The SEC is Eating Itself Alive

#4
#4
It’s exactly how Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Michigan won most of their NCs back in the day. The SEC often had 3 or 4 better teams end of season but those guys played one tough game each year, most often against each other and would take home the NC by sportswriters vote. Stankey got suckered and has produced a great SEC product but again has set the SEC up to chew themselves up before playoff selection time and the favored Big10 arrive relatively pristine.
 
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#6
#6
I personally think it’s good for the sport. Gone are the days of Alabama, Georgia, and Ohio State pounding through the season undefeated. Week in and week out, games with double-digit odds and nothing more than a hope and a prayer of an upset. They used to say “any given Saturday” but did they really mean it?

I know it’s gonna make the CFP harder and yes, some dorky team is gonna get in over a more deserving SEC team. But it sure has made all the other Saturdays way more entertaining. Think about it…when was the last time you left the Vanderbilt game on?

Alabama…Georgia…neither of the shoo ins. Heck, it wouldn’t surprise me for a rudderless Florida beat the brakes off Georgia upcoming. Georgia Tech sure has a chance to make it interesting. Bamas not a shoo in for their remaining schedule.

I was very much against NIL but I was wrong. The parity that has been brought to the NCAA is fantastic. There are no more dynasty’s. Saban saw it and bolted.As TN fans, we need to be ready to stand by the coach we have, even if Tennessee goes 8-4. Kirby and Deboer have a lot more losses coming their way.

Side note…in exchange, CJH does need to evolve and clean up a few things like clock management, penalties, play creativity.
 
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#8
#8
If true, then won't the SEC be obviously dominant in the playoffs?

I agree that the SEC is stronger from top to bottom, but the other conference champions, such as Ohio State, are good and capable of winning it all, as we saw last year.

Maybe going to a mega-conference with all the big time programs is the answer. I kinda think so.
 
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#9
#9
Remy said:
It’s exactly how Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Michigan won most of their NCs back in the day. The SEC often had 3 or 4 better teams end of season but those guys played one tough game each year, most often against each other and would take home the NC by sportswriters vote. Stankey got suckered and has produced a great SEC product but again has set the SEC up to chew themselves up before playoff selection time and the favored Big10 arrive relatively pristine.
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ND lost to the only really good teams they played but they were smart and played them early in year.

When they were 0-2, I said they will move up 1-2 spots with every cupcake win until they are in CFP but they will actually probably get a home CFP game which is even more reward for easy schedule…
 
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#10
#10
Yep. All I know is that the SEC had won college football, and then it went and let the other schools in other conferences buy their way back into the game. They couldn't beat the SEC atmosphere, couldn't beat the passion of SEC fans, couldn't rival the SEC product -- but they could outspend them. And money talks. So now that money is doing almost all the talking, all that other crap about tradition and history suddenly doesn't mean nearly as much.

And with the SEC full of heavyweights, a new problem is looming for the conference. No one wants to cheer for 8-4. The talking heads who work for sports media have been going on about how "9-3 is the new reality in the SEC," telling people to get used to it, come to terms, etc., but that's just propaganda for the system. That's the NFL. Meanwhile in college football, people want to believe their team has a chance. Part of why the only thing that matters now is making the playoffs. The rest is becoming less and less relevant.
 
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#12
#12
camp_steveo said:
If true, then won't the SEC be obviously dominant in the playoffs?

I agree that the SEC is stronger from top to bottom, but the other conference champions, such as Ohio State, are good and capable of winning it all, as we saw last year.

Maybe going to a mega-conference with all the big time programs is the answer. I kinda think so.
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Agreed, let’s expel Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Missouri
 
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#14
#14
allvols4life said:
This is what all the weaker conferences have lobbied for all along. So they have a better chance. That's why the 9 conference game model is another bad look
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Agree.

Penn State’s 2026 schedule is ridiculous.

