To go with BL's post re: the OOC...
Sat Sep 2 Southern Mississippi Gainesville, FL
Sat Sep 9 Central Florida Gainesville, FL
Sat Sep 16 at Tennessee Knoxville, TN (5-3, 9-3)
Sat Sep 23 Kentucky Gainesville, FL (4-4, 7-5)
Sat Sep 30 Alabama Gainesville, FL (2-6, 6-6)
Sat Oct 7 Louisiana State Gainesville, FL (6-2, 10-2)
Sat Oct 14 at Auburn Auburn, AL (6-2, 10-2 loss)
Sat Oct 28 vs Georgia Jacksonville, FL (4-4, 8-4)
Sat Nov 4 at Vanderbilt Nashville, TN (1-7, 4-8)
Sat Nov 11 South Carolina Gainesville, FL (3-5, 7-5)
Sat Nov 18 Western Carolina Gainesville, FL
Sat Nov 25 at Florida State Tallahassee, FL
Contrast that with:
9/2/06 Northern Illinois
9/9/06 Texas (then #2, I might add)
9/16/06 Cincinnati (spelled correctly)
9/23/06 Penn State (5-3, 8-4) (Tennessee)
9/30/06 At Iowa (2-6, 6-6) (Alabama)
10/7/06 Bowling Green
10/14/06 at Michigan State (1-7, 4-8) (Vandy)
10/21/06 Indiana (3-5, 5-7) (South Carolina)
10/28/06 Minnesota (3-5, 6-6) (Georgia)
11/04/06 Illinois (1-7, 2-10) (No comparable)
11/11/06 Northwestern (2-6, 4-8) (Closest = Kentucky, edge to Kentucky)
11/18/06 Michigan (Then #2, I might add) (7-1, 11-1) (Auburn)
Now, I'm not insane... Florida's schedule turned out to be tougher, and I won't argue otherwise. My point is to illustrate that the schedule they played isn't exactly filled with world beaters. Throw Illinois off the schedule, have OSU play Wisky, and suddenly our schedules, while I would think still tilting in favor of the Gators in terms of SOS, are even closer. But, as it turns out, such a game wasn't in the cards this year.
In any case, SEC folks, as I would have expected, throw out the names,
Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee as if they are without peer in the Big Ten... Not so much. Each of these programs has a legitimate football pedigree. But, obviously that has shit to do with on the field performance in 2006. Georgia's Hershel Walker days didn't win them any games this year. Bear Bryant sure as hell didn't coach Bama to a 2 - 6 record in conference this year, and it is far too soon to think that Tennessee's 20 year cycle of returning to football relevance is again upon us... easy Vols fans, only about 15 - 18 years to go.
Again, it's not my point to compare the schedules to argue that Ohio State's was harder this year. I don't believe it was. But, the SEC isn't full of world beaters, despite the name recognition angle. (Preaching to the choir here, I know)
