Wonder why SEC on top? Look at other conference finals (with video)
Can you hear SEC commissioner Mike Slive? "Yes, I am king. Are there any questions?" (AP photo)
While it’s easy to understand why any fan of a conference not named the SEC grows tired of hearing and reading about the SEC, the evolution of this year’s conference championship match-ups screams why the landscape is so lopsided.
This came home Monday when Miami announced that the football program was going to self-impose a bowl ban (hoping to beat the NCAA to the punch) and therefore would not accept a bid to the ACC championship game. This allowed Georgia Tech to back through the door as Coastal Division “champions.” The Jackets will face Florida State for the ACC title.
This isn’t meant to pick on Georgia Tech. It’s not the Jackets’ fault they have been given this opportunity, despite a relatively crummy season. But if you want to know why the SEC commands the attention it does, just look at how the ACC and other conference championship games compare.
Here are the conference title games, listed from worst to first:
• BIG EAST: There is no conference championship game because it doesn’t have enough teams (12 is the mandated minimum). Why the Big East is an automatic qualifier in the BCS order of things is beyond logic because it seems to exist only to have its remains picked over by the ACC and Big 12 for their own conference expansion. On a related note: Possible Big East champion Rutgers is considering joining the Big Ten.
• BIG 12: It was forced to cancel its conference championship game after 2010 because the defections of Nebraska (Big Ten) and Colorado (Pacific 12) left the conference with only 10 teams. In other words, the name “Big 12” is a lie! There’s also this: Kansas State, the conference’s best team and No. 1 in the BCS until Saturday, just got flattened by Baylor.
• ACC: The conference championship will match Georgia Tech against Florida State. If the Yellow Jackets lose to Georgia, they will be a 6-6 conference finalist. So much for marquee value. Coastal Division teams Miami and North Carolina are ineligible and usual power Virginia Tech has fallen apart. The Seminoles, winners of the Atlantic, have a nice record (10-1). But they get little love from computers (ranking 17th) and stand only 10th in the BCS. That’s what happens when you lose to North Carolina State and have one win over a ranked team (Clemson).
• BIG TEN: This is very ACC-like. Third-place Wisconsin (4-3, 7-4, with another possible loss this week at Penn State) will represent the “Leaders” Division in the conference championship game. Why? Because Ohio State (7-0, 11-0) and Penn State (5-2, 7-3) both are ineligible. The other finalist will be either Nebraska or Michigan, neither of whom rank among the top 13 schools in the BCS.
• PACIFIC 12: Oregon, the conference’s best team and until Saturday the No. 2 team in the BCS, may not even play for the Pac-12 title now. The Ducks lost to Stanford at home, and now need a win over Oregon State and a Stanford loss to UCLA to get into the game. The Bruins locked up the South Division with last week’s win over USC. But they’re far out of BCS title contention (17th).
• SEC: Conference teams have won six straight BCS championships and, as much as it pains the rest of the populace, there is a chance the SEC will make it seven. If Georgia beats Georgia Tech Saturday and Alabama beats Auburn, the Bulldogs and Crimson Tide will meet next week for not only the SEC championship but a pass into BCS game. Upsets by Tech and/or Auburn would change the scenario. But as of now, the SEC has by far the best conference title game and with the most on the line nationally.
So what else is new?
- By Jeff Schultz
Cyber-chatting on Atlanta sports — and can Tech pull the upset?
Busy times … earlier blogs you might’ve missed
• Falcons win — but run before somebody changes their mind
• Short takes: Ryan awful, defense great, win important
• Georgia’s new reality: From on the brink to BCS title possibility
• Upsets launch Georgia into BCS title picture (updated game column)
• Short takes: Murray wakes up the offense
• Weekend Predictions: Dogs, Jackets, Falcons and the lust triangles
• Falcons’ flaws aren’t worse than any other NFL team
• College hoop kings provide rare thrills for Atlanta
• Falcons’ startling admission: Ray Edwards was a blunder
• Will SEC get team to BCS championship (answer below) (with video)
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498 comments Add your comment
Athensdawg
November 19th, 2012
2:12 pm
GTBob, what hurts football is a half full stadium. Of course the ACC knows all about that, they set the standard led by GT.
