In your post you imply that none of those teams you listed could have given USC a game. I think they could have . In 2003 Stanford had them beat and ended up letting them off the hook . Do i have to tell you how bad Stanford has been the past 4 or 5 years. But when you play enough weak teams you can survive and get up for the ones you need too.
lol, did I imply or did you infer? SoCal did lose that year... to Cal... upsets do happen. And the list that you say I listed was your list not my list, so listen... SoCal would have been favored in any game on your list. Could they have been upset, sure, but it would have been just that, an upset. What I did imply (actually stated) was that Auburn blew through 2004 and 2005 with only one conference loss, a nail-biter to LSU. They went 15-1 in conference, yet they lost out of conference to both Georgia Tech and Wisconsin. What does that imply.... or infer:redface: ? Again, the PAC-10 has played 92 OOC games over the past five years against other teams from BCS automatically-eligible conferences. They're 45-47. The SEC (12 teams) have played 107 OOC games during the same time span against other "BCS league" teams and they're 53-54. You implied that the SEC was a dominant conference (7 or 8 tough games) and the PAC-10 was a group of sissies. I would infer from the data that the gap is not as dramatic as you wanted to imply. And, as stated, I do believe the SEC can run one, sometimes two, good teams deeper than other conferences in any given year... but I would beg to differ that statement would imply, therefore, that the SEC always has the best team. Hey, the SEC produced the 2003 and 2006 BCS National Champion... be proud!! And respect those teams and conferences that accomplished the BCS feat in the other years. They can play the game, too.
Yeah '03 was the one year I went to most of the Bama games. The student section wasn't even that rowdy. That's how bad we were. 4-9, I think? I remember the Kentucky game; the only SEC game we won that year I think.
For the most part, I agree. I think I mentioned the SEC seems to run one team deeper most years... when it's all said and done. I guess one could use the AP, Harris, BCS rankings, whatever, to prove their point. I'm too lazy this morning to pull the research on this, but I think this past year the SEC had five in the final top 25, the Big Ten had four, as did the Pac-10, where UCLA snuck in at the end... with USC, Cal and Oregon State. You guys should be proud, no doubt. We, in the Big Ten, probably have more respect for the Pac-10 because we play them more often. I'm pretty sure you guys are 6-6 versus the Pac-10 over the past five years. Hell, the Pac-10 is up on us 14-12... yet we're up on you guys, 10-9. I have kept up a mini football data base for about 8 years now, mostly Hawkeye stuff, but I can pull up intersectional play and other conference type junk when the whim hits me. I "gotta tell ya", there's not much in there that would support a claim of dominance by any conference. I can only conclude that the SEC runs slightly deeper, team-wise. However, there are no facts that I've found that would suggest the disparity between conferences is as wide as some would suggest.
I find your posts to be very fair and rational; however, I find the disparity between the SEC and the Pac 10 to be quite significant; however, the disparity between the SEC and USC is non-existent. The final polls- three teams vs. one in the top ten. The WAC had one and the Big Least had two-and a third one before the next Pac team turns up in the standings. With 7 of the top ten recruiting classes being from the SEC, I see an identifiable trend. I agree with your post, and understand your point here, but playing football takes it toll on any level. More specifically, USC was getting VERY deep on the depth charts with injuries sustained last year. It's really incredible that they survived with the injuries they had and I'm not familiar with the specs but remember the concerns/worries.
I'm probably wrong here... either that or just kicking dead horses... but my comments were directed towards the assumption that USC would have trouble in the SEC because "there are so many good teams in the SEC that it's hard to run the table". I would question that assumption. I had to go back to when Penn State joined the Big Ten in the early 90's. An SEC team has run the conference table six times since 1990. That feat has only been accomplished in the Big Ten four times... same in the PAC. And if one wants to go further back, it gets worse... you had a run in the '70's and '80's where one team or another ran the table 11 out of 13 years. So, based on that, I could not agree that's it is more difficult to run the table in the SEC than it is in either the Pac-10 or the Big Ten. I think it's hard to do in any conference, but USC (of late) would have had a better chance of doing it than anyone I can think of, that's all.
Passion is what makes this forum the best. Should I ever challenge someone's passion for their team, feel free to pound me to the ground, rip out my black and gold heart, and parade it around the field in front of all your fans at next year's BCS Championship game. Then send it to Phoenix, where my body will be laid to rest ... temporarily... next to Ted Williams.:wink:
I agreed with many of your points. Not everyone is blinded by the light - there are people here who are able to see things for what they are. It is possible to have loyalty to one school and still recognize others' programs for what they are......recognizing them for what they aren't is more fun though. :hihi:
And tiga... I tried to green dot you, but you "was full up"... figures!! I would be the first to say (as I have done on my forum) that with the addition of Spurrier, Miles, and the return of Saban, the SEC will only build on it's reputation. These things tend to come and go in cycles. I would be surprised if the SEC doesn't start putting up more OOC wins than they have in the recent past. I am a tad disappointed with the hires at Minn, Mich St, and Illinois (although you have to give the Zooker credit for the way he's been recruiting). We pale in comparison to the last three SEC hires... for sure. Gotta run, the Princess is about ready for our late night out at the Amelia Island Shrimp festival... gotta go find a clean Hawkeye shirt to wear. (Drives those Gator guys nuts)...
