Why is it that the media hates the SEC? I just read an article on Fox Sports and they said that in 2003 LSU shared a national title. Correction LSU WON a national title. But because the media felt bad that USC got left out they split the title. Then a year later when Auburn went undefeated and USC won the title, the media says "oh we can't keep spliting the national title." The SEC is the toughest conference to play in, which is the reason that there is rarely an undefeated team. If any other team in the country played in the SEC, I guarantee that more times than not they couldn't go undefeated. So you media guys get off your knees, and wipe your mouth and get out of teams like USC and Notre Dame's bedroom and do your job with an unbiased opinion.
Help me understand something here. How is it that the media hates the sec but yet they have been in so many National championship games? I took a look and The sec has been in 5 national championship games since the Bowl Allence. No other Confrence has that many. The Big 12 has 4 The pac ten has 4 and the Big TEN has 3. So where is the hatred at?
I am a FL Grad, just wanted t get that out of the way. I am also a USC fan because I grew 20 miles from the So Cal Campus. Now, I cant argue with you that the SEC is one of the strongest conferences in football. However I think the SEC Bowl record this past week or so indicates that they are not the toughest, if there is a toughest. As for LSU winning a National Championship, they won the BCS Championship, USC was rewarded by the other poll because they recognized that Oklahoma had no business in the BCS Bowl (they weren't even the Champions of their conference) and after USC cleaned Mich's clock they were obviously deserving of being #1. The year this happened there was no obligation for any of the polls to agree with the BCS standings as there is now. I would also like to add that I don't believe FL could beat USC this year in a head to head meeting. Split loyalties and all that I understand, but Leach would have no chance against USC's defense in my opinion.
Great question? I too think the majority of the national media hates the SEC and I think I can speculate a few reasons why:
1) Liberal media bias: Do you think the secular, progressive, northern media distaste of southern values and culture is confined to the political areana? The northern liberal media hates ALL things southern and that hatred extends to football.
2) Where do you think the northern media members and journalists went to college? They went to northern schools, many of which probably caught an #### whooping from an SEC school at some point while they were in college.
3) The SEC is a bit arrogant. Now don't get me wrong. I love the SEC and I love SEC football, but when all of your coaches, players, fans and AD's tell the rest of the country how superior the SEC is, I can see how it would get under the skin of non-SEC fans.
Yes but please tell me how the media and the rest of the country hates the SEC. They have been rewarded for there confrence 5 time in less than 10 years. That means that the country thinks pretty highly of them.
"Why is it that the media hates the SEC? I just read an article on Fox Sports and they said that in 2003 LSU shared a national title. Correction LSU WON a national title."
how can you claim the media hates the SEC based on ONE article, which, by the way, stated the truth. as was said above, USC finished on top in the BCS poll, while LSU took the AP honors...that amounts to a shared national title.
if there's a conference that the media hates, it's the big 10. wisconsin got no love this year, in large part due to its soft schedule, but managed to beat arkansas in the cap1 bowl. but with the way other games panned out, chances are they'll finish out of the top 5 in every poll. by the way, if the SEC gets no love, explain how a 2 loss LSU team finished the regular season ahead of wisconsin (11-1), louisville (11-1), boise state (12-0) and even USC (10-2).
Cuzo, that one is easy... the Big Easy played no one at all until the last 3 games of the season. wisconsin had a weak schedule - which you admitted to. i'm not saying Wis is no good, i'm saying that their #### schedule undercuts them everytime. LSU whent 10-2 in the SEC, which is hella better than 11-1 in any other conference. USC played NO ONE and they lost to scrub schools like UCLA and Oregon state (4 losses). i think we all know that if there were a playoff, LSU would be the team no one wanted to play.
demon- you helped prove my point about the SEC. if they werent getting any respect, they wouldnt have finished ahead of those other teams. my point is, wisconsin, boise state and louisville all had better records, but LSU got the nod because they are in a tougher conference. as for USC, they've been the darlings of college football for 6 years now, and didnt get the benefit of the doubt this year, like they did with the BCS when they split the national title with LSU back in '03.
and i agree with you, LSU is the last team anyone would want to play if there wre a playoff system.
my bad, i didnt mean to say i agreed with this guy. i was just arguing your point. i dont think the media hates the SEC. Case in point, the SEC was weak this year and we still got hyped. look at Georgia. they were garbage this season, but people act like GAs was powerhouse or something. look at Arkasas's lack of offense beyond the RBs. or Alabama. we get graded on a curve.
Last edited by demonicume on January 5th at 8:59 AM.
i'm with ya. florida, LSU, auburn, tennessee, plus arkansas...if wisconsin played 4 of those teams during the year, they might beat arkansas and/or auburn. the others would make us their ####.
