Is this a down year for the SEC

[willievic]

Is this a down year for the SEC, or is it just a figmentation of the media's imagination? That's a good question. Last year was similar to this year. Alabama was the only SEC team ranked in the Top 15 at the end of the regular season, and there was a lot of talk about the SEC being down, but, hold your horses. The SEC won 9 of the 11 bowl games they played in, and Alabama won the National Championships. Sometimes the media is wrong, just ask Hillary. Is this another year the media is wrong? I think it is! The SEC has gone 42-12 in nonconference games this year, and owns the highest nonconference winning percentage (.778) of any league. When your the best, everyone wants to take a potshot at you, since they can't tout their own performance. They just try and downplay yours, even though it's better then theirs. I think that is the case this year, just as it was last year.
I know there is a lot of pressure on SEC teams, not because were bad, but because were good. The SEC has won 8 of the last 10 National Championships, and I think this will be 9 out of the last 11. What do you think?

OLD STOLL FIELD GUY!

 

[Oldtrainer_rivals]

Is this a down year for the SEC, or is it just a figmentation of the media's imagination? That's a good question. Last year was similar to this year. Alabama was the only SEC team ranked in the Top 15 at the end of the regular season, and there was a lot of talk about the SEC being down, but, hold your horses. The SEC won 9 of the 11 bowl games they played in, and Alabama won the National Championships. Sometimes the media is wrong, just ask Hillary. Is this another year the media is wrong? I think it is! The SEC has gone 42-12 in nonconference games this year, and owns the highest nonconference winning percentage (.778) of any league. When your the best, everyone wants to take a potshot at you, since they can't tout their own performance. They just try and downplay yours, even though it's better then theirs. I think that is the case this year, just as it was last year.
I know there is a lot of pressure on SEC teams, not because were bad, but because were good. The SEC has won 8 of the last 10 National Championships, and I think this will be 9 out of the last 11. What do you think?

OLD STOLL FIELD GUY!

^^^Good post, very positive SEC stats. Thanks.^^^

 

[rmattox]

IMO, the average SEC team could and would beat the average team from any other conference. We'll know the truth after the bowl season.

 

[KentuckyStout]

The SEC bar is just set so much higher, and national perception (and bias) sways opinion. Florida, Georgia and South Carolina all losing to ACC teams to end the season didn't help.

Still despite it all - the numbers don't lie as you pointed out - and the SEC will win the NC again thanks to the Alabama dynasty.

 

[bthaunert]

I think we have 1 great team, a handful of pretty good teams and another group of decent teams. I always compare OOC schedules in head to head games against other Power5 teams. Here is how that looks (with current records/rankings):

(17) Florida lost to (11) Florida State 31-13
(21) Tennessee beat (22) Virginia tech 45-24
(7-5) Georgia beat (8-4) UNC 33-24
(7-5) Georgia lost to (8-4) Georgia Tech 28-27
(7-5) Kentucky beat (13) Louisville 41-38
(6-6) South Carolina lost to (2) Clemson 56-7
(6-6) Vanderbilt lost to (8-4) Georgia Tech 38-7
(4-8) Missouri lost to (16) West Virginia 26-11
(1) Alabama beat (9) USC 52-6
(14) Auburn lost to (2) Clemson 19-13
(20 LSU lost to (8) Wisconsin 16-14
(8-4) Texas A&M beat (4-8) UCLA 31-24
(7-5) Arkansas beat (6-6) TCU 41-38
(5-7) Ole Miss lost to (11) Florida State 45-34

Overall record is 6-8 vs other Power5 conferences. I realize there are a lot of variables in there, but I think that is a better gauge at OOC games.

 

[Mikey Likes It]

I think its a down year. If for no other reason there isn't a single power house in the east this year.

 

[Saguaro Cat]

It's a down year, in that it's only the second best conference. But Big 10 was better and gap between us and acc is smaller this year. Sec east needs to pick it back up.

Really though, it's the big 12 and Pac 12 that had the worst years. They've been bad.

 

[Mikey Likes It]

It's a down year, in that it's only the second best conference. But Big 10 was better and gap between us and acc is smaller this year. Sec east needs to pick it back up.

Really though, it's the big 12 and Pac 12 that had the worst years. They've been bad.

 

[KentuckyStout]

Sec east needs to pick it back up.

This is very true - coaching changes at Florida, UT and UGA have really destabilized the east.

 

[JasonS.]

