Alabama and..... Florida State?

[Aikbach]

I disagree, it TOTALLY MATTERS what at least I think lol

This year at least one has to concede the Pac 12 is most competitive, frankly probably than the SEC.

People talk about the Big 12 being down (aka Texas had a bad start) but it is the SEC that is the most dramatically unremarkable this year if not for Alabama. And the Pac 12 collectively is the most impressive to date, which is normally not the case.

 

[Future]

This year at least one has to concede the Pac 12 is most competitive, frankly probably than the SEC.

People talk about the Big 12 being down (aka Texas had a bad start) but it is the SEC that is the most dramatically unremarkable this year if not for Alabama. And the Pac 12 collectively is the most impressive to date, which is normally not the case.

Is the SEC down from the last couple of years, sure, but it still has 6 teams ranked in the top 15. Saying the Pac 12 is more competitive completely ignores the fact that, after Oregon and Stanford, there just aren't any good teams. I don't think you could make the argument that UCLA is better than Auburn, Mizzou, South Car, or LSU

I dont concede anything about the Pac 12 being better/more competitive/whatever than the SEC. Its just not as good. As good at the top, maybe, but after the top 2 I dont think its even close.

 

[Aikbach]

Is the SEC down from the last couple of years, sure, but it still has 6 teams ranked in the top 15. Saying the Pac 12 is more competitive completely ignores the fact that, after Oregon and Stanford, there just aren't any good teams. I don't think you could make the argument that UCLA is better than Auburn, Mizzou, South Car, or LSU

I dont concede anything about the Pac 12 being better/more competitive/whatever than the SEC. Its just not as good. As good at the top, maybe, but after the top 2 I dont think its even close.

I'm not trying to be argumentative, and I respect your opinion, but I challenge it in regard to the SEC. Take Alabama out of that conference and the talk of the season would be the decline of the conference. The fact two vanilla Big 12 refugees have come in and in many respects run the joint is evidence of that.

Georgia is down, LSU is vulnerable, Ole Mis, MSU, Auburn are all decent enough, but Arky is in a funk, SC is not living up to preseason hype etc.

Even the Aggies, who were supposed to struggle in the SEC but surprised all last year with a dynamite season, have been middle of the road most of the year.

As of now the SEC has as many top 10 teams as the Big 12, 2.

Flashover to the Pac 12 and Oregon, Stanford, UCLA are all threats to be top ten at season's end, we can't realistically say that about the SEC right now.

And as for your critique about the bottom of the Pac 12, it is no more or less flotsam and jetsam than in the SEC with Vandy, Kentucky and Tennessee.

 

[Future]

Ok, well then if we take Bama out, you have to take Oregon out. UCLA is probably not going to be a top 10 team when all is said and done with two losses against the only good teams they've played. If Oregon handles Stanford, they'll drop out as well I would think.

Just because teams in the SEC are down, doesn't mean that they still arent better than the Pac 12, and if you think 3 from that conference could end up in the top 10, there's no reason three from the SEC couldn't, especially if they already have 6 teams in the top 15.

And for the teams that struggle in the SEC, what about all the teams in the pac 12 that suck. You could call the bottom teams in each conf a wash - Cal, Colorado, Washington, WAshington State, and Utah vs Kentucky, Ark , Vandy Tenn and Ole Miss. After that you have Zona, UCLA, Oregon State, and USC. That certainly isn't a better group than, say, A&M, LSU, Florida, and Georgia.

The SEC is just way deeper, and I dont think its even close.

Also, who is the other big 12 team that is running the joint?

 

[jterrell]

I don't think there is a dominant conference this year.
Sagarin ratings very slightly favors SEC then PAC 12 then Big 12 but by razor thin margins well within his margin of error.

Oregon, Bama, Baylor and OSU all have legit (if arguable) claims at elite status.
Oregon most explosive offense in country.
Bama has the countries best defense.
Baylor has been the single most dominant team game in and game out.
OSU has a very long winning streak.

Conference depth is soft everywhere.
SEC is not immune to many bad teams.
Having 14 they have at least 5 VERY mediocre big conf teams. --Vandy, Miss St, Kent, ARK, Tenn(though improving).

Plus the SEC has teams like Florida, Georgia and South Carolina who were wildly overrated.
The ratings still reflect wins over them as some major accomplishment.
It should not. Georgia has no defense.
Florida has zero offense.
SCar has injuries to its' only elite talent.

