Bill Clinton went to Oxford, but he never finished, which is hard, as 98% do, so I think you're in good shape. Keep on Trucking. If I can get a Masters, there's great hope for the masses.
It's a nice thought but it is tough to go undefeated in the SEC. But LSU should be a legitimate contender for the NC this year. One thing it must do to accomplish this is cut down on the penalties. Also, Matt Flynn has to step in and be effective.
I'm right there with you Chip82. I would much rather play in the best football conference and occasionally lose than play in a weak conference and have the media say we're great. Rankings and bowl invitations aren't truly earned due to bias and money. The one thing you can earn is winning your conference. With that in mind, who could earn anything more than winning the SEC? I would love to see LSU in the hunt each year but I really don't want any team to win too many championships. Parity makes the sport enjoyable and opens the door for an underdog to occasionally sneak in. If the media jumps on our bandwagon, I hope it's because we're really one of the best. I wouldn't want the attention given to Notre Dame, USC, and Michigan. Just let them continue to ignore the SEC while we continue to rack up the titles!
Does that mean Florida shouldn't have been in the NC game? Was it money and bias that got them to Arizona? Or in their case, was it just because they are good? There is a lot to be gained by winning more than your conference; money for your school, recruiting advantage, media attention and visits which puts money in local pockets, players get exposure to help them on to the NFL, pride, alumni donations increase, quality coaches can be recruited more easily to name a few. Living in a major media market like Southern California I can tell you, the SEC is NOT ignored by the media. At times, it sounds like that's all we hear. How do you determine who is really one of the best? Will the best team always be from the SEC or will a straight up head to head game settle things in your mind? What if, and I mean a BIG if, USC beats LSU or any other top tier SEC team?
uscvball, USC can obviously hang with any other major football team in the country. The three distinct advantages they have are as follows...1) The Pac-10 is not on the same level as the SEC; 2) They don't have to play in a conference title game; and 3) If they're equal or close to other schools, they usually get the nod in the rankings, etc. due to the population/media, etc. on the west coast. Do I believe USC could have been successful if they had played in the SEC the last five years...YES! Do I believe USC would have won as many games or been put in the position they have had they played in the SEC the last five years...NO! I don't believe that the SEC is soooo far ahead of everyone else but I do believe they are the best and it has been proven time and time again. Sure, like most people, I'd love to have a playoff system but not if it becomes a quota program where every conference gets one team and Notre Dame and the Rose Bowl receive special treatment. How else do you make it fair?...tough question! I thought the strength of schedule was the best component but of course that element was removed when a certain university was left out of the title game due to their weaker schedule. :hihi:
Strength of schedule was not removed just the componet in the computers because the NCAA did not want it accounted for twice with the human voters already taking the SOS into consideration. I have seen USC play many times and it seems to me that they often have off weeks where they look sluggish or out of sync. If that happens in the SEC you are going to pay and a bottom team will take the upset. Week in and week out mentality of the SEC is the major difference between the 2 conferences, IMO.
Not sure I agree with the comment "put in the position" only because it sounds like nothing was earned, just all given. We have consistently played a 6-6 home and away schedule and have no problems traveling for our OOC games. Just ask Auburn, Arkansas, and hopefully Nebraska and aOSU come the next few seasons. If you envision a playoff system with the best teams always going and no conference quota BUT you also don't want to see the same teams keep winning and consider the SEC to be the best, how does that work? I really don't like to dredge up 2003. Any team that had what occurred to USC happen to them would be rightly angry and disappointed (Auburn rings a bell). I think in hindsight (which is always 20/20, yea?) the BEST NC game that year would have been LSU and USC. It didn't happen so now we have to wait and see how this season shakes out. Just an observation but I also think winning NC's and not just SEC titles can help LM put a gate around the state of Louisiana. As more programs become successful recruiting the South, the SEC risks becoming less successful.
That is an accurate observation. We've had moments of brilliance followed by moments of "what the heck was that". Still for the most part, we've found a way to win. I still recall Herbie commenting on USC after we WON a game and saying we should apologize because it wasn't a very convincing win. Continuing to win year in and out is incredibly tough in college football. The cycle will continue and I expect that teams like Miami and nd will eventually see a resurgence.
