More SEC Fodder

by travissimmo on Jan 5, 2009 11:47 PM PST

I know Bob Rickert already brought the wrath of SEC homers down upon our "Northerner" heads with his blog the other day, but...

Just looking through the 2009 schedules so far and couldn't help thinking... is it a requirement in the SEC to schedule both a FCS and Sun Belt Conference program?

(Side note: Georgia looks like the only team with a pair of balls, but even they squeezed in that nice grudge match with Tennessee Tech)...

Alabama: Virginia Tech (in Atlanta), Florida International, North Texas, Chattanooga

Arkansas: Missouri State, Texas A&M (in Arlington, TX), Troy

Auburn: Louisiana Tech, West Virginia, Ball State, Furman

Florida: Charleston Southern, Troy, Florida International, Florida State

Georgia: @ Oklahoma State, Arizona State, Tennessee Tech, @ Georgia Tech

Kentucky: Louisville, Louisiana-Monroe, Eastern Kentucky

LSU: @ Washington, Louisiana-Lafayette, Tulane, Louisiana Tech

Ole Miss: UAB, SE Louisiana

Mississippi State: Jackson State, Georgia Tech, Houston, @ Middle Tennessee

South Carolina: @ NC State, Florida Atlantic, South Carolina State, Clemson

Tennessee: Western Kentucky, UCLA, Ohio, Memphis

Vanderbilt: Western Carolina, @ Rice, @ Army, Georgia Tech

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of SB Nation or the Addicted To Quack Moderators. FanPost opinions are valued expressions of opinion by passionate and knowledgeable Oregon fans.

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I still think the SEC is the best conference, even in this down year.

While I prefer the 9 conference games the Pac-10 plays, and they play tougher non-conference games than most SEC teams, I don’t blame the SEC teams at all. Like it or not, the south is the center of football. They have more players out of high school, they have more colleges, they have more fans. Because of this, there is a lot more talent in a smaller area of land.

And Rickert sort of overreacted about one bowl game. Vandy upset BC, Ole Miss upset Texas Tech, LSU crushed GT, Georgia did what they should have done and so did Kentucky. The only other losses were South Carolina (in which they were overmatched), and Alabama (without their best player). I would say the amount of upsets is much more impressive than what the Pac-10 accomplished.

As far as scheduling…well, we played WAC and MWC teams, while SEC, ACC, and Big 12 teams play their cupcakes from the large amount of schools in the area. They also have many non-conference rivalries that happen year in and out. Most teams have started scheduling one BCS out of conference game a year. When you fill a stadium of 80,000+ people for podunk state, why not schedule them?

Are SEC fans annoying? Sure. But I don’t think that diminishes the strength of their conference. Getting pissy about it like Rickert does sure doesn’t help anything.

--AddictedToQuack, SBNation's Oregon Ducks blog

by jtlight on Jan 6, 2009 8:33 AM PST reply actions

I agree about Rickert… he did kind of go apesh*t on everyone.

I do think the SEC is a great conference, just not as elite as it makes itself out to be. I suppose part of this has to do with the eternal East Coast slant. The Pac-10 will always be underrated, in my opinion.

I’m sad football is over. Time to buckle down for a long, inconsistent basketball season…

Can Michael Dunigan be granted a fifth and sixth year of eligibility? Please?

by travissimmo on Jan 6, 2009 1:50 PM PST up reply actions

If the SEC was 1/2 as good as most of their fans make it out to be...

none of their teams would ever lose…

As far as the bias….I’m unlike a lot of Pac-10 fans in that I don’t think there’s a bias, per se. I mean, if you watch ESPN, you’re gonna feel that there’s a bias, beacause it’s a national network, and caters to as many people as possible. And it just so happens that most of the country lives in the Central/Eastern time zones, and especially most of the people that watch football.

So if you’re listening to blowhards, sure, there’s gonna be a bias.

I just think a lot of the prominent national writers are fair with the Pac-10 (Maisel, Forde, Mandel, etc.), and get most of my opinion from bloggers anyway. Most people that actually pay attention to the sport have a pretty level view of what’s going on, in my opinion.

--AddictedToQuack, SBNation's Oregon Ducks blog

by jtlight on Jan 6, 2009 2:05 PM PST up reply actions

I agree. While I might think there is more of a bias when it comes to things like polls, and local sports writers, some of the bigger national writers/journalists give the Pac-10 a good look. (Save Chris Fowler. He can be a Pac-10 snub.)

I will say, some of the most interesting matchups have been Pac-10 and SEC though. SEC might be stronger than the Pac-10, but the Pac-10 does have their number.

