FC/OT: The secret to SEC success..,,
- Thread starter Midnighter
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And we beat LSU the last time we played them. What?
UKs best team in 40 years beat our 5th or 6th best team UNDER FRANKLIN by what, 4? And that makes them a superior program?
Is LSU a superior program? We are second tier, and 3rd to 5th in the 10, deal with It. The SEC is way better.
Based on what timeframe? Last year, last 20 years, all time? It would bounce back and forth depending on which one you handpick to choose? LSU arguably had their best run from ‘03-‘11, and then the anomaly great ‘19 season with Burrow.
Could do something similar with UF.
But UK? You doubled down with them. Do you even realize what that shows about the credibility of your opinion on the subject?
So you’re of the mind PSU hangs with the top 5 teams in the SEC since the 2000s? The OP was downplaying their dominance, which is silly talk. Don’t care which SEC teams flow thru the top of their conference, they’ve all been better than State
This is at least 75% of the reason why more SEC teams get into the 'Final Four' each year
(higher % than the other conferences) and will likewise continue to dominate the 'Final Twelve'.
SEC has had 11 participants in the Final 4 - and compiled a record of 10 wins, 1 loss
B10 has had 8 - and won 2, lost 6
If anything, the results would indicate that the SEC should be getting even more in the final four, and the B10 less.
I am not saying that SHOULD happen, or that I would SUPPORT it happening - but the facts are overwhelming (FWIW, I think the whole "Final 4" thing was a clown show from Day 1, and the "Final 12" will be the same clown show, raised to the power of infinity).
But any argument that the SEC participants were unworthy is just specious, given the results on the field.
Playing 8 conference games is easier than playing 9. I don't think that's debatable.
I also don't think it affects their dominance. They make the playoff, they tend to win it. 3/4 of the leg work has been done by one team in the playoff era though. I think more credit should be given to Bama for that than simply the SEC overall.
If the question is how does PSU currently stack up with the SEC, why do you go back to ‘00? That has no more relevance to today than ‘93/‘94. Going back that far indicates there is a specific agenda.
What if someone picked a much more recent ‘16 cutoff? LSU’s great single year is only thing saying PSU wouldn’t be #3 in SEC.
Provide the quote where he downplayed the dominance of the SEC.
There haven’t been 5 teams that have “Flow”ed through the top of the SEC unless you are extending time into a more historical perspective.
Btw, your preference of selecting single game results to extrapolate into larger thoughts is something, makes me wonder how you would describe the previously mentioned Arkansas Razorbacks program as compared to Rutgers.
In half of the time of your beloved historical since ‘00 era, they have managed to twice get beat by the mighty Scarlet Knights of Rutgers while never defeating them.
'Unworthy' is your word, not mine. All teams that were 'Final Four chosen' were (according to the choosers) worthy. It's just that some had an easier time getting 'worthy' than did others.
I’ll simply ask if you think SEC dominates college football or not, remembering of course state can’t even compete in the 10?
It's not only debatable, that statement is simply untrue. It matters who the opponents are, it's not black and white. Conference could also manipulate schedules to come up with as weak of a 9 game slate as possible, particularly in the future when divisions are gone. Let's pretend that 9th conference game is against a bottom feeder like Rutgers or Vandy, and your non conference opponent is some top 10 team, it's obviously a more difficult schedule with only 8 conference games.
Absolutely.
That said, most teams with 8 game conference slates do not schedule an extra quality OOC team - though a few do. For example, South Carolina, of the SEC, has out of conference games with Clemson (who they play every year) and North Carolina.
Substituting that with a typical B10 slate - playing one quality OOC game, plus a 9th conference game against, say, Northwestern would be significantly less challenging. Skip having ANY quality OOC games at all (like PSU has this year - not entirely of their own fault, who could have expected WVU to fall so far so fast) and its an even bigger difference.
Of course PSU also has an upcoming schedule where Temple - yes, Temple - is their probable most challenging OOC opponent (Temple, Marshall, and Buffalo). Followed by consecutive years where Syracuse is their "big" OOC game.
THAT is all on PSU.
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Generally speaking, what you say could be true for any team at any time if one side of a division is down AND schedules were manipulated. The issue is this though. The SEC and the Big 10 have been the 2 toughest conferences. Playing 9 games in either one should generally be harder than playing 8, particularly when the replacement game is Mercer or someone similar Junior Varsity level.
Where the SEC is genius is that they tend to play one right before rivalry week. Say what you will about Vandy and Rutgers, they are tougher than Mercer.
At the end of the day, the SEC has shined in the finals. Their representative gets to title games and wins them.
The real outlier is Clemson.
I assume our weak scheduling going forward is intentional. Franklin saw first hand in 2016 how having a harder schedule, and therefore an additional loss, can keep you out of the playoff even when the team that got in (Washington) had a terrible non conference schedule. The committee doesn't reward schedule strength over wins and losses, so there's no incentive. I'm also assuming, perhaps incorrectly, that making the playoff is a bigger financial boon to the football program than any incremental revenue gains due to better attendance from playing a big time nonconference opponent vs. a cupcake. And of course for Franklin personally the playoff would be far more meaningful both as a resume builder and thanks to his contract bonuses. It remains to be seen how the playoff expansion will impact future non conference scheduling. We'll probably need a few years and data points under the new format before we can tell how the committee and athletic departments react.
