News Herald: Look out, SEC West; Big Ten East ready to be No. 1 conference in college

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BleedGopher

BleedGopher

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per the News Herald:

For about decade, no one dared to question the hallowed ground of the SEC West as college football’s premier division.

It’s time to question it. Those wearing the boxing gloves and applying the body shots come from the most unlikely contender: The Big Ten.

Believe it. The Big Ten’s East Division has a legitimate shot to be the best division in college football, thanks in part to Coach Urban Meyer and Ohio State slaying the SEC’s top dog, Alabama, in a College Football Playoff semifinal on New Year’s Day.

It’s strange how one game and one big victory can change mindsets and opinions. But that’s the reality now. Until defeating the Crimson Tide, the Buckeyes (save for a win over Arkansas in the 2011 Sugar Bowl, a win that was later vacated because of NCAA violations) had never beaten an SEC team in a postseason game.

http://www.news-herald.com/sports/2...ady-to-be-no-1-conference-in-college-football

Go Gophers!!
 

I hate to defend the SEC, but let's slow down a bit. Every team in the SEC West could realistically be the 2nd best team in the Big 10 East division - with Auburn and Alabama being about on the same level as OSU. The Big 10 East could become a very tough division if Harbaugh and Franklin both build their teams as strongly as most people believe they will and if MSU continues on their same trajectory. Even then, though, you still have teams like Indiana, Rutgers, and Maryland which would not come close in any divisional games if they were in the SEC West. The gap is closing, but there still is a gap.
 

Power goes in cycles. It's hard to stay on top. I believe when on top, other schools can start to recruit against you and say, "Would your rather sit the bench at Alabama or come here and try to knock them off?" PAC 12 and Big Ten are on the rise, SEC is leveling off, and the Big 12 is in a bit of transition with uncertainties in the conference.

Coaching changes play a big role in this.
 

It's just a Cleveland paper bragging up the Buckeyes. I'm sure the Strib would be appalled by this kind of journalism. :rolleyes:
 



SEC West: 2-5 in bowl games to cap the season. Some in humiliating fashion.

Let's see what happens this year before we announce a trend, but they had a very bad year by recent standards. One might even say they were horribly overrated by the athletic directors committee/ CFP, lazy journalists, and most fans.

Maybe they'll be back to form this season. Maybe not. That's what makes it fun to watch.
 

This question could be easily answered if the B1G set up a non-conference game with the SEC the way basketball does it with the ACC(or whatever conference it is). Just have last years #1 team in each conference play each other and #2s and so on. Flip the home field back and forth so one year the odds play at B1G stadiums and evens play at SEC stadiums then the next year the odds will play at SEC stadiums. That would be an awesome non-conference game to look forward to every year.
 

bottlebass said:
This question could be easily answered if the B1G set up a non-conference game with the SEC the way basketball does it with the ACC(or whatever conference it is). Just have last years #1 team in each conference play each other and #2s and so on. Flip the home field back and forth so one year the odds play at B1G stadiums and evens play at SEC stadiums then the next year the odds will play at SEC stadiums. That would be an awesome non-conference game to look forward to every year.
Click to expand...

I like the general idea. But what if one team finishes odd one year, even the next, odd the next, even the next, etc? Wouldn't fly.
 

How do they make it work in basketball? I'm sure they could figure the schedule out. Teams that tie in record could be chosen to play home or away based on where they played last year. Last year using B1G records teams 2-3 were tied, 4-5 tied, 6-7 tied, etc. Wouldn't be too hard year to year to adjust the teams up/down 1 spot so you don't play more than 2 years in a row away.

Think how much a non-conference schedule like this would really help the CFP committee with their rankings.
 



bottlebass said:
This question could be easily answered if the B1G set up a non-conference game with the SEC the way basketball does it with the ACC(or whatever conference it is). Just have last years #1 team in each conference play each other and #2s and so on. Flip the home field back and forth so one year the odds play at B1G stadiums and evens play at SEC stadiums then the next year the odds will play at SEC stadiums. That would be an awesome non-conference game to look forward to every year.
Click to expand...

It's a neat idea, but the reason it works in basketball is that one regular season loss is not a big deal. Teams who are in the running for a national title don't want to play other national title contenders and potentially ruin their shot. Ohio St. and teams at their level don't want to play regular season games against Alabama and teams at their level every year, and vice versa.
 

dpodoll68 said:
It's a neat idea, but the reason it works in basketball is that one regular season loss is not a big deal. Teams who are in the running for a national title don't want to play other national title contenders and potentially ruin their shot. Ohio St. and teams at their level don't want to play regular season games against Alabama and teams at their level every year, and vice versa.
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I understand that. But the idea that top teams don't want to play top teams is what I'm getting at. I hope that mindset changes. It never will, but I hope it does. It would really help the CFP rankings if these teams played each other.
 

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