LGB- whichever way it is, USC is the team that constantly gets the publicity for winning it...so for that year, you can say the SEC (LSU specifically) doesnt get the respect it deserves.
as for THIS year, i dont see it. florida managed to jump ahead of michigan after beating arkansas (who i feel was overrated based on the #### kicking USC gave them, and fading at the end of the year), and LSU jumped to #4 ahead of teams with better records. so the idea that the SEC, as a whole, is disliked by the media is untrue.
Only reason LSU gets any love from the media is because they lived through the horror, devastation, and suffering cause by President Bush's creation of Hurricane Katrina. So anything to keep bringing it up and bashing Bush.
Auburn also had to crown itself National Champion with a perfect season, but NCAA violation previous year prevented them from going to a bowl. Michigan had to slime their way into a "CO-CHAMPION" in 97 because of a CONTRACT and could not play for the real Championship, got to love the North
Ok let me clarify my original statement, and I'll use the sugar bowl as an example. Late in the third quarter as LSU starts to put it on Notre Dame and it is obvious its going to end ugly, the announcers start talking about how great Notre Dame is. Hello?! Watch the game that everyone else is seeing. You know the #### kicking that is going on outside your window. I agree the SEC has put more teams in National Title game than other conferences, all I'm saying is that the SEC doesn't the respect it deserves because the media has to talk about how great everyone else is. I also agree that Wisconcin got the shaft. They should have played LSU not Notre Dame. And for those who think Michigan got the shaft, quit crying. You had your chance at Ohio State and got beat, and no one wanted to see you get beat again. And about the split title between USC and LSU. All the media harped on last year during the Texas USC game was that if USC won they would be the first team to have three consecutive national titles, which was untrue. Because of the BCS, #1 plays #2 and the winner is the national champion. So sorry USC I know you hate it, but LSU was the national champion, so deal with it. All this could be solved if they would dump the BCS and just have a playoff, but thats another blog for another time.
I don't think the media hates the SEC, I think its a case of pointing out their faults vs. the propaganda that comes out of the region. The SEC conference games are some of the best in the country, but here is what everyone sees:
A conference that is scared to death to leave home and play tough teams. When is the last time FL, GA, etc. played a quality team outside the South? There are too many creampuffs on their non-conference schedule. If they are so good, then get USC, TX, OK on their schedule. Recent results do not favor the SEC. Auburn lost 2 years in a row to USC, TN twice to Notre Dame, Alabama twice to OK, Arkansas got demolished twice by USC. That's 0-8 in the past 4 years against quality competition. It means playing home and away sets, not waiting to get teams in your backyard (i.e. the bowls). They were the only conference to not beat a top 15 team during the season.
Everyone also views the lack of integrity of the universities to field players of suspect morals and academics. The quality of the people that show up on the field at places like Wis, PSU, BC, ND, UCLA, Mich, etc. puts the SEC to shame. Quit acting like Miami or FSU. Get some integrity and you will be viewed in a better light.
fanwiz - check yourself. why should FLA add another top 10 team to their schedule? they already got 6. but if you mean why doesnt FLA trade 3 of its top 10 SEC schools for 3 top ten teams from other conferences, i might almost agree with you. until you remember that the Big Easy had - and i've said it 20 times - 2 undefeated teams going into the 9th week of the season. but their conference only has 8 teams. is that scheduling magic or what? what and USC playing Wash, WSU, ASU and Arizona? who did michigan play? or texas?
As for the media hating the SEC, I have to disagree. Anytime you watch a game on CBS, (which covers SEC games) it's almost as bad as watching Notre Dame on NBC. They won't even question that the SEC is the best, they just proclaim they are. I am a blogger who has been questioning how great the SEC is. Look, obviously they're the deepest conference top to bottom. I can't really argue that. But when I look at blogs from SEC fans a week ago, its "we're the best, we're going to sweep the Big Ten" WRONG Now when I bring that up, somehow they point to the fact that head to head competition isn't what counts, it's the overall bowl record of each conference that counts. OK, I guess. But making the case the SEC is better than the Big Ten because LSU beat an independent Notre Dame and that Pac 10 USC beat Big Ten Michigan is kind of strange, I think. What does it say about the proclaimed best conference SEC when the 2-4 Big Ten record has the 2 wins coming against the SEC? Respect will come from me and a lot of others if the SEC champ can pull off a win against the Big Ten champ Monday. If they don't I hope some SEC fans take a step back and see they might not be the best. I think we can all agree the best will be determined Monday night.