The SEC West is down compared to how high its been in recent years ... which that happens. SEC West is still pretty great, only a few divisions better: definitely the Big Ten East IMO, arguably the Pac 12 North, ACC Coastal and Big Ten East.

The SEC East remains a Power 5 cellar dweller. That will change one of these years, I suppose ... but right now by the numbers the SEC East is closer to the MAC and the American than it is the top P5 divisions. That's not a bad thing for Kentucky at all, as it's a basic function of Florida, Tennessee and Georgia not being any good. We've got a pretty soft path to punching through and making some national noise ... think Colorado with an easier path.

 

[TuckyFB]

I don't think having 12 teams out of 14 in bowl games is a down year. No matter how much people harp on it.

 

[Grumpyolddawg]

Is this a down year for the SEC, or is it just a figmentation of the media's imagination? That's a good question. Last year was similar to this year. Alabama was the only SEC team ranked in the Top 15 at the end of the regular season, and there was a lot of talk about the SEC being down, but, hold your horses. The SEC won 9 of the 11 bowl games they played in, and Alabama won the National Championships. Sometimes the media is wrong, just ask Hillary. Is this another year the media is wrong? I think it is! The SEC has gone 42-12 in nonconference games this year, and owns the highest nonconference winning percentage (.778) of any league. When your the best, everyone wants to take a potshot at you, since they can't tout their own performance. They just try and downplay yours, even though it's better then theirs. I think that is the case this year, just as it was last year.
I know there is a lot of pressure on SEC teams, not because were bad, but because were good. The SEC has won 8 of the last 10 National Championships, and I think this will be 9 out of the last 11. What do you think?

OLD STOLL FIELD GUY!

Without a doubt its down. The East alone had 3 new coaching changes, half the conference was starting true frosh qbs and even more first year starters.

 

[Shavers48]

I think it's down and I'd give more weight to final regular season rankings than after bowls - team motivation an issue with many bowls and also a lot of teams are dealing with coaching changes that have happened or will soon.

 

[littleton tiger]

This year the SEC is as bad as it's been in the last 20 years.

 

[Blue Decade]

IMO, the average SEC team could and would beat the average team from any other conference. We'll know the truth after the bowl season.

I agree. This is not a "down year for the SEC". Alabama is by far the best team in the country, and the Crimson Tide have made other SEC teams look bad by comparison. Many SEC teams lost undergraduate talent to the NFL, and that cost some SEC teams early. But the SEC will perform well (again) in the bowl season.

 

[Blue Decade]

Without a doubt its down. The East alone had 3 new coaching changes, half the conference was starting true frosh qbs and even more first year starters.

Let's agree it is a a down year for Georgia.

 

[NavyCat88]

It is a down year, but we did what a program must do if you're trying to climb the ladder of respectability.....TAKE ADVANTAGE of the down swings within your conference. 7-5 (4-4) + a respectable bowl invitation this year is a good start up the ladder. Sustainment/improvement is always a tough task and for us....it is the next task. GBB!

 

[WildCard]

I'm not sure what it "means" but, yes, the SEC appears "weaker" this year than in years past.

For whatever warts it may have, as a quick reference of "toughness" let's use AP Final Top 25 finishes in 5 year groups. I am not including league newcomers MO and aTm in these numbers.

2011 - 2015: A total of 26 SEC top 25 finishes or an average of 5.2 teams per year
2006 - 2010: A total of 25 SEC top 25 finishes or an average of 5.0 teams per year
2001 - 2005: A total of 22 SEC top 25 finishes or an average of 4.4 teams per year
1996 - 2000: A total of 28 SEC top 25 finishes or an average of 5.6 teams per year
1991 - 1995: A total of 25 SEC top 23 finishes or an average of 4.6 teams per year

The current 2016 AP Poll has 4 SEC teams (#1 AL, #17 AU, #19 LSU and #20 FL). That is "only" 4 teams but it is a pretty sizable drop from #1 AL to the next highest rated SEC team (#17 AU). The next highest rated team (based on votes) is #33 TN. That says something. In contrast you have 4 BIG teams in the top 10, 3 PAC 12 teams in the top 15, 3 ACC teams in the top 15 and 3 BIG XII teams in the top 15

AL is , far and away, the best team in the country again. So they re gonna win and be #1 again. Looking strictly at current spreads for other top 25 SEC teams...

