Bitchery :: The SEC and me

I'm too young to know the SWC but I'm pretty sure I would have loved it. Except for a few LSU and OU kids basically all my friends went to SWC schools.

I wouldn't judge the schools by what they say and do on here though

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I wish I could say I could relate.....but I can't.

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The move to SEC was a godsend for me.

It is not a fair comparison for me. I was born in New Orleans, lived in four SEC states and have been though them all. The whole time I was an Aggie I felt the Big 12 was a joke league and my LSU family would act like it was the kids table. Even without the out of the shadows stuff I also love, the SEC was way more personal to me. It was like learning a new language. I can now talk sports other than the Saints with my family. It has allowed me a way to bond with my 87 year old grandad I prayed for. It was a miracle to me.

So I feel you even if it is the opposite for me. Sometimes the little picture is the big picture if that makes sense.

With all that said I do have to disagree- you can have conversations on the rant. It is honestly much easier than a lot of the forums I visit. It is just a shock compared to say Texags.

I will let you in on my secret:

Stop trying to talk to LSU fans.

Done. Seriously. In just this off season I have fleshed out where UF stands from an fan base perspective, why Georgia lacks a IPF for real, and what Vandy fans think of their coach.

It can be done, but not with LSU fans. I mean you can but its hard, you have to throw out decoys and do reverses and it's not worth it.

Edit: And I am sorry you feel homesick. I can empathize with you on that one. Honestly I dont see how we can ever leave the SWC forever, between Arky (they have many good posters, ask for permission to their forum I have it) and recruiting it will always feel SWC. Plus didn't we play LSU a ton back then too?

Yeah the biggest disadvantage I suppose is traveling to away games. Traveling around TX every weekend would be a lot easier than having to SC and UK. Hell how close is the closes team? LSU?

I will say this, the first time I came to Aggieland and saw a "This is SEC country" sign, it made home not seem so far away.

I remember even as a young kid in the 1990s thinking the SWC was bush league. Those were the days when we were going 10-1 and then getting blown out in bowl games. I wanted to play in a bigger time conference, and the only one I knew of was the SEC. Had no idea the Big 8 even existed til we merged.

I have 1 b12 guy at my work, and 2 on my street. The rest are all SEC. I don't miss the SWC as much as someone older might, but I do miss the other Texas teams we played in the B12.

Much, much happier in the SEC though. I feel like we're home.

Jack London's call of the wild is a good allegory. We were in a conference first that was ok, nice and safe, familiar. Then we spent some time in hard labor, held down and beat. Now we're in the promised land; it's tough, but fair and the future is bright.

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I'm in football heaven now.

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Every damn conference game is interesting. The SEC has been the best move our school could have made. I don't miss the old rivalries when we have Arkansas and LSU right next to us.

In the Big12, we had those Kansas, Baylor, Iowa St, Colorado and Kansas State weekends where I really didn't give a damn if I missed the game or not. I don't know much about the SWC since it was before my time as well. But I can imagine games against TCU, SMU, Rice, Baylor, and Houston being boring.

If I could, I'd go back to the big12 just so we could leave that bitch again . Best decision ever!

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Not really at one time or another they were all very competitive with each other and the wide open offenses started there. Just like now however the defenses were not built for the power running game.

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I talked to an older UofH grad once that told me that some of the most depressing games he had been to were UofH games at the Astrodome. If A&M or Texas wasn't the opponent, the Astrodome was completely dead. The way he described it, it was as if the only games that mattered in the conference were the ones A&M and Texas were playing in, especially late into the conference's life.

I'm not saying our games would have been completely boring (OK, maybe I am saying that), but when you think about it did anyone really want to watch SMU duke it out with Rice???? Or Baylor with Houston????

The best thing about the SEC is that not only are our conference games interesting, but your conference rivals' games are also interesting. Every week, there is a game worth watching that doesn't involve your team but has a lot of implications in the future of your team. There is a lot in stake riding in the SEC, whereas the SWC only had the Cotton Bowl, which outside of Texas, nobody really cared for.

