The SEC Has Lost Its Crown

[Dave1967]

Their third string QB would start for the vast majority of the other teams in the country. He'd certainly start here day 1. Cardale Jones is an absolute beast, but apparently you couldn't see anything other than "3rd Stringer" when you watched. All three of Ohio State's current QBs will play in the NFL some day. Not saying they'll be stars, but they'll be there.


The SEC doesn't have to win every year for coaches to be able to sell it, they just have to be in contention every year. This will not hurt recruiting.

I'd love to have 12 gauge Jones and Ezequel Elliott playing for Tennessee

 

[sechamp2012]

As a conference, we are no longer the top of the heap. It used to be the SEC, then the rest of the college football world, but after tonight, the playing field has tilted. The best of the best won't come from our conference. It'll be the PAC12 or the B1G. The fact is, the best in the SEC this year, the mighty Bama, cannot even fall back on the tired old excuse that we beat ourselves up week in and week out. They lost to a team playing their third string QB. It was pathetic.

So what does that mean for us? Yes, we can laugh at Bama(and pray we win our own bowl game), but Butch lost one tool in his recruiting arsenal tonight. How do you sell playing in the "conference of champions" to kids in other areas of the country when you're no longer the conference of champions? How do you sell SEC dominance after a bowl season like this one? You can't. Teams like Bama, teams that compete, they'll always be able to sell that. But as a rebuilding team, we were able to sell our conference. I know some of you don't think it was much, but hey, you use what you have, and the simple truth is, it's one less tool Butch has now. That's one less foot in the door, and in the long run, we'll never know how much it may or may not hurt us. Hopefully Butch can find enough closer to home that it will not matter, but when UT was at its height, we could open practically anydoor in the country. As long as the SEC was known as THE strongest conference in the country, we could open many doors in the country because of that and our storied past. Now, we're in an average conference. We're an average team atm. Hopefully we continue to rise, but fewer doors across the country are available to us now. We have to start winning next year. A five hundred record in an average conference won't be good enough anymore. Next season, we have to make that leap to being a truly winning team, otherwise, it's very possible we backslide and watch as teams in other conferences pass us by.

Yeah, yeah, a bit melodramatic, but it's all true. Next year needs to be at least an 8 win season. We gotta progress because arguing we play in the SEC no longer holds water.

If it so important to win the Bowl matchups then why are teams beating SEC teams when they were not on supposed top dog seat last year. Parity /coaching/and matchups it's that simple

 

[tennesseeduke]

As a conference, we are no longer the top of the heap. It used to be the SEC, then the rest of the college football world, but after tonight, the playing field has tilted. The best of the best won't come from our conference. It'll be the PAC12 or the B1G. The fact is, the best in the SEC this year, the mighty Bama, cannot even fall back on the tired old excuse that we beat ourselves up week in and week out. They lost to a team playing their third string QB. It was pathetic.

So what does that mean for us? Yes, we can laugh at Bama(and pray we win our own bowl game), but Butch lost one tool in his recruiting arsenal tonight. How do you sell playing in the "conference of champions" to kids in other areas of the country when you're no longer the conference of champions? How do you sell SEC dominance after a bowl season like this one? You can't. Teams like Bama, teams that compete, they'll always be able to sell that. But as a rebuilding team, we were able to sell our conference. I know some of you don't think it was much, but hey, you use what you have, and the simple truth is, it's one less tool Butch has now. That's one less foot in the door, and in the long run, we'll never know how much it may or may not hurt us. Hopefully Butch can find enough closer to home that it will not matter, but when UT was at its height, we could open practically anydoor in the country. As long as the SEC was known as THE strongest conference in the country, we could open many doors in the country because of that and our storied past. Now, we're in an average conference. We're an average team atm. Hopefully we continue to rise, but fewer doors across the country are available to us now. We have to start winning next year. A five hundred record in an average conference won't be good enough anymore. Next season, we have to make that leap to being a truly winning team, otherwise, it's very possible we backslide and watch as teams in other conferences pass us by.