8-4 AU is a 5 point dawg to OU to #7 OK

7-4 LSU is a 3 point fav over #15 UofL

8-4 FL is a 2 point fav over #21 IA​

With a bowl loss any of these 4 teams could fall from the top 25. More importantly to this discussion, it is unlikely any other SEC teams could win their way in to a top 25 finish. So yes, IMO, the SEC is "down" this year.

But NavyCat is spot on. From UK's perspective they did what they had to to, take advantage of that down year.

Peace

 

[carl]

I don't think SEC is down the way it has been presented just one team at the top with a bunch of similar teams beating each other preventing the next level teams from separating themselves. Looking at the 8 p5 losses six came at the hands of higher rated teams and two losses with neither team ranked so hard to apply conference to conference comparisons.

Ranking teams is a perception and there has been significant push back against the dominance of the SEC. In some ways the bowls are a better representation because they match teams with similar records. We are really never gonna know because there aren't enough cross conference matches to make any statistically significant inferences. The same reasoning applies to statistics because they play dissimilar Schedules.

 

[Beatle Bum]

SEC W went 9-5 this year against the SEC E.

 

[Beatle Bum]

I'm not sure what it "means" but, yes, the SEC appears "weaker" this year than in years past.

For whatever warts it may have, as a quick reference of "toughness" let's use AP Final Top 25 finishes in 5 year groups. I am not including league newcomers MO and aTm in these numbers.

2011 - 2015: A total of 26 SEC top 25 finishes or an average of 5.2 teams per year
2006 - 2010: A total of 25 SEC top 25 finishes or an average of 5.0 teams per year
2001 - 2005: A total of 22 SEC top 25 finishes or an average of 4.4 teams per year
1996 - 2000: A total of 28 SEC top 25 finishes or an average of 5.6 teams per year
1991 - 1995: A total of 25 SEC top 23 finishes or an average of 4.6 teams per year

The current 2016 AP Poll has 4 SEC teams (#1 AL, #17 AU, #19 LSU and #20 FL). That is "only" 4 teams but it is a pretty sizable drop from #1 AL to the next highest rated SEC team (#17 AU). The next highest rated team (based on votes) is #33 TN. That says something. In contrast you have 4 BIG teams in the top 10, 3 PAC 12 teams in the top 15, 3 ACC teams in the top 15 and 3 BIG XII teams in the top 15

AL is , far and away, the best team in the country again. So they re gonna win and be #1 again. Looking strictly at current spreads for other top 25 SEC teams...

8-4 AU is a 5 point dawg to OU to #7 OK

7-4 LSU is a 3 point fav over #15 UofL

8-4 FL is a 2 point fav over #21 IA​

With a bowl loss any of these 4 teams could fall from the top 25. More importantly to this discussion, it is unlikely any other SEC teams could win their way in to a top 25 finish. So yes, IMO, the SEC is "down" this year.

But NavyCat is spot on. From UK's perspective they did what they had to to, take advantage of that down year.

Peace

The fact LSU is favored over #15 is a slap at #15.

 

[WildcatofNati]

I'm not sure what it "means" but, yes, the SEC appears "weaker" this year than in years past.

For whatever warts it may have, as a quick reference of "toughness" let's use AP Final Top 25 finishes in 5 year groups. I am not including league newcomers MO and aTm in these numbers.

2011 - 2015: A total of 26 SEC top 25 finishes or an average of 5.2 teams per year
2006 - 2010: A total of 25 SEC top 25 finishes or an average of 5.0 teams per year
2001 - 2005: A total of 22 SEC top 25 finishes or an average of 4.4 teams per year
1996 - 2000: A total of 28 SEC top 25 finishes or an average of 5.6 teams per year
1991 - 1995: A total of 25 SEC top 23 finishes or an average of 4.6 teams per year

The current 2016 AP Poll has 4 SEC teams (#1 AL, #17 AU, #19 LSU and #20 FL). That is "only" 4 teams but it is a pretty sizable drop from #1 AL to the next highest rated SEC team (#17 AU). The next highest rated team (based on votes) is #33 TN. That says something. In contrast you have 4 BIG teams in the top 10, 3 PAC 12 teams in the top 15, 3 ACC teams in the top 15 and 3 BIG XII teams in the top 15

AL is , far and away, the best team in the country again. So they re gonna win and be #1 again. Looking strictly at current spreads for other top 25 SEC teams...

8-4 AU is a 5 point dawg to OU to #7 OK

7-4 LSU is a 3 point fav over #15 UofL

8-4 FL is a 2 point fav over #21 IA​

With a bowl loss any of these 4 teams could fall from the top 25. More importantly to this discussion, it is unlikely any other SEC teams could win their way in to a top 25 finish. So yes, IMO, the SEC is "down" this year.