Patched Tire On I-95 in Jacksonville
November 19th, 2012
2:12 pm
Buckeye
Loser pick conference……
Well by that statement I guess you’re the loser hot shot since you have been running off at the mouth about the SEC
Still waiting….
Since 1980
The SEC has 11 National Titles
The ACC has 5 count Miami 10
Please tell us how has the Mighty Joke Big 10 done Hot Shot
Please we are all waiting to hear this laugh
DeezNutz
November 19th, 2012
2:13 pm
The OSU has been an embarrassment to their conference lately. You guys aren’t even good at cheating! Auburn’s got you beat there by a long shot.
GTBob
November 19th, 2012
2:13 pm
Congrats to Tech. If you beat FSU, will you still be a “cupcake”???
Yes we will but don’t worry about it. SEC teams don’t have to worry about SOS anyways.
Buckeye
November 19th, 2012
2:14 pm
wde,
We’re making lemonade given the hand and paying the price for bad decisions on the part of a handful. As you may recall I said it’s s these kids had zero to do with it and are getting penalized.
Reality
November 19th, 2012
2:15 pm
For those hating on GA Tech…..
First, if you are a jerk, forget it. There is no help for you.
However, GA Tech did not ask for UNC to be on probation. GA Tech did not ask for Miami to decline any post-season bowl. No one is claiming that GA Tech is the best team in the Coastal Division. However, the Coastal Division does have to send a team to the ACC Championship Game. And, GA Tech ends up being the representative.
If for any reason, GA Tech does defeat FSU, then GA Tech will go to the Orange Bowl. Again, do not hate on GA Tech or the ACC. These are the rules of the NCAA and the conference and that is just how it will have worked out. Is Clemson better? Is FSU better? Maybe. But that’s just the way it would work out.
Things like this have happened in other conferences, to include the SEC.
GTBob
November 19th, 2012
2:15 pm
GTBob, what hurts football is a half full stadium. Of course the ACC knows all about that, they set the standard led by GT.
Football attendance is declining in general as well as TV ratings. You may think that this media created SEC dominance is good for football but it is actually harming it in a serious way.
dean
November 19th, 2012
2:15 pm
@ Deeznutz,
To be clear…..I’m a dawg fan. In the old days, when ABC, CBS and NBC were the only games in town, I pulled for MI. I had never heard of Texas A&M’s qb until the week before they played Alabammer.
DeezNutz
November 19th, 2012
2:15 pm
@ Reality
You should look into the bowl results in the last 10 years. I think you’ll find you’ve proved the point for the SEC. The lower tier SEC teams win their bowl games too.
Athensdawg
November 19th, 2012
2:17 pm
Buckeye
Your OS is not playing in the post season for one reason, YOU BROKE THE RULES and now you are banned by the NCAA not the SEC. Do not brake the rules and then LIE about it and you will allowed to play with the BIG BOYS.
Buckeye
November 19th, 2012
2:18 pm
patched,
I have never picked conference. I’ve stood alone against the dogs and the SEC! SEC!
Buckeye
November 19th, 2012
2:19 pm
Clinch,
Meet me after the shift for a Dilly Bar.
Joey
November 19th, 2012
2:20 pm
We’ve beaten Purdue, Wisconsin, THE Ohio St, Mi St (at least twice), hell we even went to Ann Arbor and beat defending NC Michigan Back in the day.
Could you say, UGA “owns” the Big Ten?