Georgia (9)- So they are the France of the SEC Rant, complete with their own version of the The Maginot Line. They will deflect deflect deflect and NEVER spill the beans if you just ask them nicely. EVER. Almost like turtles. You have to bust their bunker with the biggest and most negative TTR you can muster, and then wade through the consequences. But after the consequences if you do it right with some humility combined with more direct and firm questions you will get the scoop. Honestly they are not worth it I think. Only reason they aren’t a 10 is because LSU fans don’t care about them so you don’t need a LFF to avoid TRHs. What is cool about Georgia fans though is they are SEC knowledgeable overall, so the smart ones will weigh in on a SEC West thread anyway. So let them be condiments and not the meal.

Kentucky (2)-Just ask them something about basketball in a completely non troll fashion. They get so excited someone cares about basketball that they will engage, even during the season. They really know some basketball.

LSU (10) – Hardest fanbase to have a real conversation with, especially now. You have to throw out so many TTRs mixed with humility mixed with reverses mixed with not blowing the LFF accidently while doing it. I have learned a lot from LSU fans on here, there are smart ones and this is their site. But jeez there are a lot of dumb ones, and ones who have Texas as a close second favorite team (or at the very least they are addicted to the Texas superiority complex thing). I have learned the most getting scolded why I am wrong, or in a thread title “Everyone But LSU Fans…” They just want to be contrary, so save them for those of us who enjoy trolling and ignore otherwise.

MSU (4)- they have a defensive perimeter but its weak. Like a crap TTR can get through. The problem is that once you get in there isn’t a lot there unless you want to talk about baseball, Jackie Sherrill, or gossip related to Ole Miss. I like the dogs but if you are looking for intelligent conversation I wouldn’t start with them. Unless you want the dirt on Ole Miss and then hello!

Mizzou (2)- I love these guys. They are a little skittish so be firm to get a response, but never go to a TTR. They respond really poorly to negativity and Rant intensity, it is completely different with them. But wow they great to talk with, and they will really spill the beans on everything like you are their best bud if you just smile at them. I say start with them, only hard part is finding out bonding points but we have played a lot recently and they were expansion buddies so that helps. Great great fanbase on the rant who is smart overall and more balanced than all the rest of us (including Vandy). Actually they are harder for me than they would be for you because I am an intense guy. Oh and don’t worry about the LFF because it is not needed.

Ole Miss (5)- the only hard part with them is the massive range. The two dumbest by the median fanbases on the rant are these guys and Tenn. But they have some smart ones who really know their history too so I think it is worth trying. The other issue with them is if they get in a bickering war with MSU fans it turns into a Eggbowl/ole marriage thread and you won’t get a word in. So my trick is to engage a strong LFF, because being a LSU rival you get a lot of TRHs otherwise, and be direct but respectful. You never need to TTR as these guys will whip their own backs. Seriously you have never met a more beat down fanbase in your life, unless it is the grove and they will kill you for saying bad things about it. I like them overall for conversation.

USC (NA) – used to be the easiest people to talk to on the Rant. I learned a lot from them early, learned a lot of the Rant and the SEC ropes/tropes. But ever since we played them they had a massive hate boner for us that makes them impossible to talk with. I think it is because Kenny Trill accidently killed their program. So NA for now, avoid for non-trolling purposes.

Tenn (4)- start with a TTR and then keep at it. Eventually you wear them down, they aren’t like an Arky. I have gotten them to tell me everything after a while, the nut can be cracked. But you can avoid the defenses completely if you talk about old topics. A thread like “ In the 1990’s, did the SEC…” is a 1. So maybe start there, but note the Tenn pool is not deep for the type of conversation you are looking for.

Texas A&M (Infinity)- We know our secret so lets keep it between us

Vanderbilt (1++)- The best fanbase for a conversation on the Rant period. Extremely high IQ mixed with humility and grace. Put up the strongest LFF you can and it actually improves the quality of the response unlike most fanbases here. Just leave the switch on go and never troll them. Only issue is finding one, as there aren’t many. But like a pot of gold they are fun to find and talk with. Best Rant fanbase.

That is what every LSU lurker just said to themselves.