Yeah, yeah, a bit melodramatic, but it's all true. Next year needs to be at least an 8 win season. We gotta progress because arguing we play in the SEC no longer holds water.

Sorry but I don't pull for anyone other than TENNESSEE! How other schools do in games basically has little to do with UT. Sorry but I hate Alabama lsu auburn Mississippi st Mississippi etc. And love it when they lose! Never understood why people won't out competition to win!

TENNESSEEDUKE

 

[IPleadInsanity]

Its easy to get caught up in the mob mentality when your team sucks like ours has the last several years. "Our team sucks but its OK, we are in the SEC, and the SEC is strong!"

This bowl season helped out recruiting going forward. Time to get off the SEC tit and go it alone.

 

[Remy]

4 team play off basically means it doesn't matter anymore.

If you win the SEC you will be in...that simple.

All we have to worry about is us.

It will eventually go to an 8 team play off and then it will be each conference champ from the power 5 plus 3 wild cards at larges.

Glad Bama lost....we just need to beat Iowa.

I tend to agree with this. The team playing the best football at the end of the season was locked out of the 4 team playoffs picture, TCU is the best team end of year 2014.

 

[chargervol]

Can't believe I have read posts complaining that now we won't be "given" higher rankings
just for being in the SEC.

When we are good enough to win our conference, we will be in contention for NCs.
I don't want to be given a dammmm thing. I want to earn it!

 

[KingtUT]

I tend to agree with this. The team playing the best football at the end of the season was locked out of the 4 team playoffs picture, TCU is the best team end of year 2014.

All the TCU whining is getting old. They couldnt even win their own conference, give it a rest.

 

[TrueOrange]

Yes, because TCU and Baylor aren't enough of a lesson. We want to be in a conference where it's easy to win. I'm tellin y'all, the MAC is the place to be. 10+ wins every year, bowl game, and absolutely no pride or bragging rights whatsoever because we are in a mediocre conference.

Terrible comparison.

TCU and Baylor weren't out because of their conference being perceived as "weak" or "easy."

 

[IPleadInsanity]

Terrible comparison.

TCU and Baylor weren't out because of their conference being perceived as "weak" or "easy."

Their conference made a decision not to have a playoff. Turned out to be a bad decision. 4 conference champions played yesterday.

 

[checkerboards09]

Are there really Vols out there that would be happy with Bama winning another NC because it makes the SEC look good? I will never root for Bama or Florida regardless of the situation.

Exactly. Bama winning last night would've literally made me sick. Their "fans" are the most annoying in the country as it is, so it would've made matters a lot worse here in southern middle Tennessee.

 

[bystmode]

Maaaaan, I hate Low Tide, Flo-Rida, Georgia, LSU, Auburn, Arkansas, Mizzwho, Low Miss, USCE, MissState, UK

:deep breath:

TAM, Candy

Did I miss anyone??

I could care less about any of these other programs.

We don't need the Elephants to be good to validate our program.

We just have to keep competing and WIN.

VOLS ON TOP. ******** The Rest!!!

 

[GAVol]

Last year the SEC was 7-3 and was the top conference. There have been a bazillion SEC national champs in the past 10 years. Now suddenly the SEC is 5-5 and lost a close playoff game and the whole world is upside down.

#armchairnarrativessuck

 

[utvols74]

The fallacy with the new system is that is ignores strength of schedule. Plus the committee is prone to bias.

#1 - FSU should have never been in the 4 team tournament. TCU should have. The committee was biased against TCU and in favor of FSU.

#2 - Aside from OSU and Wisc - what other teams in the Big 10 are any good? Can you say that about the SEC? No, there are 6-7 legitmate bowl eligible teams almost every year. The strength of schedule was taken into account in the old BCS formula. The committee "says" they take that into account, but do they?

I know this much, the road to the "final 4" is a h3ll of a lot easier in the PAC 10 or Big 10 than it is in the SEC.....and that struggle is largely left out of the current system.