The Big Fat Blogger
November 19th, 2012
2:21 pm
Not complaining, but
The problem is that due to the inflated rankings of the top SEC teams, 4-5 SEC teams are ranked in the preseason top 15 every year. Then they sort of beat each other up, with the top SEC teams taking 1 or 2 losses over the season. Now they can look at their presumably hard schedules and say, “Hey, look at all of the top teams that we have played.” If (insert conference here) is ranked so high before the games start, and that conference fares well outside their conference opponents, either by beating the one good non-conference team they play, or by beating cream puffs, then it should be understood that that conference’s top teams will still be at the top of the rankings when the season ends. I am not complaining here, just stating my opinion.
DeezNutz
November 19th, 2012
2:22 pm
GTBob, are you a politician? You’re incredibly adept at taking the facts presented to you, ignoring them and then spinning completely inconsequential information into something that appears on its face to be a compelling argument until that information is disseminated and found to either be false or pointless. But I commend you on your ability to continue to stay on message no matter the hand you’re dealt.
The Big Fat Blogger
November 19th, 2012
2:24 pm
Still not complaining but also
People should realize that the system is slanted in the SEC’s favor. All SEC 1-loss teams were rated above all other 1-loss teams last week. How is this fair? If the system makes the assumption that the SEC is the toughest conference, and ranks them accordingly, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, and all but guarantees that that conference will be represented in Every championship game.
Aubrey
November 19th, 2012
2:24 pm
How’s this for a scenario the really aggrevate SEC haters. ND loses to USC, GA and ALA win this weekend, and FLA beats FSU. This would leave winner of SEC championshiop game playing FLA for a 2nd straight year oa all SEC championship game. With USC in disarray not likely but not impossible.
reality is a b
November 19th, 2012
2:26 pm
We will most likely have another all-SEC National Championship game if the Irish lose to USC this weekend. And the rest of the country will cry themselves to sleep for a month.
Ha. Ha.
Buckeye
November 19th, 2012
2:28 pm
Ohio State and Michigan atop every SEC! SEC! team all time.
TN 0-9 in the SEC! SEC! top every SEC! SEC! team all time
South Alabama 23 4 0 .8519 3 27 Sun Belt
Michigan 895 312 36 .7356 133 1248 Big Ten
Notre Dame 853 300 42 .7314 124 1195 Independent
Boise State 377 146 2 .7200 44 525 Mountain West
Oklahoma 821 307 53 .7176 117 1181 Big 12
Texas 858 330 33 .7162 119 1221 Big 12
Ohio State 1 825 316 53 .7131 122 1194 Big Ten
Alabama 2 814 320 43 .7099 117 1177 SEC
Southern California 3 779 313 54 .7033 118 1146 PAC 12
Nebraska 851 351 40 .7012 122 1242 Big Ten
Tennessee 794 347 53 .6872 115 1194 SEC
Florida State 4 473 235 17 .6641 65 725 ACC
Penn State 5 715 361 41 .6585 125 1117 Big Ten
LSU 733 390 47 .6466 118 1170 SEC
Georgia 747 400 54 .6445 118 1201 SEC
Miami (FL) 574 326 19 .6349 86 919 ACC
Auburn 718 405 47 .6316 119 1163 SEC
Florida 669 385 40 .6298 105 1094 SEC
Rick James
November 19th, 2012
2:28 pm
@GTBob
Football attendance is declining in general as well as TV ratings. You may think that this media created SEC dominance is good for football but it is actually harming it in a serious way.
————————————————————————————————————————-
Attendence is declining everywhere there is a bad product being put on the field..Again the SEC championship game will sell out this year and radio stations will be giving away tickets to the ACC game..
Buckeye
November 19th, 2012
2:30 pm
All time wins and multiple NC’s vs. 1980.
P.S. Heisman Trophy winners
GTBob
November 19th, 2012
2:30 pm
Again the SEC championship game will sell out this year and radio stations will be giving away tickets to the ACC game..
If the ACC championship were played in Atlanta it would sell out easily. Even in Charlotte it will more than likely sell out.
flagboy?