Pac 12 is hard for me to judge because they love to play games when I am sleeping.
Outside Oregon/Stanford/UCLA/USC who find their way to primetime games weekly the other schools are mysteries.
USC was obviously awful then just mediocre.
UCLA very solid but hardly elite.

Big 10, ACC and Big 12 have same stories. Mediocre depth that is hard to define because no mediocre schools play anyone of note out of conference it seems.

Would be really ideal if their was a 16 game championship tourney. But 4 is a start and it will help separate wheat from chafe.

Biggest issue is the fact so much is made of perception. It really should be just on field performance but when you get five 1 loss teams and only 2 can go that will be an issue.

 

[Future]

Well, everything is moot now that Oregon got murdered. They seriously looked awful last night, and Stanford doesn't look like a team that would be able to beat an Alabama because they are just simply not explosive enough.

I think its pretty clear that Bama and FSU are the two best teams in the country now.

 

[WV Cowboy]

Well, everything is moot now that Oregon got murdered. They seriously looked awful last night, and Stanford doesn't look like a team that would be able to beat an Alabama because they are just simply not explosive enough.

I think its pretty clear that Bama and FSU are the two best teams in the country now.

I loved watching a team RUN over a pass oriented spread team.

They smacked 'O' in the mouth and they never recovered.

 

[Future]

I loved watching a team RUN over a pass oriented spread team.

They smacked 'O' in the mouth and they never recovered.

Absolutely. The criticism of Oregon has always been that they can't handle too much physicality, and that was absolutely the truth last night.

I dont think that it was necessarily great football, because Stanford only ran like 2 plays lol, but it was fun to watch.

 

[jterrell]

Well, everything is moot now that Oregon got murdered. They seriously looked awful last night, and Stanford doesn't look like a team that would be able to beat an Alabama because they are just simply not explosive enough.

I think its pretty clear that Bama and FSU are the two best teams in the country now.

Not sure how that could be clear to anyone.

Bama and FSU both have strength of schedules somewhere around 50.
They really are very little different from Baylor whose been winning just as impressively against soft competition up til last night.

And I generally laugh at the Big 10 yearly but OSU is just as undefeated and with everyone at the top playing crap schedules they deserve no more scorn than anyone else.

Bama will face a solid road home with games against LSU, Auburn and the SEC CG left remaining.
Baylor gets more top 25 opponents to finish the year.
FSU beat Clemson which is really all they had to worry about.
Not their fault Florida is terrible this year but overall they don't deserve a title shot if Baylor and Bama can go undefeated.
The ACC's complete lack of depth will kill their SOS.
SOS has to be the tie-breaker in that scenario and FSU will be lower than both.

 

[jterrell]

Absolutely. The criticism of Oregon has always been that they can't handle too much physicality, and that was absolutely the truth last night.

I dont think that it was necessarily great football, because Stanford only ran like 2 plays lol, but it was fun to watch.

It looked like the Dallas/Philly game.
Take away the run and short pass from that spread, hurry up run-based offense and they struggle.
The QB isn't meant to be a great pocket passing option because the tempo and rush load leaves them tired.

 

[Future]

FSU would have to play Miami again in the ACC championship game, more than likely. Thats three wins over top 10 teams, assuming Miami doesn't lose again. Baylor isn't going to do that. Win out, and its Bama vs. FSU.

 

[jterrell]

FSU would have to play Miami again in the ACC championship game, more than likely. Thats three wins over top 10 teams, assuming Miami doesn't lose again. Baylor isn't going to do that. Win out, and its Bama vs. FSU.

Miami won't be anywhere near top 10.
That team is one of the bigger frauds in the country.

 

[jterrell]

And you have to account for the final 4 games as it effects SOS and where the teams will be ranked when that final BCS total is released.
SOS changes each week based upon losses by opponents.
The Big 12 has 5 teams with 6 or more wins already. Baylor will have played them all.
They are all top 40 teams.

FSU is going to miss a lot of the 7+ win teams in the ACC because of the split.
When you face 5 Atlantic teams that are all at or below .500 overall that is a killer.
None of those 5 teams are top 40.

The ACC Coastal is more competitive but they only get one more game versus the champ there.

