Last season when the season started we had one of the worst SOSs in the SEC. Perhaps either or both Missouri and Miss St. had worse, but we were right down there with them. Was closer to 200 than 100.

When the SEC schedule began, we still had SOS anywhere from the 150s to the 200s, depending on who you referred to. We never cracked the top 100 in SOS last season, despite the great record. Our RPI was decent (in the 50s-60s) because of our great W-L record against that schedule, but it didn't get us cred SOS-wise.

And then we had bad losses to bad RPI teams, like Missouri, Miss St., Tennessee: those teams had decent SOSs, but bad records against those SOSs, so that definitely didn't help our own SOS to improve by not just losing, but losing while looking bad, against them.

They way I understand it, good RPI is only beneficial if it is compiled against good SOS, and good SOS is only beneficial if you have a strong W-L result against that SOS.

If you do, then your RPI will automatically be great. If you have a solid RPI, but only because you went 28-3 against a cupcake schedule, then so what? You SHOULD go 28-3 against them. If you played a Murderer's Row schedule, but go 12-18 against them, so what? You SHOULD have a losing record against them. Those don't give you a strong argument for rating the NCAAT.

We are in position to have around a top-50 SOS this season, with what we scheduled for the OOC and what the SEC will provide us. We just need to have another strong W-L overall, in the SEC, and avoid those bad losses to bad teams, and we'll be in strong position for the NCAAT....