November 19th, 2012
2:34 pm
hahahah. .media created SEC dominance. . . . right. right. The SEC is the best college football conference on the planet. Period. The end. Now, you can argue against that if you want, but I’d bet it has more to do with your own bias than any factual information. The SEC has the best players, the best recruiting, and the best coaches. No other conference even comes CLOSE. Will it always be this way? No. . some other team will have a great run or something and finish undefeated. And any team can beat a mighty SEC team on any given day. But getting through an ENTIRE SEC schedule is a different proposition entirely. Yes, Texas A&M beat Alabama, which some argue shows how overrated the conference is, but at the same time, they lost to two other SEC teams.
All Oregon or KSU had to do to be in the National Championship game was beat a good team at home and beat a not very good team on the road respectively. They didn’t.
As for Ohio St. . . . they should have decided to not play Arkansas, but they did anyway (beating arguably the 3rd best SEC team in the process), and now they’re paying the price for that. Granted, Michigan might get them anyway.
Buckeye
November 19th, 2012
2:34 pm
That was all-time, let’s look at recent time. Time to face reality, dogs.
2008 (3-3)
#8 Alabama 41, #3 Georgia 30
#10 Georgia 24, #22 Vanderbilt 14
#9 Georgia 52, #11 LSU 38
#8 Florida 49, #6 Georgia 10
#22 Ga. Tech 45, #11 Georgia 42
#15 Georgia 24, #18 Michigan State 12
2009 (1-3)
#9 Oklahoma State 24, #13 Georgia 10
#4 LSU 20, #18 Georgia 13
#1 Florida 41, Georgia 17
Georgia 30, #7 Ga. Tech 24
2010 (0-4)
#24 South Carolina 17, #22 Georgia 6
#12 Arkansas 31, Georgia 24
#2 Auburn 49, Georgia 31
#25 UCF 10, Georgia 6
2011 (2-4)
#5 Boise State 35, #19 Georgia 21
#12 South Carolina 45, Georgia 42
#14 Georgia 45, #20 Auburn 7
#13 Georgia 31, #23 Ga. Tech 17
#1 LSU 42, #12 Georgia 10
#12 Michigan State 33, #16 Georgia 30 (OT)
2012 (0-1)
#6 South Carolina 35, #5 Georgia 7
Totals (vs. ranked teams at time of game)
Overall: 6-15
OOC: 3-5
vs. SEC: 3-10
Regular season: 5-12
Postseason: 1-2
Past 10: 2-8
Buckeye
November 19th, 2012
2:36 pm
Your Honor,
I rest.
P_The_Ricker
November 19th, 2012
2:36 pm
buckeye,
“A” Ohio St cheats and can’t win any games of significance…..let alone get any national respect.
Still waiting for Ohio State to submit request to join the best conference in the land. Oh wait, Ohio St is 0 for their last 9 against the SEC. The likes of KY and Vandy have a more successful resume against REAL CFB teams than Ohio State.
Any surprise that the best team Ohio St has fielded in 40 yrs is on probation??? Cheaters never win!
JB
November 19th, 2012
2:36 pm
Great idea for an understudy to go work at the SEC office for Slive’s replacement. He’s smart. He has SEC coaching experience. He’s a Lawyer. He has a legacy name…….Yep, Derek Dooley.
Dawg Realist
November 19th, 2012
2:37 pm
GTBob, what are you talking about with respect to the SEC’s non-conference scheduling? Besides in-state rivalry games, who in the ACC played a tough non-conference opponent this year? Let’s look at Florida State’s non-conference schedule: Murray State; Savannah State; South Florida. How about Clemson? Ball State; Furman; Auburn (worst team in the SEC, and Clemson won by a touchdown). Let’s take the “power” team from the Pac-12–Oregon: Arkansas State; Fresno State; Tennessee Tech. How about the top team from the Big 12–Kansas State: They played Missouri State, North Texas and Miami.