Wake Forest and Syracuse are .500 teams.
Idaho is one of the lowest rated teams in college football and an SOS killer.
Florida has fallen off the map so offers so help.

Basically FSU has 1 game left against a team that is over .500.

Baylor has 3 out of 4 versus teams well over .500.

 

[WV Cowboy]

Absolutely. The criticism of Oregon has always been that they can't handle too much physicality, and that was absolutely the truth last night.

I dont think that it was necessarily great football, because Stanford only ran like 2 plays lol, but it was fun to watch.

I went to bed when it was 26-0, .. just found out it ended 26-20.

Wow!

 

[Future]

Miami won't be anywhere near top 10.
That team is one of the bigger frauds in the country.

If Miami doesn't lose, they'll be in the top 10, fraud or not.

 

[Future]

And you have to account for the final 4 games as it effects SOS and where the teams will be ranked when that final BCS total is released.
SOS changes each week based upon losses by opponents.
The Big 12 has 5 teams with 6 or more wins already. Baylor will have played them all.
They are all top 40 teams.

FSU is going to miss a lot of the 7+ win teams in the ACC because of the split.
When you face 5 Atlantic teams that are all at or below .500 overall that is a killer.
None of those 5 teams are top 40.

The ACC Coastal is more competitive but they only get one more game versus the champ there.

Wake Forest and Syracuse are .500 teams.
Idaho is one of the lowest rated teams in college football and an SOS killer.
Florida has fallen off the map so offers so help.

Basically FSU has 1 game left against a team that is over .500.

Baylor has 3 out of 4 versus teams well over .500.

Your still ignoring overall body of work. Baylor isn't going to get a win as good as Clemson no matter who they play.

 

[jterrell]

Your still ignoring overall body of work. Baylor isn't going to get a win as good as Clemson no matter who they play.

And you are ignoring how the BCS works.
It isn't about a single win. It is about the math behind the SOS multiplier.

And Clemson has to beat SCarolina to end up a top 10 team.

Whomever finishes 2nd in the Big 12 will almost certainly be a top 10 team. But more than that the next 3 or4 places will be top 25 and a couple more will be top 40.
The depth lends to a solid SOS overall that the ACC doesn't match.

It is just simple math. Without 3 or 4 ADDITIONAL undefeated teams to pollute the human rankings the computer polls will determine the final participants and Baylor will get the nod.
A Baylor team tanked 6th isn't leapfrogging an FSU team ranked 2nd but it will if they are 2nd and 3rd. And that's what appears is coming.

I have no idea who'd win a head to head match up between Baylor and FSU but I hope we get to see and suspect we will... because Bama has a nasty road from here to the NCG

 

[Chocolate Lab]

After reading this thread I think we can all agree on one thing... Thank Gawd a playoff system is coming.

 

[Future]

And you are ignoring how the BCS works.
It isn't about a single win. It is about the math behind the SOS multiplier.

And Clemson has to beat SCarolina to end up a top 10 team.

Whomever finishes 2nd in the Big 12 will almost certainly be a top 10 team. But more than that the next 3 or4 places will be top 25 and a couple more will be top 40.
The depth lends to a solid SOS overall that the ACC doesn't match.

It is just simple math. Without 3 or 4 ADDITIONAL undefeated teams to pollute the human rankings the computer polls will determine the final participants and Baylor will get the nod.
A Baylor team tanked 6th isn't leapfrogging an FSU team ranked 2nd but it will if they are 2nd and 3rd. And that's what appears is coming.

I have no idea who'd win a head to head match up between Baylor and FSU but I hope we get to see and suspect we will... because Bama has a nasty road from here to the NCG

So if Baylor runs the table, you'd probably have Texas at #2 with three losses. Whereas, if FSU runs the table, and Miami and Clemson don't get upset, FSU would end up with three wins against Clemson and Miami, who would both be undefeated besides FSU, and probably top 10. Not to mention the fact that FSU rolled them.

To me, it seems like you believe wins over 3-loss teams like Texas, OK, OK St., and Tech, would overcome that. I don't see it happening.

 

[Aikbach]

Bama had a solid victory to stay unbeaten, LSU has been spotty all year, and in the second half the Tide did roll.


FSU probably won't be challenged until the ACC Championship.

My presumed favorite was oregon, but they stumbled and are likely through with four unbeaten teams remaining.