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Older SEC fans, please tell me about the 1980s SEC football landscape
Posted on 2/8/15 at 4:15 pm
Posted on 2/8/15 at 4:15 pm
On the national scale, the decade was not the most successful, as our beloved conference only secured one national championship (UGA in 1980).
A handful of the GOATs did grace our hallowed grounds that decade, however. Names such as Herschel, Bo, Derrick Thomas, and Cornelius Bennett were household names across the United States at one point in time.
What made the landscape so, well, competitively balanced? All of the Big Six teams won at least one SEC title that decade, which is hard to imagine in today's ultra-competitive environment.
What teams won in unorthodox style, such as Auburn's HUNH and Florida's spread option? What else am I missing?
Also, some major coaching figures roamed Southern sidelines in the 1980s; Bryant, Dooley, Dye, Majors, to name a few.
Besides 1983's Auburn Tigers, what other SEC teams should have had a legitimate shot at a national championship?
Was it the power vacuum from Alabama's "fall" post-Bryant, per se, which allowed the league to be this balanced?
SEC champions
1980 - Georgia
1981 - Alabama, Georgia
1982 - Georgia
1983 - Auburn
1984 - Florida (vacated)
1985 - Tennessee
1986 - LSU
1987 - Auburn
1988 - Auburn, LSU
1989 - Alabama, Auburn, Tennessee
A handful of the GOATs did grace our hallowed grounds that decade, however. Names such as Herschel, Bo, Derrick Thomas, and Cornelius Bennett were household names across the United States at one point in time.
What made the landscape so, well, competitively balanced? All of the Big Six teams won at least one SEC title that decade, which is hard to imagine in today's ultra-competitive environment.
What teams won in unorthodox style, such as Auburn's HUNH and Florida's spread option? What else am I missing?
Also, some major coaching figures roamed Southern sidelines in the 1980s; Bryant, Dooley, Dye, Majors, to name a few.
Besides 1983's Auburn Tigers, what other SEC teams should have had a legitimate shot at a national championship?
Was it the power vacuum from Alabama's "fall" post-Bryant, per se, which allowed the league to be this balanced?
SEC champions
1980 - Georgia
1981 - Alabama, Georgia
1982 - Georgia
1983 - Auburn
1984 - Florida (vacated)
1985 - Tennessee
1986 - LSU
1987 - Auburn
1988 - Auburn, LSU
1989 - Alabama, Auburn, Tennessee
This post was edited on 2/8/15 at 4:26 pm
19
Posted on 2/8/15 at 4:17 pm to Tornado Alley
SWC GOAT 80s conference
Posted on 2/8/15 at 4:18 pm to Tornado Alley
Why did Florida have to vacate?
Posted on 2/8/15 at 4:20 pm to Old Sarge
quote:
Why did Florida have to vacate?
They got caught cheating their asses off under Charlie Pell. But make no mistake, Pell was the one who awoke the sleeping giant that was the University of Florida - not Steve Spurrier. Florida was arguably the best team in all America in 1984.
Posted on 2/8/15 at 4:20 pm to Old Sarge
We still have the trophy. 
Posted on 2/8/15 at 4:21 pm to Korin
Cheaters.
Posted on 2/8/15 at 4:21 pm to Tornado Alley
quote::coco2:
all time GOATs
Posted on 2/8/15 at 4:22 pm to Tornado Alley
LSU football started in 2000
Da frick
Da frick
Posted on 2/8/15 at 4:22 pm to Tornado Alley
SEC was down
Posted on 2/8/15 at 4:22 pm to Old Sarge
quote:
Why did Florida have to vacate?
107 major violations.
Now, here's the thing...the SEC agreed to still let us win the conference as long as we didn't appeal and take a bowl ban (LSU went to the Sugar I believe). Then the bastards (supposedly led by Dooley) changed their minds in the spring and held a 6-3 vote to strip us.
Posted on 2/8/15 at 4:23 pm to ShaneTheLegLechler
If anything, the 1980s was the age of the independents.
National championships per conference - the 1980s
Independents - 6 (1982 Penn State, 1983 Miami, 1986 Penn State, 1987 Miami, 1988 Notre Dame, 1989 Miami)
Big Eight - 1 (1985 Oklahoma)
ACC - 1 (1981 Clemson)
SEC - 1 (1980 Georgia)
WAC - 1 (1984 BYU)
National championships per conference - the 1980s
Independents - 6 (1982 Penn State, 1983 Miami, 1986 Penn State, 1987 Miami, 1988 Notre Dame, 1989 Miami)
Big Eight - 1 (1985 Oklahoma)
ACC - 1 (1981 Clemson)
SEC - 1 (1980 Georgia)
WAC - 1 (1984 BYU)
Posted on 2/8/15 at 4:24 pm to Old Sarge
3 yds and a cloud of dust beat each other up over the decade. All games were relatively close by today's standards. If you won 21-7 it was considered a blow out. Basically - there were a bunch of 2011 LSU/Bama teams. At least thats how I remember the 80's. Also, a lot of Radio action - so if you didn't go to the games, you didn't know much about teams.
Posted on 2/8/15 at 4:24 pm to Tornado Alley
BYU's title is a joke. They didn't play a single team that finished ranked and beat 6-5 Michigan in the Holiday Bowl.
Posted on 2/8/15 at 4:24 pm to Tornado Alley
Alabama wasn't there to carry the conference at a national level. Auburn tried to pick up the slack for big brother, but being Auburn, they failed.
However, a savior was lurking.........
However, a savior was lurking.........
This post was edited on 2/8/15 at 4:28 pm
Posted on 2/8/15 at 4:25 pm to SummerOfGeorge
Why does Auburn get credit for 88 when they lost the HTH to LSU?
Posted on 2/8/15 at 4:25 pm to Korin
1984 Champs, so says the trophy.
1985 Article on Florida
quote:
Many of the violations were minor--buying a T-shirt, buying a meal--but at least half were serious: using cash inducements to get players, scalping complimentary tickets at a profit for players and coaches, having a slush fund, providing illegal room and board and spying on opponents
Posted on 2/8/15 at 4:26 pm to NeathOrangeandBlue
Good thread TA, as usual. More historical threads please. Best of the offseason variety.
Posted on 2/8/15 at 4:26 pm to NeathOrangeandBlue
The trophy on the left is for the New York Times national championship.
Posted on 2/8/15 at 4:28 pm to SummerOfGeorge
quote:
but being Auburn, they failed.
couldn't win the voting contest in 83
Dye would always lose a game he shouldn't have lost. He had zero creativity on offense. Probably why he wanted Kirby over Gus.
Everything else Dye did for the program was unbelievable. He had talent to win a few titles though and never caught the breaks.
Posted on 2/8/15 at 4:28 pm to Korin
quote:
Why does Auburn get credit for 88 when they lost the HTH to LSU?
Same reason why Alabama and Tennessee get credit for 1989.
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