re: Which SEC Programs have improved their standing

It surprises me that Vandy dropped so much. They have had some decent seasons it seems like.

Where are you getting your numbers from?

And one last way to look at it is this: How did current Top 25 programs fair over the past 20 years in terms of AP points added during the past two decades. Ranked in order of 1-25

1. Ohio State (#1 program the past 20 years; #3 all-time)
2. Oklahoma (#2 program the past 20 years; #1 all-time)
3. Florida State (#3 program the past 20 years; #14 all-time)
4. Alabama (#4 program the past 20 years; #2 all-time)
5. Florida (#5 program the past 20 years; #17 all-time)
6. LSU (#6 program the past 20 years; #11 all-time)
7. Texas (#7 program the past 20 years; #8 all-time)
8. Georgia (#9 program the past 20 years; #13 all-time)
9. USC (#10 program the past 20 years; #6 all-time)
10. Michigan (#11 program the past 20 years; #4 all-time)
11. Auburn (#13 program the past 20 years; #12 all-time)
12. Miami (#14 program the past 20 years; #15 all-time)
13. Wisconsin (#15 program the past 20 years; #25 all-time)
14. Tennessee (#19 program the past 20 years; #9 all-time)
15. Nebraska (#20 program the past 20 years; #7 all-time)
16. Penn State (#21 program the past 20 years; #10 all-time)
17. Michigan State (#22 program the past 20 years; #18 all-time)
18. Notre Dame (#25 program the past 20 years; #5 all-time)
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#19 Clemson (#26 program the past 20 years; #21 all-time)
#20 UCLA (#30 program the past 20 years; #16 all-time)
#21 Georgia Tech (#34 program the past 20 years; #23 all-time)
#22 Arkansas (#36 program the past 20 years; #19 all-time)
#23 Ole Miss (#37 program the past 20 years; #23 all-time)
#24 Texas A&M (#39 program the past 20 years; #39 all-time)
#25 Washington (#42 program the past 20 years; #25 all-time)


The programs below the line are still Top 25 all-time programs, but were outside the Top 25 during the last 20 years.

Pretty bad for the SEC to see Arkansas, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M as 3 of the 4 worst performing Top 25 programs of the past two decades. Thank goodness for Washington I guess. But that goes to show the punishment you take at the hands of the "Big 6" on a regular basis.

The "Big 6" are all Top 17 programs all-time, but they ranked #4, #5, #6, #8, #11, and #14 during the past twenty years. Even Tennessee, with all of their struggles, has been a Top 15 program over the past two decades.

What this means is the separation between the "Big 6" and the "Next 3" has been astounding over the past two decades. The gap is widening.

Top 10-15 becomes molasses for any sort of mobility.
Tennessee's nonmovement is more telling than it appears.
Bama's move up has been a wacky one in CFB history with all the teams and their circumstances involved. Would make for an interesting CFB documentary.

Thanks.

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Bama's move up has been a wacky one in CFB history with all the teams and their circumstances involved. Would make for an interesting CFB documentary.

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Bama, Ohio State, and Oklahoma's rise over the past 20 years has caused there to be a GIANT separation between the Top 5 programs and everyone else.

Twenty years ago, the Top 10 looked like this:

1. Notre Dame- 846
2. Michigan- 771
3. Oklahoma- 763
4. Alabama- 687
5. Ohio State- 687
6. Nebraska- 663
7. USC- 594
8. Texas- 559
9. Tennessee- 556
10. Penn State- 544

Of the Top 10 teams, the biggest gap was actually between #1 Notre Dame and everyone else. Michigan was in the #2 spot though.

But what we've seen over the past 20 years is Ohio State, Oklahoma, and Alabama have dominated the sport... while Notre Dame and Michigan have relatively struggled in comparison.

That's pushed Oklahoma (#1), Alabama (#2), and Ohio State (#3) up ahead of Michigan (#4) and Notre Dame (#5).....

But the gap now between #5 and #6 is massive. Here's what it looks like now:

1. Oklahoma- 1,015
2. Alabama- 989
3. Ohio State- 988
4. Michigan- 957
5. Notre Dame- 938
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6. USC- 795
7. Nebraska- 783
8. Texas- 772
9. Tennessee- 682
10. Penn State- 648

It would likely take a very long time before any new program joins the Top 5. That separation is absolutely massive.

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How many points do we need to catch Penn St?

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You're not far.

#9 Tennessee- 682 pts
#10 Penn State- 648 pts
#11 LSU- 612 pts
#12 Auburn- 544 pts
#13 Georgia- 548 pts
#14 Florida State- 544 pts

LSU has a 36-point deficit. If LSU averaged a #8 finish the next two seasons... coupled with Penn State not finishing ranked either year.... you'd tie them at #10.

It seems bound to happen. The question is will it be 2 years? 3 years? 4 years? Or will James Franklin do enough at Penn State to make it take longer.

The Top 10 programs in the AP have stood the same since the end of the 1977 season... though the order has changed, the same teams have stayed somewhere in the Top 10.

I believe the biggest gap between #10 and #11 occurred after the 2002 season. That's when Penn State was #10 with 588 points.... UCLA was #11 with 467. For a gap of 121 pts. That was a gigantic gap at that time.

Since then, the gap has been gradually decreasing each year. Following the 2005 season, LSU jumped from #13 up to #11 (ahead of both Auburn and UCLA). Penn State has been sitting at #10 and LSU at #11 ever since.

The gap shrunk to 86 pts after LSU's 2007 national title.... but then swelled back to 112 following the '09 season after two rather disappointing seasons for LSU, and two rather good seasons for Penn State.

Penn State has not finished ranked since '09 though, so each time LSU finishes in the Top 25, the gap shrinks. Now its down to just 36 points..... and it would seem there might finally be a change in the Top 10 teams for the first time in a generation.