Insteresting contrast in SI's coverage of the semi-finals

[Fjoinkay]

Florida was probably the 6th best team in the SEC this year. Zero offense. The rest of the SEC has been conducting a demolition derby on the rest of college football this bowl season.

For the most part, but Louisville beat Texas A&M pretty good and Michigan ran over Florida. I would have loved to see Michigan play Tennessee instead with Northwestern playing Florida, but overall I think the selection committee does a pretty good job. The SEC and the Pac12 both have two bowl losses at this point. One other factor that isn't very significant but it is true every bowl season is that most SEC teams play bowl games in their own back yard.

 

[Alsacs]

USC and Texas are five star programs? Maybe 5-7 years ago. Not now. Clemson is definitely a five star program. Look what they've done in their last 4-5 bowl games. Dabo is not everybody's cup of tea but the dude can coach his arse off. He schooled Bob Stoops.

USC and Texas are better jobs than Clemson. Clemson is a top 15 job for sure and could become an annual 9-3/10-2 team but they aren't on the level of USC/Texas.

 

[bpo57]

For the most part, but Louisville beat Texas A&M pretty good and Michigan ran over Florida. I would have loved to see Michigan play Tennessee instead with Northwestern playing Florida, but overall I think the selection committee does a pretty good job. The SEC and the Pac12 both have two bowl losses at this point. One other factor that isn't very significant but it is true every bowl season is that most SEC teams play bowl games in their own back yard.

Yeah I have no problem with the Selection Committee. OSU is def a top four team but they blew it with the loss to MSU in Columbus against their backup QB.

Texas A&M had their top two QBs transfer and still had a shot to win that game in the end. And Florida has no QB and just can not score on anybody. The other SEC teams not only won their games but did it in very convincing fashion. Seemed like the average margin of victory was in the 25-30 point range.

 

[bpo57]

USC and Texas are better jobs than Clemson. Clemson is a top 15 job for sure and could become an annual 9-3/10-2 team but they aren't on the level of USC/Texas.

I'm not sure what a better "job" is. I just know based off the last 4-5 years that Clemson is a much better program with much better players than USC or Texas.

I remember listening to a guy on college sports radio recently talking about Texas. He said in the last five years that somebody throwing darts at a newspaper listing of Texas recruits could have done better than Texas did in their recruiting in the lone star state.

 

[Fjoinkay]

Yeah I have no problem with the Selection Committee. OSU is def a top four team but they blew it with the loss to MSU in Columbus against their backup QB.

Texas A&M had their top two QBs transfer and still had a shot to win that game in the end. And Florida has no QB and just can not score on anybody. The other SEC teams not only won their games but did it in very convincing fashion. Seemed like the average margin of victory was in the 25-30 point range.

The SEC has looked impressive in its wins. I have felt pretty much all season they had the best conference this year. I also think the gap between the SEC and the Pac12 is narrow. The Pac12 has just 2 bowl losses at this point, so if Oregon and Arizona State win today they go 8-2 which is very strong. The Pac12's two losses were close games and nothing like what happened to Florida yesterday, but if Oregon and Arizona State lose today that changes the picture a bit. Of course, if Georgia and Arkansas lose today that changes the story too.

 

[Alsacs]

I'm not sure what a better "job" is. I just know based off the last 4-5 years that Clemson is a much better program with much better players than USC or Texas.

I remember listening to a guy on college sports radio recently talking about Texas. He said in the last five years that somebody throwing darts at a newspaper listing of Texas recruits could have done better than Texas did in their recruiting in the lone star state.

$$$, recruiting base, history, location.

Texas/USC have all 3 over Clemson.

Just because Baylor/TCU have been better than Texas the last 5 years doesn't make those jobs better than Texas. Mack Brown got lazy and didn't leave the cupboard full at Texas. Now Charlie Strong has 1-2 years to win 9 games or he will be gone but Texas is a better college football job than Clemson. It doesn't mean Coach X would fit better at Clemson.

