2008 Preseason and Regular season Polls

[IronBuckI]

Originally Posted by Gatorubet

You have to admit that having five coaches with a National Championship (not including one with an undefeated season) coaching in the same conference is a sick stat.

I don't have to admit [censored].

[Gatorubet]

3 of the last 5 MNCs, and the last 2, are owned by the SEC. Until somebody knocks us off, we're gonna have bragging rights and the resultant hyperbole fallout, no matter how obnoxious that may be.

[Gatorubet]

Originally Posted by IronBuckI

I don't have to admit [censored].

You bring up a very good point.

[3074326]

Originally Posted by Gatorubet

3 of the last 5 MNCs, and the last 2, are owned by the SEC. Until somebody knocks us off, we're gonna have bragging rights and the resultant hyperbole fallout, no matter how obnoxious that may be.

I don't have a problem with the SEC saying what it wants, the problem that I have is that it seems that every other conference is awful in comparison. I'll gladly admit that the SEC is the best conference in football, but if someone goes through a conference undefeated, they certainly didn't have an easy road to a bowl game. Easier? Sure. The one exception that someone could make would be Kansas, because they did manage to get through their conference without playing the major teams. Aside from that, I can't think of any exceptions.

I know you're not saying any of that. It's just rather annoying when I hear SEC fans making fun of the Big 10 for being terrible, when we usually have the same amount/or comparable amount of teams ranked. Sure, the SEC is better, but the Big 10 isn't terrible. It's annoying and I'm ranting to myself.

[TheIronColonel]

I guess I don't mind the bragging rights about conference superiority as much as I mind the ridiculous hyperbole. Whenever someone claims that Wisconsin would finish dead last in the SEC or that OSU would be under .500 in the SEC, someone somewhere gets a perfect 1600 SAT score. It has to be true. It's the only way the universe can keep stupid in equilibrium with smart.

[mross34]

Originally Posted by Gatorubet

3 of the last 5 MNCs, and the last 2, are owned by the SEC. Until somebody knocks us off, we're gonna have bragging rights and the resultant hyperbole fallout, no matter how obnoxious that may be.

The one complaint I have about the SEC, in regards to it being overrated, is that it's no better at the very top than some of the other conferences. With the conferences, for the most part, being split up regionally, the top talent from different areas tend to matriculate to the top schools in those regions. The Midwest's top talent tends to come to Ohio State or Michigan. The West Coast's top talent tends to go to USC. The Great Plain's top talent tends to go to Texas and Oklahoma.

I refuse to believe that the Southeast's high school talent level is significantly than any of these football-crazy regions, where kids are groomed from day 1 to play football.

Oklahoma, Texas, Michigan, Ohio State, and USC would all be top-notch SEC teams. The problem is that the depth of the SEC leaves these schools unprepared in comparison to whoever the battle-tested through and through champion of the SEC happens to be that particular year.

I'd really like to see a comparison of the SEC's early-season OOC top 15 matchups (albeit a much too small sample size) vs. their record in BCS bowl games. I'd be willing to wager that they perform much better at the end of the season, after they've played 3 or 4 more quality opponents than their opponent, than they are at the beginning.

[OregonBuckeye]

Originally Posted by mercer_buckeye

I'll give you that, but IMO our third and fourth best teams wouldn't have a winning record in the SEC not last year. It doesn't look like it's gonna be much better this year.

Really? I see tOSU, Wiscy, Iowa, Minny, Sparty, and NU all being improved and making bowls except Minny. Illinois, Purdue, and scUM will all be down(scUM will be really down) but all should make bowls too. Hard to predict PSU and Indiana because of their losses and off-the-field problems but PSU should make a bowl for sure and if Indiana gets Kellen Lewis back, they can too. I think the Big-10 will be much improved.

I'll give you that, but IMO our third and fourth best teams wouldn't have a winning record in the SEC not last year.

How do you judge that? Do you replace them with the SEC's 3rd and 4th best teams or do you add them into the SEC and make it a 14 team conference? Either way, I still think you're selling the SEC too high.

[TheIronColonel]

People keep underrating Wisconsin as the third best team in the Big Ten. In their bowl game, they played Tennessee as close or closer than LSU did. I hardly think Wisconsin would finish under .500 in SEC play. They probably wouldn't win the conference, but they certainly would hold their own.

[BuckeyeNation27]

Originally Posted by Gatorubet

3 of the last 5 MNCs, and the last 2, are owned by the SEC. Until somebody knocks us off, we're gonna have bragging rights and the resultant hyperbole fallout, no matter how obnoxious that may be.

so what was your excuse before the last 2?

[Gatorubet]

Originally Posted by BuckeyeNation27

so what was your excuse before the last 2?

Please explain.

You're knot clear.

[BrutusBobcat]

Originally Posted by BuckeyeNation27

so what was your excuse before the last 2?

"SEC is too tough. Conference championship game keeps knocking our teams out of it. SEC Championship game is the real national championship, anyway. Luckeyes didn't deserve to go in 2002. Nebraska didn't deserve to go in 2001. Chokelahoma was overrated in 2004. Big 12 and Big 10 schedules are soft. blah blah blah"

That should cover most of it.

[Gatorubet]

Again, I don't know exactly what he meant.

We do have 9 MNCs in the last 30 years.

I don't think we need excuses so much.

You should be playing for one this year. Three in a row will be a remarkable achievement. I'll be there rooting for you, unless....

[Steve19]

It seems pretty clear that we need the Big Ten to do well in OOC games this year. We don't need Appalachian State repeated. I think, by the way, that TSUN may not be as bad as everyone thinks. They may even give Ntre Ame a game.

[mercer_buckeye]

Originally Posted by OregonBuckeye

I still think you're selling the SEC too high.

They receive way too much credit, but you have to admit it is a very tough conference. I'm not judging that as top to bottom. I'm saying their top four teams are very [censored]ing good. You go four deep in the Big Ten you've got a pretty average team last year. I'm not bashing the Big Ten I'm just giving my opinion and you know what those are like.

[Wells4Heisman]

Originally Posted by Yertle

And USC to lead the season off...

The Big 10's style of football is fun to hate. Who cares? The Buckeyes have three straight Big Ten titles, and 5 out of the last 6 years we've been BCS bowling. Last year was supposed to be a down year for us, remember? Let the haters do what they do best, and we'll keep doing what we do best... win.

Well said Brother.