It's spelled ""S-H-U-Y-O-U-V-E-D-O-N-E-S-O-M-E-N-I-C-E-T-H-I-N-G-S-W-I-T-H-T-H-E-P-L-A-C-E"

by JShufelt on Jan 6, 2009 2:21 PM PST up reply actions

Yes, if the SEC was 1/2 as good as most of their fans make it out to be, none of the teams would ever lose.
But if the Pac10 was 1/2 as good as most of their fans make it out to be, we’d be talking less about how often we schedule great teams, and more about how often we beat great teams.
If the Big12 was 1/2 as good as most of their fans make it out to be, they wouldn’t keep sending OU to the BCS to get beaten.
And let’s not even get into “if the Big Ten was 1/2 as good…”

Every conference’s fans portray it as better than it really is.

Welcome to the Pit!

by AllSaintsDay on Jan 11, 2009 11:15 AM PST up reply actions

yeah well fuck the SEC. They are anointed the best conference every year even before they have played a game. That OOC schedule is bullshit and I totally blame them. The South ramains the “center of football” because people like you continue to propagate that garbage.

by coolconman on Jan 6, 2009 9:45 AM PST reply actions

Don't get your panties in a bunch...

The SEC has been the best conference the last few years. Other conferences have been close, but the SEC has been at the top. On top of this, the south in general has an absolute crapload of recruits. Mississippi had 74 high schools kids going to D1 schools in 2008. Oregon, with a bigger population, had 10 kids go to D1 schools. More people go to football games, watch football, celebrate football, and live football in the south than in other parts in the country. That may be their life, but it’s the reason they are the strongest football region in America.

Also, grow up and stop trolling Burnt Orange Nation.

--AddictedToQuack, SBNation's Oregon Ducks blog

by jtlight on Jan 6, 2009 10:24 AM PST up reply actions

Yeah, WTF was that. I just read that crap. I wouldn’t blame you, jt.

"When Bellotti attempted to shake the hand of Oklahoma State quarterback Zac Robinson after the game, Robinson offered his left hand. His right was swollen and battered from the Ducks' defense."

by MarineCorpsDuck on Jan 6, 2009 11:40 AM PST up reply actions

If the Pac scheduled non-conference like the SEC does

with 4 cupcakes (whoops, can’t do that) ok 3cupcakes, we would have had 8 teams in bowl games this year. Eight. Then we could talk about what a tough conference we are, game in and game out in league. Then we could defend scheduling patsies because our conference is the toughest in the nation. That’s the SEC.

by Samuraiduck on Jan 17, 2009 7:43 AM PST up reply actions

We could do that…provided that when push came to shove, the Pac10 was 5-0 since they made a championship game involving all the big conferences.
And that we had seasons like this one, where every SEC coach who lost to a mid-major was fired, because we realized that these teams were cupcakes.
And that even our teams at the level of Kentucky and Arkansas (that’d be UCLA and ASU this year) could beat teams at the level of Tulsa or ECU (I’d say that would be UNLV and Fresno State, except that I’m pretty sure UNLV and Fresno State were worse.)
And provided that we had the best record in bowl season over the last few years, despite sending what were theoretically bottom-tier teams that aren’t good except that they schedule cupcakes, despite the fact that these theoretically bottom-tier teams didn’t play in piddly little pre-Christmas bowls, and despite the fact that every team in the Pac-10 consistently got “bumped up” a bowl game because we sent two teams to the BCS. (And, yes, we did that this year. “Oh, how the hell did Arizona get in? Just because they scheduled Idaho and Toledo…or maybe not; they beat BYU.”)
If the Pac-10 scheduled a lot of cupcakes, but could do all of that, then yeah, I’d wonder why jtlight said the SEC was the best conference.

Welcome to the Pit!

About the logo: purple, green, and gold is clearly the best color combination, ever. Hey Mardi Gras!

by AllSaintsDay on Jan 17, 2009 10:16 AM PST up reply actions

It's beyond me how you can hate Texas after they just won the most timely Fiesta Bowl since 2006,

and love Oklahoma.

What are you dude?

Is a mancrush on LeGarrette Blount considered beastiality?

Addicted To Quack [dot] com; Where the Shufelts, butthols, and like half of the population of Chicago roam...

by qrsouther on Jan 6, 2009 4:07 PM PST up reply actions

A con man?

My HDTV is a JustinTV streamer who doesn't just use a webcam :(

by inroywetrust on Jan 7, 2009 6:55 AM PST up reply actions

one that isn’t warm, evidently

It's spelled "M-A-R-C-H-I-N-G-B-A-N-D."

I support inroywetrust in his support of The VD Special in his support of me supporting Roger Kieschnick in his quest to becoming the best Kieschnick ever to play professional baseball.

by Takimoto on Jan 7, 2009 9:53 AM PST up reply actions