 

[bpo57]

$$$, recruiting base, history, location.

Texas/USC have all 3 over Clemson.

Just because Baylor/TCU have been better than Texas the last 5 years doesn't make those jobs better than Texas. Mack Brown got lazy and didn't leave the cupboard full at Texas. Now Charlie Strong has 1-2 years to win 9 games or he will be gone but Texas is a better college football job than Clemson. It doesn't mean Coach X would fit better at Clemson.

Yeah I guess you're talking about potential. I'm talking about where the programs are right now. Coaching matters and Dabo is easily one of the top coaches in America. And Clemson is situated in a region that produces some very talented football players.

I think Charlie Strong will get it turned around but it's not only Baylor and TCU but now Houston is a threat as well. And OU has always recruited well in Texas.

 

[bpo57]

The SEC has looked impressive in its wins. I have felt pretty much all season they had the best conference this year. I also think the gap between the SEC and the Pac12 is narrow. The Pac12 has just 2 bowl losses at this point, so if Oregon and Arizona State win today they go 8-2 which is very strong. The Pac12's two losses were close games and nothing like what happened to Florida yesterday, but if Oregon and Arizona State lose today that changes the picture a bit. Of course, if Georgia and Arkansas lose today that changes the story too.

I agree with you on the P12. Very solid year.

 

[Fjoinkay]

I agree with you on the P12. Very solid year.

I agree with you that the B1G is slightly better at the top this season, and the Pac12 is deeper. Oregon was shaky this season which hurt the Pac12 at the top. But overall when I compare conferences I look at depth of the conference. Even though Bama dominates the SEC every year, this season the SEC west has quality depth where last season it was down somewhat. That probably showed when Ohio State beat Bama. Bama is amazing what they do every season in that conference. Florida won the SEC east this season, and the SEC east has been down for quite some time now.

 

[bpo57]

I agree with you that the B1G is slightly better at the top this season, and the Pac12 is deeper. Oregon was shaky this season which hurt the Pac12 at the top. But overall when I compare conferences I look at depth of the conference. Even though Bama dominates the SEC every year, this season the SEC west has quality depth where last season it was down somewhat. That probably showed when Ohio State beat Bama. Bama is amazing what they do every season in that conference. Florida won the SEC east this season, and the SEC east has been down for quite some time now.

Totally agree. Only thing I would add is that Tennessee is obviously on the move up and was def a much better team than the Gators by the end of the year.

 

[wfschrec]

For the most part, but Louisville beat Texas A&M pretty good and Michigan ran over Florida. I would have loved to see Michigan play Tennessee instead with Northwestern playing Florida, but overall I think the selection committee does a pretty good job. The SEC and the Pac12 both have two bowl losses at this point. One other factor that isn't very significant but it is true every bowl season is that most SEC teams play bowl games in their own back yard.

27-21 while running out your third string QB and losing the turnover battle 2-0 is being beat "pretty good"? A&M had a shot to pull that game out ... not sure what you were watching. A&M gave them the game. U of F on the other hand was a total disaster ... losing Grier took all their momentum and was the death nail in their season for all intents and purposes. SEC is the best conference hands down. Bear in mind 4 of the Pac-12 bowl wins are against non-P5 teams ... SEC played only 1 non-P5 in Memphis and clobbered a slew of P5s ...

 

[Fjoinkay]

Totally agree. Only thing I would add is that Tennessee is obviously on the move up and was def a much better team than the Gators by the end of the year.

Agree on Tennessee and I would have loved to see them play Michigan and Northwestern play Florida, but overall I think the selection committee does really well.

 

[Fjoinkay]

27-21 while running out your third string QB and losing the turnover battle 2-0 is being beat "pretty good"? A&M had a shot to pull that game out ... not sure what you were watching. A&M gave them the game. U of F on the other hand was a total disaster ... losing Grier took all their momentum and was the death nail in their season for all intents and purposes. SEC is the best conference hands down. Bear in mind 4 of the Pac-12 bowl wins are against non-P5 teams ... SEC played only 1 non-P5 in Memphis and clobbered a slew of P5s ...