JEALOUSY....The majority of college footballs most talented players and coaches reside in the SEC. THE SEC is the model all other conferences should have to conform too. 12 teams, 2 division, best one from each division plays for the conference CHAMP....Lets face it the SEC CHAMPIONSHIP holds more prestige than the National title ever has. THE SEC TITLE IS HARDER TO WIN and doesn't rely on anything other than playing it out on the field...No POLLS, NO COMPUTERS, NO CROOKED POLLSTERS..
Good point about SEC coverage on CBS. I'm an SEC fan and I find the coverage a bit nauseating at times. It's also because of the SEC contract with CBS and the overall lack of marquee SEC games on ESPN that I think the folks in Bristol are a bit biased against the SEC. Fowler, Corso and Herbstreit give no love to the SEC. Only Holtz and Mark May give any props to the SEC up in Bristol.
TINman,
I totally agree with your point on the SEC and big name coaches. Meyer, Fulmer, Richt, Spurrier, Tubberville, Saban and Houston Nutt are big names even to the casual college football fan. Outside of the SEC, most conferences don't have more than 1 or 2 big name coaches. The average casual fan could not tell you who coaches in the Pac10 outside of Pete Carroll. The average casual fan couldn't tell you who coached in the Big 12 outside of Stoops and Mack Brown. The average casual fan knows who Bobby Bowden is but the ACC is full of no name coaches (does NC State even have a coach yet...does anyone know who Jim Grobe is?) The average casual fan could tell you who Petrino is but might have problems with Rich Rodriguez. Now folks know who Schiano is but no body outside of the tri state area even knew where Rutgers was before this season. Everyone knows Tressel and Lloyd Carr but who coaches at Indiana? Illinois? (I know it's Ron Zook and only because he made his name in the SEC) Michigan State (do they have a coach?) Wisconsin (when did Barry Alvarez leave?) The SEC has more well known, big name coaches then any other conference.
Last edited by FrankIrizarry on January 5th at 11:11 AM.
Frank-here we are again, lol. I have to say as a Big ten guy, ABC is pretty in love with the Big Ten. You should have heard Musberger calling basketball between Iowa and Michigan State last night. I don't know how many times he mentioned he was doing radio for the championship Monday night. Gee, ya think he might be pulling for Ohio State? It's just a hunch.
ABC has all the BIG 10, except for Michigan, You can only catch their games on the History Channel/ESPN Classics to watch them beat any one worthwhile.
What I find funny is when a guy like JAY Culter comes along and turns out to be the best QB in the SEC his senior year does he get respect for it. NOPE. Thankfully Shanahan realized that Cutler was the only player on the team that had any athletic ability and what an amazing thing it was playing for vanderbilt and putting together that kind of year with no real WR or RB on the team. The SEC is a beast you will play 4 top 10 teams every year in the sec, regardless of which division you are in. In the NCAA were wins and loses are suppose to rain supreme, sure does seem that QUALITY of OPPONENTS and strnght of schedule take a back seat to name recognition and big programs who are only truly tested on the field 2 times a year. There are only 3 teams in the country I think could enter the SEC and still be a power....USC, OSU, and MICHIGAN. I would bet the house they wouldn't go undefeated.
The media is going to put its best foot forward where they get the most fans. That means Big 10. The SEC does not have the fan base that exists for other conferences.
SEC fans like demonicume, have a mental block about quality of wins. Going 0-8 over the past few years during season against quality teams says it all. Don't hide from the facts. The SEC shies away from tough non-conference games, the athletic directors are well aware of exposure.
david-you think Michigan and Wisconsin make their in conference schedules? Not exactly
And didn't overrated Wisconsin beat SEC overhyped Arkansas? What? And reading everything you write about Michigan, I don't understand it. What do they have to apologize for? They play who is on their schedule. If you want to point fingers blame the people who make the schedule, not the kids who play the games.
Something funny, next time you look at the commerical for "Fatheads", note they show all the great teams and champions, note that Michigan is not shown.
david-can I drink that Haterade you're drinking? Damn man. Who is your team? Sorry if I asked before but you sure point out other teams flaws good, let me point out some flaws of your team.
Yes Wisconsin beat Arkansas, but it was more Arkansas shooting themselves in the foot than Winsconsin taking it to them. What wisconsin had all of 50 yrds rushing on the day..
As far as this 0-8 vs out of conference play... What about TN dismantling a 9th ranked CAL team this season so its not quite 0-8 now is it. Yes USC spanked an MCFADDENLESS ARKANSAS team. I think the point is... IF USC, OSU, or MICHIGAN had to play a tough opponent every week for 8 weeks like AUB, FLA, LSU did this year... Would they have the same record.... PROBABLY NOT. Its easier to play 3 cup cakes then a tough team followed up by 3 more cup cakes....