If the SEC teams are having BCS success, as you allege, by padding their non-conference schedules, then these schools from other conferences should be world-beaters with the horrific non-conference schedules they’re playing.
Regardless, if Georgia doesn’t deserve to play for the National Championship, then Alabama will make that clear for the entire country to see in a couple of weeks. On the other hand, if UGA can upset ‘Bama, it would have earned the right to play for all the marbles.
"it is very important that I post as much as possible on here"
November 19th, 2012
2:38 pm
I suggest the non-SEC fans posting comments under multiple names triple your efforts. The world still isn’t convinced there are as many of you that you’re attempting to portray.
Oh, and don’t worry about falling behind in your work. It’s Thanksgiving week and your boss is probably slacking off too.
WDE
November 19th, 2012
2:38 pm
The Big Fat Blogger lets take it a little farther shall we…so its a system slanted to get a SEC team into the NC game….I guess its also slanted to ensure they have won the last 6 of these slanted games?
Buckeye
November 19th, 2012
2:39 pm
HA!
3-10 vs. ranked SEC since 2008.
Gooooooooooooooooooooooooo dogs.
cee_D_mac
November 19th, 2012
2:39 pm
I really can’t believe that an Ohio St fan thinks they could beat an SEC team in a championship game. Please let me know when has Ohio St ever beaten a SEC in any championship game?
Buckeye
November 19th, 2012
2:40 pm
p the rocker,
See prior post….3-10 vs ranked SEC since 2008.
Buckeye
November 19th, 2012
2:42 pm
cee d mac,
I can’t believe dogs can beat any ranked SEC team, let alone in National Championship.
JB
November 19th, 2012
2:42 pm
Boy, lot’s of haters worrying about Dawgs playing for the marbles. It’s kinda like the chubby,ugly little sister making the cheerleader squad.. It may happen. Bama is beatable.
DeezNutz
November 19th, 2012
2:43 pm
What’s OSU’s all-time record vs UGA? I didn’t see that stat in there?
P_The_Ricker
November 19th, 2012
2:43 pm
yes, and OSU is 0-9 against ranked SEC teams!
Point? OSU is worse than KY and Vandy.
Is the sky color scarlet and gray in your world?
JB
November 19th, 2012
2:43 pm
Will Auburn be coach shopping after they play Bama?? Anyone.
Skeptic
November 19th, 2012
2:43 pm
SEC is on top because it’s leadership in the 90s had the best money-making vision when all the BCS stuff and big TV contracts came out. Strategic planning, it’s called. All others are currently trying to copy and catch up. The SEC football teams at that time were really no better than any in the other conferences, but decades of $$$$$$ filling your billfold sure changes that. Money talks, BS walks.
So now we get stuff like Boise State (in the Mountain Time Zone) in the Big East, WV joining a Southern Plains conference (where no one has ever seen a mountaineer), and talk of MD (located on the Atlantic coast, last time I checked) wanting in a Midwest conference? And, all this SEC conference-rooting. Like the oncoming shift doing the Wal Mart cheer before starting work. You didn’t see this phenomenon until the 90s, either. They would have you believe that they are on top because it was just a matter of time–their school’s historical football prowess rises like cream? Sorry boys, it’s just that you usually get what you pay for. They should really be venerating Roy Kramer. And singing praises to the system of capitalism.
Buckeye
November 19th, 2012
2:44 pm
HA!
And the three wins:
Vanderbilt
LSU (kudos dogs)
Auburn
Stout record dogs. Stout.
JB
November 19th, 2012
2:44 pm
OSU has made a living piling up wins against a piss poor weak schedule over the years.
cee_D_mac
November 19th, 2012
2:45 pm
I asked championship games. The Buckeyes have never beaten an SEC team in a bowl game
I-DOG
November 19th, 2012
2:45 pm
GT Bob:
The way the SEC gets “overated” is to be located in talent rich recruiting states, have 80,000 plus stadiums for 2/3 of the conference members, the most passionate fans, great coaches, and the most money to throw at their programs. It is as simple as THAT. Nobody else has the defensive linemen that the SEC has.