Michigan is their most difficult game.
The only other decent opponents are @ Washington and USC. Meanwh
 
#15
#15
WVU05UT09 said:
This is also why North Carolina and Virginia are locks, if they want it, in the next round of expansion. The league has enough top shelf programs.
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Agreed. The SEC as it stands now, has Texas, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Auburn, Tennessee, Oklahoma, who have all won NCs in the last 30 years. That's 8, half of the conference. The B10 by comparison, has Ohio State, Michigan, Nebraska, and USC. Four of their 18 teams. The Big 10 is loaded with cupcake programs, so an Ohio State or Michigan may only have to play two tough conference games a year, while a Tennessee, who has one of the weaker SEC schedules, has to play Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and Oklahoma all in the same year.

So adding a Virginia and North Carolina makes a lot of sense from that perspective, additional TV markets, and they have some won NCs in other sports (basketball, etc.).
 
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#16
#16
camp_steveo said:
If true, then won't the SEC be obviously dominant in the playoffs?

I agree that the SEC is stronger from top to bottom, but the other conference champions, such as Ohio State, are good and capable of winning it all, as we saw last year.

Maybe going to a mega-conference with all the big time programs is the answer. I kinda think so.
Click to expand...
The other conferences weak schedule negates much of the strength advantage.

The season is long and the SEC plays more tough games. Starters will play 4 quarters most of the time. SEC teams will walk into the playoff beat up and with more injuries. Meanwhile the other conferences who play like 2 or 3 tough games a year will get to rest their starters much more and walk into the playoff fresh as a daisy.

The SEC already had the hardest schedules and has now agreed to make that 2 steps harder while getting nothing in return. Sankey got jobbed.
 
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#17
#17
Oldvoldad said:
I love the 9 game format. I want to see good games every week.
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This is my take. We are now in the NFL model. We are getting a 16 team playoff next year. The days of undefeated national champions are over. Once college football fans adjust, it will be better for the sport.

It's no longer "can you get to a NY6 bowl" it is going to be "can you get to the playoffs" in terms of achieving goals. Much like what the NCAAT has become.
 
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#18
#18
The 1985 team would have won the CFP a National Championship. They were the best 9-1-2 team I have ever seen. Destroyed the Auburn, No 1, tied UCLA & Ga Tech, and lost to FL at the Swap
The were the hottest team at the end of the season. Destroyed Miami in the sugar bowl.
Tony Robinson went out at Alabama. Daryl Dickey took over and it was cruise control from then on out. Finished 4th in both polls.
 
#20
#20
American_PitVol said:
I've always said that having all of these teams in the same conference would lead to the cannibalization of itself.
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The SEC has always beat up itself, resulting in lower rankings. But the SEC in general plays higher quality opponents but they consider a loss is a loss but not all losses are equal. Vanderbilt, usually the doormat of the SEC, who wants to play them this year? Not a gimme this year. Overall quality of the SEC is better, probably because of NIL. Thing I don't like is those that have the most money will get the best players. However, NIL has ruined the bowl games with best players opting out of playing in the bowl games. I fully understand about not wanting to get hurt, however, it's me, me, me, not team anymore.
 
#22
#22
zjcvols said:
This is my take. We are now in the NFL model. We are getting a 16 team playoff next year. The days of undefeated national champions are over. Once college football fans adjust, it will be better for the sport.

It's no longer "can you get to a NY6 bowl" it is going to be "can you get to the playoffs" in terms of achieving goals. Much like what the NCAAT has become.
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Exactly. We just came off a devastating 2nd loss of the year, but still alive. We travel to Kentucky this weekend for a game that would only be about pride in the past.
 
#24
#24
moving to a 9 conference schedule next year 2 things need to happen:
1- fan bases need to get use to more losses
2- the playoff committee better see an SEC 3 loss team as good or better than 2 loss Big 10 team
 
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#25
#25
If you wanna talk cupcake schedule, Miami has only 3 true road games this year. THREE! The 4th being at FSU. They only leave hte state period 3 of 12 games. First 4 games being at home in Miami. 8 home games in Miami.
 
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