But NavyCat is spot on. From UK's perspective they did what they had to to, take advantage of that down year.

Peace

I would have been inclined to agree with your assessment, but the UK win over Louisville, in Louisville no less, make me want to reassess my initial view. UK is at best the 8th best team in the SEC, and Louisville is at worst the 4th best team in the ACC- yet UK wins on the road against an ACC supposed playoff contender and against an ACC Heisman, by default, candidate. While UK managed to take advantage of a supposed SEC "down year" (and thanks as always for your passive aggressive ********), how do you explain how UK took advantage of an ACC "down year", in terms of beating UofLOL on the road? In any event, you may have an opportunity to see a serious hurting put on your glorified midmajor from a true SEC power recovering from a "down year" in the SEC, come New Years Eve. I can't wait.

 

[SchmidtyNole_rivals]

Is this a down year for the SEC, or is it just a figmentation of the media's imagination? That's a good question. Last year was similar to this year. Alabama was the only SEC team ranked in the Top 15 at the end of the regular season, and there was a lot of talk about the SEC being down, but, hold your horses. The SEC won 9 of the 11 bowl games they played in, and Alabama won the National Championships. Sometimes the media is wrong, just ask Hillary. Is this another year the media is wrong? I think it is! The SEC has gone 42-12 in nonconference games this year, and owns the highest nonconference winning percentage (.778) of any league. When your the best, everyone wants to take a potshot at you, since they can't tout their own performance. They just try and downplay yours, even though it's better then theirs. I think that is the case this year, just as it was last year.
I know there is a lot of pressure on SEC teams, not because were bad, but because were good. The SEC has won 8 of the last 10 National Championships, and I think this will be 9 out of the last 11. What do you think?

OLD STOLL FIELD GUY!

That 42-12 Non-Conference Record is misleading. It is inflated from scheduling and beating up on Cupcakes. Why don't you look up the SEC's record against the other Power 5 Conferences this year? It's a very pedestrian 6-8 record which is worst than the ACC. The ACC went 12-8 in Non-Conference games against the other Power 5 Conferences or Notre Dame. One, it's appauling that of 54 SEC Non-Conference games this year only 14 games were even scheduled against the other Power 5 Conferences. And 4 of those games are based on built in rivalry games. The SEC has been weak this year. Everybody knows it and the facts back it up. They get a lot of teams ranked and to Bowl games by scheduling three Non-Conference games per team versus the Little Sisters of the Poor.

But we'll see how the Bowl games go. Maybe the SEC will surprise and change my mind or maybe not.

 

[SchmidtyNole_rivals]

IMO, the average SEC team could and would beat the average team from any other conference. We'll know the truth after the bowl season.

Except the 6-8 Non-Conference record vs the other Power 5 Conferences doesn't bear that out.

 

[SchmidtyNole_rivals]

I don't think having 12 teams out of 14 in bowl games is a down year. No matter how much people harp on it.

One of those teams got exceptions to make a Bowl game with a 5-7 record in Mississippi State.

 

[SchmidtyNole_rivals]

I would have been inclined to agree with your assessment, but the UK win over Louisville, in Louisville no less, make me want to reassess my initial view. UK is at best the 8th best team in the SEC, and Louisville is at worst the 4th best team in the ACC- yet UK wins on the road against an ACC supposed playoff contender and against an ACC Heisman, by default, candidate. While UK managed to take advantage of a supposed SEC "down year" (and thanks as always for your passive aggressive ********), how do you explain how UK took advantage of an ACC "down year", in terms of beating UofLOL on the road? In any event, you may have an opportunity to see a serious hurting put on your glorified midmajor from a true SEC power recovering from a "down year" in the SEC, come New Years Eve. I can't wait.

Let's flip that argument. UF, who was the #1 team in the SEC East, lost to the #3 team in the ACC Atlantic in Florida State by a score of 31-13.

 

[Deeeefense]

Top half of the B10 is better than the top half of the SEC this year. But top to bottom there's not a lot of difference IMO. Both are better than the other 3 P5s.

 

[Blue Decade]

I don't think SEC is down the way it has been presented just one team at the top with a bunch of similar teams beating each other preventing the next level teams from separating themselves. Looking at the 8 p5 losses six came at the hands of higher rated teams and two losses with neither team ranked so hard to apply conference to conference comparisons.