Those are pretty good excuses for A&M, but turnovers are a part of the game. Louisville moved the ball well with 534 yards of offense, and they were up 27-14 during the 4th quarter. It was a solid win for the ACC.

 

[wfschrec]

Those are pretty good excuses for A&M, but turnovers are a part of the game. Louisville moved the ball well with 534 yards of offense, and they were up 27-14 during the 4th quarter. It was a solid win for the ACC.

Really, is that your story? So putting up nearly 500 yards with their 3rd string QB and only losing by 6 is awful ... yes turnovers are a part of the game. My point is that lets not make it out like they were beaten soundly ... news flash they weren't and I never said it was a "solid" win for the ACC but don't paint it like it was a blow out.

 

[wfschrec]

Those are pretty good excuses for A&M, but turnovers are a part of the game. Louisville moved the ball well with 534 yards of offense, and they were up 27-14 during the 4th quarter. It was a solid win for the ACC.

Of course I can see how beating the 5 seed out of the SEC West is also a wonderful moral victory for the ACC ... got it ...

 

[SWC75]

Michigan state has played in three NY6 bowl games this past decade. OU in seven (including a title game).

Id take those results over a slightly higher win percentage in a fraction of a second.

ETA, never mind. I see you shortened up the sample size to make your point.

The article discusses the "resurgence" of the Oklahoma program. I assume they meant that Oklahoma hadn't been in the national title gamer since 2008. I think limiting the my sample to this decade is relevant in discussing the current state of the programs which is what both articles were assessing.

 

[Fjoinkay]

Really, is that your story? So putting up nearly 500 yards with their 3rd string QB and only losing by 6 is awful ... yes turnovers are a part of the game. My point is that lets not make it out like they were beaten soundly ... news flash they weren't and I never said it was a "solid" win for the ACC but don't paint it like it was a blow out.

A&M did really well with it's QB situation with 445 yards of offense. Louisville had 534 yards. A&M did a good job to make it close for sure. Other than Clemson, unfortunately this was a good win for the ACC. The FSU loss was a bad loss. I merely said that Louisville beat A&M pretty good in comparison to the two Pac12 bowl game losses thus far. I guess maybe the UCLA loss to Nebraska was a little more questionable than the A&M loss to Louisville (but not by much), but the Florida loss to Michigan was massive compared to USC losing to Wiscy by 2 points. All splitting hairs here. It's really not a big deal. I think the SEC is slightly better than the Pac12 this season, but the Pac12 still has a chance to finish the bowl season 8-2 which would be very strong.

 

[wfschrec]

A&M did really well with it's QB situation with 445 yards of offense. Louisville had 534 yards. A&M did a good job to make it close for sure. Other than Clemson, unfortunately this was a good win for the ACC. The FSU loss was a bad loss. I merely said that Louisville beat A&M pretty good in comparison to the two Pac12 bowl game losses thus far. I guess maybe the UCLA loss to Nebraska was a little more questionable than the A&M loss to Louisville (but not by much), but the Florida loss to Michigan was massive compared to USC losing to Wiscy by 2 points. All splitting hairs here. It's really not a big deal. I think the SEC is slightly better than the Pac12 this season, but the Pac12 still has a chance to finish the bowl season 8-2 which would be very strong.