E$PN got what they wanted....a national title between the PAC10 and BIG10.

....and if you doubt they're biased toward those two conferences just go back and listen to the talking heads when rumors were abounding of Harbaugh heading to Michigan. One female ESPN talking head was near ecstasy (or use another word beginning with "o" and ending with "m".) just thinking about it. She even commented on her "colleagues" at ESPN and their giddiness of the prospect.

The modern system has made it harder for a SEC team to win the national title and after 8 straight national titles, that was the point of the change fostered largely by E$PN.

 

[herkeye]

Bama lost the game when they started passing the football in the 2nd quarter up 21-6 instead of running it down OSU's throat and slowing the game down. Henry and Yeldon were running for between 5-7 yards per carry. I watched Wisconsin play Auburn-Alvarez ran Gorden 35 times in that game for over 200 yards. Even the commentator (Matt Millen) said that they should be giving the ball to Gordon. It was simple, but effective. Why didn't Saban and the Tide run the ball 30-40 times in the game? Simple reason, they have Lane Kiffin who thinks he can out think everyone.

There's the problem...they have Lane Kiffin.

 

[BenGrimm]

No. The SEC as a whole is still the best conference and probably will be for a long time. The top teams just weren't the best teams this year.

This run of title games was going to end eventually..

Or just didn't play their best games.

Bama is still the better team but they made mistakes last night and didn't capitalize on tOSU's mistakes.

TCU was a better team than Ole Miss but not 39 points better. Ole Miss had a bad bad day.

 

[golf437]

So our rivals lost? I fail to see why I should have anything but happy feelings about that.

If you do not understand then you never will.

 

[vol-un-tear]

Cool less pressure! Tennessee is the only team that matters. I can only hope when other SEC teams lose big games it helps our recruiting. Go Vols!!

 

[Halph66]

Are there really Vols out there that would be happy with Bama winning another NC because it makes the SEC look good? I will never root for Bama or Florida regardless of the situation.

Cheering for Bama because they are in the SEC, is like cheering for Lucifer because he is in the bible!

GBO, I'm glad Bama lost!

 

[Teeman]

Exactly. Bama winning last night would've literally made me sick. Their "fans" are the most annoying in the country as it is, so it would've made matters a lot worse here in southern middle Tennessee.

I feel your pain. I am not that far from you and hear roll tide on a daily basis. Bama gear everywhere. Just remember, "You don't have to have a trophy to be a winner". Classic.

 

[perico]

Oklahoma was a completely different team when we played them, as were we. They folded their tents when they lost Knight for the year.

 

[volgrad500]

Here is a little bit of a different angle on it- Meyer says that he felt like having their conference do well in the bowls gave his team confidence last night.
Urban Meyer: 'The tide tuned for us when Wisconsin beat Auburn'

It would be interesting to know if Ole Miss, OU, and AL getting beat could hurt a young teams confidence going into our game. (Not that we'd ever really know, but just thought it was interesting)

 

[alexbond45]

Their conference made a decision not to have a playoff. Turned out to be a bad decision. 4 conference champions played yesterday.

What? The Big 12 can't have a championship game not enough teams

 

[vol-un-tear]

Here is a little bit of a different angle on it- Meyer says that he felt like having their conference do well in the bowls gave his team confidence last night.
Urban Meyer: 'The tide tuned for us when Wisconsin beat Auburn'

It would be interesting to know if Ole Miss, OU, and AL getting beat could hurt a young teams confidence going into our game. (Not that we'd ever really know, but just thought it was interesting)

Maybe Missouri, South Carolina and Georgia winning help (glass half full) go Vols!!

 

[tnprogrammer]

The SEC lost a ton of talent to the NFL draft and graduation last year. I think everyone pretty much knew that some of the better SEC teams would not be quite as good in 2014. I'm really surprised the conference did as well as it did. The fact is that the SEC teams are still recruiting like gangbusters and will for some time. In one or two years the talent will be top notch again.

 

[NewRiver_Vol]

I'm happy as hell bama lost!

#BuckFama