re: Ivan Maisel: SEC Not The Best Anymore

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Let's say the SEC took on any other conference in the country. The top teams played each other, the #2 teams, all the way down. I'd like to make a little wager with Ivan on the outcome. It would be like taking candy from a baby.
The SEC has the best players, the best coaches, the best fans, the best facilities, etc. and it's not even close. Let's see how the bowl games play out.

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I would agree in most years, but I'm not sure I do this year with the Pac 12. The middle 6 or so teams in the Pac 12 to me are better than the middle of the SEC

UCLA/ASU/USC/Utah are a very good 3-6 to me, and I think they would win 3 of 4 against Ole Miss/LSU/Georgia/Mizzou

I just don't think anything past the top 6 or 8 teams matching up does much. Like is Vandy better than Cal? Kentucky way better than Oregon State?

The B1G isn't good, but has some good teams. If PSU/Mich can get their crap together, the conference can be solid going forward (please god)

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Every single team in the East has an OOC loss.

Not one team from the West has an OOC loss.

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It gets even better when you add in that teams from the SEC-W have beaten:

The American Conference champion
The B1G West winner*
B12 Co-leader with one game pending
CUSA West winner*
MAC West winner*
Mountain West Mountain winner*

*playing for conf title this weekend

These wins came from 4 different SEC-W teams (Auburn, Ole Miss, LSU, and Arkansas). The only team from the East that has a win against a conference or division winner or co-winner is Mizzou with wins over Toledo (MAC West) and UCF (Potential tie for American if they beat East Carolina).

The SEC-W is also 4-0 against Power-5 opponents with wins from Alabama, Auburn, Arkansas, and LSU with all of those wins coming on the road or at neutral sites.

The East is 1-6 against the Power-5 with the lone win and two of the losses being home games.

TL;DNR version - the East better pull some weight this year in hoops because they're the sole reason the SEC is considered to be down this year.

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Somewhere in all of that excitement sat the cold realization that once the SEC West teams started playing one another, maybe they wouldn't stay undefeated. Maybe they wouldn't stay highly ranked. Maybe they would begin to lose because they were no longer playing the rent-a-victims that SEC teams schedule in September

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Hmmm, shall we check some facts?

LSU (8-4, 4-4, 5th in SECw) beat Wisconsin (10-2, 7-1, 1st in Big10w).

Auburn (8-4, 4-4, 4th in SECw) beat KSU (9-2, 7-1, tied for 1st overall in Big12), at KSU.

Ole Miss (9-3, 5-3, 3rd in SECw) beat nationally-ranked Boise (10-2, 7-1, 1st in Mountain West conf, and headed to Fiesta Bowl)

Bama (11-1, 7-1) beat WV (7-5,5-4, 5th overall in Big12)(okay, not a great team, but they beat Baylor by two TD's so not exactly a cupcake).

Yeah, the other 3 SECw teams and the SECe haven't done anything of note OOC, but those four wins against quality programs are pretty stout.

For years we've heard "the SEC is down, the SEC is down" and it has simply been wishful thinking from other conferences.

This year, we heard how dominant the SEC West was, when in actuality the entire SEC was down this year.

LSU, Auburn, and Bama are not "dominant" teams. In most years, one of those teams has been dominant. Georgia, Florida and USC have fallen flat on their faces.

MSU and Ole Miss are competing. Not bad teams mind you, but still...


This year, FINALLY, the SEC is indeed "down."

Too much star power was lost last year. Just look at the NFL. And the East is in need of coaching transition. FSU and Clemson are now the belles of the region and attracting the recruits that otherwise went to UF, UGA and USC. FSU is sequestering a ton of individual talent right now.

I dont think everyone has caught up, i think the sec has taken a collective backstep. With all of the early entries to the nfl and move towards spread offenses, the sec is no longer fundamentally sound.