Michigan was favored against Florida and ranked higher ... USC was ranked 25 and favored to beat Wisky ... UCLA losing to Nebraska is far far far worse than A&M losing by 6 to LVille. Nebraska was 5-7 in the regular season for crying out loud and what made it worse is they totally dumptrucked a UCLA team that had a very good shot at winning the Pac-12 south and missed out by 1 game. U of F is a bad bad loss to Michigan ... honestly had they lost by 1 score I would have been OK with it since U of M was favored. That is the only black mark carried by the SEC this post season and the conference is heads and shoulders above the others. The SEC if they win out can go 9-2 in this post season and has the best bowl record in the history of the NCAA of the existing P5 conferences. Everyone bitches about them being overrated yet they win when it matters most a majority of the time. Based on the amount of talent in the south I don't see it changing anytime soon either.

 

[Fjoinkay]

Michigan was favored against Florida and ranked higher ... USC was ranked 25 and favored to beat Wisky ... UCLA losing to Nebraska is far far far worse than A&M losing by 6 to LVille. Nebraska was 5-7 in the regular season for crying out loud and what made it worse is they totally dumptrucked a UCLA team that had a very good shot at winning the Pac-12 south and missed out by 1 game. U of F is a bad bad loss to Michigan ... honestly had they lost by 1 score I would have been OK with it since U of M was favored. That is the only black mark carried by the SEC this post season and the conference is heads and shoulders above the others. The SEC if they win out can go 9-2 in this post season and has the best bowl record in the history of the NCAA of the existing P5 conferences. Everyone bitches about them being overrated yet they win when it matters most a majority of the time. Based on the amount of talent in the south I don't see it changing anytime soon either.

I think Wiscy and USC was a good matchup, and the score reflected that. Nebraska was much better than its record. The talent coming out of southern California high school football these days is very impressive which bodes well for the Pac12. I think the P5 structure also levels the playing field a bit. It will be fun to find out.

 

[HOFCeluck]

From 2014, but still relevant IMO

 

[Fjoinkay]

From 2014, but still relevant IMO

The last two seasons is what I am referring to. No question that the past 10 season the SEC is top-notch by a country mile. The past two or three seasons is where the change is happening. The P5 structure is a part of that equation IMHO.

 

[wfschrec]

The last two seasons is what I am referring to. No question that the past 10 season the SEC is top-notch by a country mile. The past two or three seasons is where the change is happening. The P5 structure is a part of that equation IMHO.

Last year is a relative blip on the radar ... it hasn't been two or three seasons. Yes you have had other teams emerge to elite status but we are talking about conferences as a whole.

 

[Fjoinkay]

Last year is a relative blip on the radar ... it hasn't been two or three seasons. Yes you have had other teams emerge to elite status but we are talking about conferences as a whole.

You may end up being right, but right now I respectfully disagree. The Pac12 has a bright future, and really right now each of the P5 conferences, except maybe the Big12, are improving and catching up to the SEC IMHO, some are closer than others. But this season the SEC is the best conference. If Oregon and Arizona State lose tonight it will be a slight blemish for Pac12, but even if both win and win convincingly tonight it still wouldn't change the fact that the SEC is the best conference. The SEC west is very good. I don't recall the last time an SEC east team won the SEC championship. It may have been recently, but it seems like it was a long time ago.

 

[bpo57]

The last two seasons is what I am referring to. No question that the past 10 season the SEC is top-notch by a country mile. The past two or three seasons is where the change is happening. The P5 structure is a part of that equation IMHO.

Last year the SEC stunk it up. Not sure what happened but this year they are beatin' the snot out of people. 8-2 with all eight victories covering the spread. Average margin of victory well over 20 points.

 

[bpo57]

You may end up being right, but right now I respectfully disagree. The Pac12 has a bright future, and really right now each of the P5 conferences, except maybe the Big12, are improving and catching up to the SEC IMHO, some are closer than others. But this season the SEC is the best conference. If Oregon and Arizona State lose tonight it will be a slight blemish for Pac12, but even if both win and win convincingly tonight it still wouldn't change the fact that the SEC is the best conference. The SEC west is very good. I don't recall the last time an SEC east team won the SEC championship. It may have been recently, but it seems like it was a long time ago.

Florida twice with Urban Meyer. Tennessee won it about 20 years ago.