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Agreed. I don't know how it could not be, frankly. Who schedules Temple, Marshall, and Buffalo as OOC games (including playing Temple ON THE ROIAD, so you're not even getting the benefit of the extra home game $$)- knowing you also have the Rutgers, Northwestern, Maryland types on the schedule - except in an intentional action to dumb down the schedule as much as possible?
And PSU is certainly not alone in this practice. In fact, they may be part of the consensus herd.
Whether things will remain that way as we move forward - including all the changes to conference memberships and the so-called "playoff"? Who Knows?
I hope it does change. There is something fundamentally wrong, IMO, with scheduling so many cupcake games - solely to generate more money for those with the most money - so that they can spend more money (largely to enrich situations in such a way that adds nothing of value to the sport). It is fundamentally unfair to the fans, and - maybe more importantly - fundamentally unfair to the players and the game itself.
As a fan of going to good games-we have season tickets but sell them for the Delaware, UMass games rather than drive over 5 hours each way-I wish strength of schedule was given high priority in the future when the playoffs are expanded. There was so much more excitement in Beaver stadium for the Auburn game in 2021 than the cupcake games.
Coach Franklin gives credence to SEC doing so well because of less conference games. Who knows? Do you get better playing a cupcake team in which your starters are not playing the second half because the game is over? or are you better because starters can play less? or are you better being pressured into late in the game and have to produce at crunch time? I am no expert but has the SEC recruited better over the years? Are there more top prospects in Ga and Florida than the NE? Who knows for sure but again would like to see strength of schedule given a lot of weight but doubt that happens.
Coach Franklin gives credence to SEC doing so well because of less conference games. Who knows? Do you get better playing a cupcake team in which your starters are not playing the second half because the game is over? or are you better because starters can play less? or are you better being pressured into late in the game and have to produce at crunch time? I am no expert but has the SEC recruited better over the years? Are there more top prospects in Ga and Florida than the NE? Who knows for sure but again would like to see strength of schedule given a lot of weight but doubt that happens.
They no longer care as much about the fans and stadium experience. The TV networks are the ones the programs have to appease now, and with each new media contract the networks get more power as they pony up more money. Since media money is established up front teams can schedule the cupcakes without major financial repercussions. Getting the additional money from a playoff berth is also a priority. That will get more important too as conferences are now talking about only doing equal revenue sharing for media money and letting the programs that qualify for high dollar bowl and playoff games to keep a higher share of that money since they earned it. Apparently Clemson and FSU are really pushing for that with the ACC and reports are the PAC 12 is looking at something similar. I wouldn't be surprised to eventually see the Big 10 and SEC follow suit, especially once they inevitably split into a power 2 and separate from the NCAA. The in stadium fan experience is becoming a bit of an afterthought.
The one hope I have for tough schedules returning is playoff seeding. A bye or home game in the playoff is really important, and winning with a tough schedule could help ensure not only qualifying for a playoff but for a high seed. But again it's all up to the committee. They will determine the seeds with their stupid, subjective approach and until they reward teams with lesser win/loss records but with a significantly harder schedule nothing will change.
It’s this. But - don’t forget stockpiling wins against cream puffs helps with the ‘eye test’ when the committee looks at team selection for the CFP. And the SEC does this in droves.
They beat everyone put in front of them what are you watching. Look at the pros they produce if you remain unconvinced
Watching a conference deliberately stack the deck in their favor year after year. Everyone says Rutgers sucks but as noted they’re better than Mercer. You go out and have a bad game against Rutgers but still win and that’s less impressive than stomping Citadel or Alabama State. Could be the difference between making the playoff or not. It makes a difference.
The SEC also doesn't seem to care which team is the good one either. The Big 10 blatantly protects OSU and Michigan. Most recent example is Michigan vs Illinois the OPI on the Michigan TE that wasn't called. Preserve the game at all costs.
Right. Imagine Indiana is UT Chattanooga in ‘94. The SEC is obviously good, but the conference helps ensure it. They’re not stupid.
Go state beat blue hens. We all should be hoping for an OSU UM split once every 3 years. Going 0-2 all the time is annoying
Penn State definitely has issues. That doesn’t excuse the gamesmanship of the SEC. The B1G adds two top athletic schools and promptly goes to 9 games while eliminating divisions. SEC adds two and does f*ck all to keep their scheduling advantages in tact.
The one on the right is Georgia's actual schedule.
UK is a borderline 6 win team by most predictions. Tennessee could be good, but Heupel usually has a fall off in production as teams collect footage on him. South Carolina is a dark horse, but I'm not seeing much about them. Florida has revamped their roster. Ole Miss could be their 2nd toughest game while finishing 4th in the West. Auburn, meh.
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