Lets take your points one at a time:
1.) Schedule weak out of confernce teams. Georgia has tech each year (well your point is taken there), but Florida plays Fl. State (the standard bearer of the ACC). Bama has played Mich and Penn State recently. LSU played OR. Georgia played OK State and AZ State recently. The SEC plays plenty of out of conference games. Ohio State plays Youngstown State and Bowling Green every year. Look at tech’s out of conference schedule (other than UGA, they don’t schedule much)
point one disproved
2.) Top load the conference: The SEC is very strong at the bottom. Look at perennial doormat Vandy. They are a stubborn tough team right now. I’m not saying they will challenge for the conference title, but Vandy can hold their own. TN is way down right now, but they fired their coach. Anyone want to go play TN in Neyland in front of 95,000 in three years? cupcake? not most years. Auburn was awful. They will fire their coach AFTER he won the national title two years ago! Auburn will be back and is a top 20 team 3 out of 5 years. Kentucky is terrible, I grant you that. Ole Miss and Ms State? Depends on the year, but they can be tough outs especially on the road. MO is new to the SEC, so we will have to wait and see. Ask a MO fan if there are just a couple of good teams in the SEC after the pounding that once proud program took at the hands of their new conference bretheren. Any of them saying the SEC is overated?
Point 2 disproved
3.) Avoid tough teams late in the season. Did you read this article? The SEC title game is held late in the season and is #2 vs. #3. Good thing Bama and UGA don’t have any tough games left, right? Florida still plays FSU (the class of the ACC). The three highest ranked SEC teams still have incredibly tough games left on their schedule with 1 or 2 to play.
Point three disproved
4.) Have ESPN overinflate your rankings. Unless I am mistaken, the coaches poll and the computer rankings aren’t owned by ESPN. Is it the SEC’s fault that K-State couldn’t beat Baylor? Is it the SEC’s fault that a one loss FSU team from the ACC is ranked 15th by the computers because the computers think so little of the ACC?
Can’t disprove a conspiracy theory like this one, but c’mon. If the ACC had won the last 6 national titles with four different programs, it would be tough to call them overated. The winner of the SEC title game is going to play for the national title and it is hard to come up with a sound argument for why they shouldn’t.
P_The_Ricker
November 19th, 2012
2:46 pm
Playing in-state schools like akron, bowling green, toledo equates to a weak schedule?? who would of thought?
Buckeye
November 19th, 2012
2:46 pm
0-1 v dogs. Got it
0-9 v SEC! SEC! got it
ALL TIME – GOT IT
NC’s – GOT OT
Heismans – GOT IT
Undefeated as we speak – GOT IT
Buckeye
November 19th, 2012
2:47 pm
I don’t like myself.
Buckeye
November 19th, 2012
2:48 pm
p the rocker
Ya – in September. All O_H_I_O schools. We like to keep our money in state.
DABO
November 19th, 2012
2:48 pm
We Still Raid this State and cant wait till My Tigers run UGA out of Death Valley next year. Might not have to wait till next year, We just might do it in the SUGAR!
Buckeye
November 19th, 2012
2:48 pm
2:47 Buckeye
Imposter
-Buckeye
I-DOG
November 19th, 2012
2:49 pm
GT Bob:
I forgot that UGA scheduled Ohio State, but OSU backed out of the game that was scheduled for 2-3 years from now because OSU had a scheduling conflict. Ole Miss played Texas A&M plays TX. on and on and on. All top 20 teams play 2-3 patsies. Notre Dame scheduled ALL THREE SERVICE ACADEMIES a few years ago. I know I know, it is because of the tradition that they schedule them, I buy that about as much as tech’s “academics” keeping them from having a good football team.