Ranking teams is a perception and there has been significant push back against the dominance of the SEC. In some ways the bowls are a better representation because they match teams with similar records. We are really never gonna know because there aren't enough cross conference matches to make any statistically significant inferences. The same reasoning applies to statistics because they play dissimilar Schedules.

I agree with this. People can make a case that the SEC is "down", but by this same reasoning the PAC 12, Big 10, Big 12 are also just as "down" now. Strength of Alabama makes other SEC teams look "down". SEC has an overall operational advantage because it is the wealthiest conference. But cable TV, 85 scholarship roster limit, and limits on recruiting class size have taken away recruiting advantages formerly enjoyed by P5 programs. The result has been a more equal national recruiting landscape. This year we have Western Michigan, Temple, Navy in the top 25 rankings. A year ago, Houston, Navy, Western Kentucky were ranked. Teams from smaller, non-P5 conferences are achieving success and getting ranked because good players are getting spread around. In the 2016 NFL draft, the #2 overall selection in the 1st round (Carson Wentz) was taken from North Dakota State. This is not just affecting the SEC. Look at what is happening to Texas, Baylor, Miami, Michigan State, Oregon, Notre Dame.

 

[STUCKNBIG10]

It's a down year by SEC standards, but it's not horrible compared to everyone else. Everyone loves to beat up on the SECE, but the SEC east still delivered UK over UL, UGA over UNC, and UT over Virginia Tech. If that's down, then what is the ACC?

We'll see how the SEC performs during bowl season. My hunch is that the SEC delivers yet another winning bowl season and we'll see more victories over the Big 10 and ACC along the way.

 

[Cawood86_rivals]

I don't think it's bad as some like to think. USC, Mizzou and UGA had new coaches. LSU fired it''s coach during the season. LSU is generally more talented than anybody in the country, including Bama. Check NFL rosters.
When LSU, UF and UGA are their normal selves, the SEC will again be dominant. IF UK, USC and Vandy all continue to improve, the SEC will be unreal.

 

[RV]

Let's see how the SEC does in the bowls. The SEC teams in most bowl matchups are pitted against teams who are, or should be higher rated.

Miss St - 12th in SEC
vs
Ohio - American Conference runnerup

Vanderbilt - 11th in SEC
vs
NC State - 9th in ACC

Texas A&M - 5th in SEC
vs
Kansas State - 4th in Big 12

South Carolina - 9th or 10th in SEC
vs
USF - 2nd in American-Athletic Conference

Arkansas - 9th or 10th in SEC
vs
Virginia Tech - ACC runnerup, #22 ranked

Georgia - 6th or 7th in SEC
vs
TCU - 5th in Big 12

Tennessee - 6th in SEC, ranked #21
vs
Nebraska - 6th in Big 12

LSU - 4th in SEC, ranked #20
vs
UL - 2nd in ACC, ranked #13

Kentucky - 8th in SEC
vs
Georgia Tech - 8th in ACC

Florida - SEC runnerup, ranked #17
vs
Iowa - 5th in B1G

Auburn - 3rd in SEC, ranked # 14
vs
Oklahoma - Big 12 Champion, ranked # 7

 

[Beatle Bum]

That 42-12 Non-Conference Record is misleading. It is inflated from scheduling and beating up on Cupcakes. Why don't you look up the SEC's record against the other Power 5 Conferences this year? It's a very pedestrian 6-8 record which is worst than the ACC. The ACC went 12-8 in Non-Conference games against the other Power 5 Conferences or Notre Dame. One, it's appauling that of 54 SEC Non-Conference games this year only 14 games were even scheduled against the other Power 5 Conferences. And 4 of those games are based on built in rivalry games. The SEC has been weak this year. Everybody knows it and the facts back it up. They get a lot of teams ranked and to Bowl games by scheduling three Non-Conference games per team versus the Little Sisters of the Poor.

But we'll see how the Bowl games go. Maybe the SEC will surprise and change my mind or maybe not.

LOL Notre Dame!! Got a chuckle out of that. The ACC got a gift in Notre Dame this year.

 

[Blue Decade]

It's a down year by SEC standards, but it's not horrible compared to everyone else. Everyone loves to beat up on the SECE, but the SEC east still delivered UK over UL, UGA over UNC, and UT over Virginia Tech. If that's down, then what is the ACC?

We'll see how the SEC performs during bowl season. My hunch is that the SEC delivers yet another winning bowl season and we'll see more victories over the Big 10 and ACC along the way.