Wow SEC fans, as Herm Edwards would say" Hello, you play to win the game! You don't play it to just play it." Wisconsin won, deal with it. Quit making excuses as to why your team lost. If the SEC is the best why are they 0-2 against the Big ten? Oh right, you're better just cuz, right? Forget head to head competition. In that case I guess Carolina should be awarded the Super Bowl, huh? They didn't beat anyone but they were considered the best. That's what you're saying.
hoit- if Florida beats OSU does that make the SEC better then the Big X? To me no it does not. it makes Florida better then OSU, but does not make the conference better. You have to go to the overall bowl games to do that.
The SEC has 9 out of 12 teams going to bowl games. That is 75% of the conference. The Big X sent what 4? 75 to 40 %. SEC is 5-3 overall. Big X is 1-2 overall.
fanwiz says: "Couple of points:
The media is going to put its best foot forward where they get the most fans. That means Big 10. The SEC does not have the fan base that exists for other conferences. SEC fans like demonicume, have a mental block about quality of wins. Going 0-8 over the past few years during season against quality teams says it all. Don't hide from the facts. The SEC shies away from tough non-conference games, the athletic directors are well aware of exposure."
Frank reponds: Are you serious when you talk about fan base? Sure Michigan, Iowa, Penn State and Ohio State have HUGE fan bases but what about Northwestern, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan State? Have you seen the attendence figures from Florida, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Auburn, LSU and Arkansas? Every game is a sell out. Even Ole Miss has a great following. Mississippi State has big attendence and South carolina has been solid since Spurrier got there. A lack of pro sports or really good basketball (outside of Florida, kentucky and occasionally Tennessee) makes college football the only game in town in the SEC.
You also say the SEC shies away from tough non-conference games? Not true. The decision is solely financial. Why schedule a home and home with a big time team when you can pencil in a slapdick for a home date, pay out the $500,000 flunkie fee to the doormat and take home big revenue? That's why the majority of upper echelon teams don't schedule big time non conference games.
Hoit? Who's the better team: USC or UCLA? There goes your head to head theory. Like I said before, congrats to the Wisconsin and Penn State. There is no true way to find out which conference is really better. I doubt they will try a program where Ohio State spends a year in the SEC or LSU will venture off to the Pac-10. Winning one game doesn't make you a better football team, it makes you a better football team that day. I believe (which is not a fact by the way) that the SEC is head and shoulders above any other conference. You can say what you want, but that what deter me from thinking that. And when the Gators win on Monday, Florida will be number one and LSU will be number two. That's doesn't look too bad.
I ask agian was the TENNESSEE Dismantling of 9th ranked CAL not a quality out of conference win...Where is that in the 0-8 you keep throwing out.
Georgia beat a 16th ranked G.tech and a 14th ranked V.tech... are those not quality out of conference opponents... WTF do you guys get the 0-8 from please explain..
Auburn beat Nebraska who was ranked 22 at the time...
Alll of these games were this year... So I'll wait for the 0-8 breakdown....Or do you only consider Michigan, USC, and Notre Dame quality
Big Ten sent 7 teams to bowls.
2-4 record
2-0 against the SEC
Just because you have the most teams going at least 6-6, I don't know how great of an argument that is as to why you're the best conference. Best depth, yeah, Best overall is decided on the field.
They determine the best Monday night, and if SEC fans lose again you're 5-4 overall. If you win you're 6-3. That's not the best bowl record either way.
david-it's a possibility your team will lose Monday and have 2 losses just like Michigan. If you win, I'll give them credit. BUT as a fan of MICHIGAN, I said the BCS title game should be undefeated Boise State against undefeated Ohio State. Did you say that as a Florida fan? Or did you say my 1 loss is better than a team with 0 losses? Please, don't say the SEC argument again, I know they're good.
Again, if they don't determine who is better on the field, Carolina should be awarded the Super Bowl. That makes as much sense as saying my team lost to your team, but we're still better.
does not matter what conference, it is out of conference. wow, michigan beat minnesota, indiana, northwestern, iowa. out of conference light weights, in conference light weights.
I am just your average sports fan who believes the following: 1 - Div. 1 college football needs a playoff. 2 - The SEC is the toughest conference. 3 - Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame, and USC are the most over-rated teams in college football. 4 - An attractive woman who knows sports is every man's fantasy. 5 - The MLB season is too long. 6 - The DH in baseball needs to be done away with. 7 - The government needs to stay out of sports because they mess up everything they get involved in.
