his hometown!
Johnson!
Bain!
Taylor!
Kirkland!
Buuuuuuuuuuuutoooooli!!!!!!!
Ignont!
Sapp!

These guys gotta ball. The back end will be ok, if the front can bring some heat.

The back end are terrible tacklers. If the tackle isn’t made up front or the ballcarrier isn’t off balance. It takes 3 DBs at least to get them down. Vols have 2good CBS in AT & BT. The rest of the DBs aren’t very good.

 

[wmcovol]

And all these mediocre SEC teams are beating the crap out of 90% of their OOC opponents, including Power 5.

Does that mean the rest of college football is all worse than mediocre (aside from a handful of good teams)?

Push this logic far enough, and the word "mediocre" ceases to have meaning. As in, "the average team is well below average"?

No, I think Kentucky and Florida and Mizzou and South Carolina and even Vandy are better teams than we're normally willing to give them credit for.

The East has improved.

That's what the win-loss columns are telling us.

Bottom half is slightly better but Florida and especially Tennessee have fallen. The team motto should be “thank God for Arkansas”

 

[volfannbama]

The SEC is fairly competitive, as everyone in the East (besides Georgia) has lost 3 or more games to other East teams. Lots of down to the wire games:

UK vs Mizz
Mizz vs SC
SC vs Fla
Vandy vs Mizz
Vandy vs Fla
UT vs SC

What’s disheartening is that we’ve gotten trucked 3 times this year vs the East, twice vs teams that have struggled vs other Eastern Teams. I hope Vandy isnt a 7-4 team with a 5-6 record.

Vandy isnt a 7-4 team.

 

[BeecherVol]

Nobody who knows much of anything regarding Mizzou’s program has Lock in the top five. He’s not even in most people’s top three since 2000.

It's there to see. They had 2 really good years in 13' and 14' when the east was terrible. They ve been bad to mediocre since.

 

[wmcovol]

You have 1 contender and a couple teams that were better than expected. One of which has faded down the stretch.
If UT beats Vandy they will finish with the same record as last year. Mizzou is 1 game better if they beat Arky. Unless SC beats Clemson they re gonna finish 1 game off last years total.
Is it better than it has been? Yes
Does that mean good? No.
Varying levels of mediocre works for me.

SEC West isn’t as strong as in recent yrs. The Saban vacuum is sucking the life out of them now. Aub & LSU aren’t near as good, Ark and OM completely suck. A&M is about same as before Manseil and Miss St is still Miss St.

 

[bpalmer28]

Smart is better than Mullen.

Mullen overachieved in year 1 at UF while Smart underachieved in year 1 at UGA. Smart has never beaten a team that was more talented than his own. Smart has recruited well though. I’ll give him that.

 

[GroverCleveland]

Smart has never beaten a team that was more talented than his own. Smart has recruited well though. I’ll give him that.

One could say the same about Saban...

 

[wmcovol]

One could say the same about Saban...

Nope Saban in 2001 beat a more talented team in SECCG.

 

[YankeeVol]

I don't think thats the adjective I'd use

 

[BanditVol]

Two keys:

1) Gotta tell the O-line whatever we told them before Kentucky game. Time for the buttercups to toughen up.

2) Defense front-7 gotta play with hair on fire:

Tuttle!
Phillips showing out in front in his hometown!
Johnson!
Bain!
Taylor!
Kirkland!
Buuuuuuuuuuuutoooooli!!!!!!!
Ignont!
Sapp!

These guys gotta ball. The back end will be ok, if the front can bring some heat.

Gooden!
Peterson!
Anyone!

 

[dougvolfan]

Kentucky is having a once in every 30-40 yr run.