The games you mentioned in which SEC teams beat teams from other P5 conferences would suggest the SEC is not "down", relative to those conferences. SEC teams lost a lot of underclassmen to the NFL last year, but those teams have recovered now. I think people are making way too much of Wisconsin's win over LSU, Florida State's win over Florida, Clemson's win over South Carolina. Wisconsin is really good, but they barely beat a 1-dimensional LSU team coached by a guy who has since been fired. If LSU handles Louisville in the Citrus Bowl, that would put a great punctuation on their season. The other 2 games have a common denominator - Will Muschamp- who recruited most of Florida's roster and now coaches South Carolina. Muschamp is not a top shelf SEC coach. Florida is still recovering from Muschamp, and South Carolina is just beginning to suffer. Meantime, Florida has had big quarterback problems this year that hurt them against the better teams on their schedule. Overall, the SEC is still the envy of all other football conferences. If your hunch proves to be true and SEC teams deliver yet another winning bowl season, then that will be the best evidence the SEC is not "down".

 

[Blue Decade]

That 42-12 Non-Conference Record is misleading. It is inflated from scheduling and beating up on Cupcakes. Why don't you look up the SEC's record against the other Power 5 Conferences this year?

That's 1 way to look at it. Another way to look at it is to actually recognize why SEC teams can make so many opponents look like "cupcakes" as you put it. As for SEC's record against other P5 teams, that assessment is incomplete, pending the bowl games. SEC teams lose a lot of underclassmen to the NFL, so key roster turnover is higher and many SEC teams need until November to adjust and play their best ball. Let's revisit the SEC-P5 opponent question in January, when we will actually know the answer.

 

[SanAntonioCat_rivals376502]

Is this a down year for the SEC, or is it just a figmentation of the media's imagination? That's a good question. Last year was similar to this year. Alabama was the only SEC team ranked in the Top 15 at the end of the regular season, and there was a lot of talk about the SEC being down, but, hold your horses. The SEC won 9 of the 11 bowl games they played in, and Alabama won the National Championships. Sometimes the media is wrong, just ask Hillary. Is this another year the media is wrong? I think it is! The SEC has gone 42-12 in nonconference games this year, and owns the highest nonconference winning percentage (.778) of any league. When your the best, everyone wants to take a potshot at you, since they can't tout their own performance. They just try and downplay yours, even though it's better then theirs. I think that is the case this year, just as it was last year.
I know there is a lot of pressure on SEC teams, not because were bad, but because were good. The SEC has won 8 of the last 10 National Championships, and I think this will be 9 out of the last 11. What do you think?

OLD STOLL FIELD GUY!

And, look for Kentucky to continue building a truly competitive football program.

 

[UKWildcats#8]

Everyone has 4+ losses except for Bama. If Bama wins it all...SEC saves itself in a way, but if they lose and the SEC has a mediocre bowl season? Hard to argue it is down.

 

[ukdesi]

A lot of over analysis in this thread. According to real time RPI the SEC is ranked the 3rd best conference. Over the last ten years, the SEC has been ranked #1 8 times and #2 twice. As it stands today, the SEC is down relative to its normal strength. Even a great bowl season likely won't move it past the Big Ten, so at best this year would be a #2 finish, which is still weaker relative to the last ten years, in which the SEC was #1 8 out of the last 10 years.

 

[mtn cat1]

Is this a down year for the SEC, or is it just a figmentation of the media's imagination? That's a good question. Last year was similar to this year. Alabama was the only SEC team ranked in the Top 15 at the end of the regular season, and there was a lot of talk about the SEC being down, but, hold your horses. The SEC won 9 of the 11 bowl games they played in, and Alabama won the National Championships. Sometimes the media is wrong, just ask Hillary. Is this another year the media is wrong? I think it is! The SEC has gone 42-12 in nonconference games this year, and owns the highest nonconference winning percentage (.778) of any league. When your the best, everyone wants to take a potshot at you, since they can't tout their own performance. They just try and downplay yours, even though it's better then theirs. I think that is the case this year, just as it was last year.
I know there is a lot of pressure on SEC teams, not because were bad, but because were good. The SEC has won 8 of the last 10 National Championships, and I think this will be 9 out of the last 11. What do you think?

OLD STOLL FIELD GUY!

Now Willie, you don't want to go stating the obvious fella!!!!!

 

[merrimanm]

It's both. It is down for their standatds, but still really good compared to the rest of the country.