National championship thread

[atlantacowboy]

Basically then you’re saying Clemson out coached Alabama?

I don’t recall Alabama’s lack of coaching continuity being an issue on the way to a 14-0 record.

Interesting how it’s come up now after a convincing loss? Kinda sounds like excuses for getting their butts whipped.

Its the truth. Venables absolutely schooled first year OC Mike Locksley. That is far from being an uncommon opinion. Nobody is arguing they got beat badly. What we are discussing here is how that happened. If your only opinion is "they got their butt whipped", that is not really discussing the game.

 

[Diehardblues]

The SEC has 1 team that's won a title since Auburn in 2010. So basically a decade.
That's Bama, who also hasn't went undefeated since 2009 despite a rep as never losing a game all decade.

The SEC is likely the strongest conference based on having 14 teams in a football crazy part of the country but they are also by far the most overrated league.
BUT.. they are not heads and tails better.
Not even close to perception.

Bowl records --keep in mind the SEC controls where their teams go and who they face in all non-BCS Bowl games.

Big 12: 4-3 (.571)
Big Ten: 5-4 (.556)
ACC: 6-5 (.545)
SEC: 6-6 (.500)
Pac-12: 3-4 (.429)

Hard to argue Clemson isn't the best college football team right now but that the ACC has a lot of mediocre teams after them.
Bama is a 5 star laden program with talent galore that can win on any given day and Georgia is rising to be a consistent top 10 team.
LSU is good but the offense never lets them be great.
OSU is elite if dramatic and PSU and Mich are entering that consistent top tier.
OU is elite and UT looks to be building but has false started and been underachieving for a dozen years.
The Pac 72 is watered down with everybody recruiting California and only Washington emerging as a yearly power.

End of the day until you build a true playoffs of 6 to 8 teams, it is still a goofy system of who we "think" is best or what 1 loss teams deserve it most.

While the SEC is arguably one of the strongest conferences their schedules don’t often support as such as the rhetoric we hear.

They only play 8 conference games. The only top 10 team in their division was LSU and is traditionally the only one. They only play in a round robin fashion 2 teams from SEC East.

Yes, they beat #4 Georgia in conference championship game but that was practically given to them as they showed their vulnerability. And then Georgia in Sugar Bowl showed they weren’t worthy against a 4 loss Texas team.

SEC don’t play prolific passing offenses regularly and their stout running games and run defenses have an obvious weakness.

Alabama had a historic run these last few years which elevated the SEC conference but their top teams are marginally better if at all than the top teams from other power 5 conferences.

 

[atlantacowboy]

While the SEC is arguably one of the strongest conferences their schedules don’t iften support as such as the rhetoric we hear.

They only play 8 conference games. The only top 10 team in their division was LSU and is traditionally the only one. They only play in a round robin fashion 2 teams from SEC East.

Yes, they best #4 Georgia in conference championship game but that was practically given to them as they showed their vulnerability. And then Georgia in Sugar Bowl showed they weren’t worthy against a 4 loss Texas team.

SEC don’t play prolific passing offenses regularly and their stout running games and run defenses have an obvious weakness.

Alabama had a historic run these last few years which elevated the SEC conference but their top teams are marginally better if at all than the top teams from other power 5 conferences.

Go look at the strength of schedule ranking and then come back and make some sense.

The UGA game against Texas was as meaningless as Florida's demolition of Michigan. Usually, in meaningless games, the team happy to be their does better.

 

[Diehardblues]

Its the truth. Venables absolutely schooled first year OC Mike Locksley. That is far from being an uncommon opinion. Nobody is arguing they got beat badly. What we are discussing here is how that happened. If your only opinion is "they got their butt whipped", that is not really discussing the game.

Of course it is. Alabama obviously isn’t as dominating as most thought they were.

Making excuses about their asst coaches is deflecting how they had their butts handed to them.

 

[Diehardblues]

Go look at the strength of schedule ranking and then come back and make some sense.

The UGA game against Texas was as meaningless as Florida's demolition of Michigan. Usually, in meaningless games, the team happy to be their does better.

More excuses. Apparently you don’t believe the best team won last night.

 

[atlantacowboy]

Of course it is. Alabama obviously isn’t as dominating as most thought they were.

Making excuses about their asst coaches is deflecting how they had their butts handed to them.

I don't know how saying Bama got outcoached isn't giving due credit to Clemson. I even stated earlier in the thread that Clemson's performance was the most impressive thing i've seen in college football in a long time.

Again, you are just stating the obvious result and not discussing the actual game and factors that lead to the final result. If you don't know much about either program, fine.

 

[Diehardblues]

I don't know how saying Bama got outcoached isn't giving due credit to Clemson.

Again, you are just stating the obvious result and not discussing the actual game and factors that lead to the final result. If you don't know much about either program, fine.

I’m only interested in the talent on the field and I’d say the best team won. And convincingly!!

I haven’t heard you say that.

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

I can tell many of you guys are just seeing Lawrence play. He's been playing like this most of the year since he replaced Bryant.

yes, I had heard about him. but hadn't watched him. very impressive.

 

[jterrell]

Go look at the strength of schedule ranking and then come back and make some sense.

The UGA game against Texas was as meaningless as Florida's demolition of Michigan. Usually, in meaningless games, the team happy to be their does better.

Strength of Schedule is mostly computed nonsense based on "rankings" which are all inaccurate as heck.

UGA was about as motivated versus UT as Bama was versus them.

UGA was mediocre on offense when it mattered all year. LSU dominated them, Bama shut them down once they woke up and UT choked them off totally through 3 quarters.
OVERRATED!

Bama's regular season schedule was trash....
Louisville -- who was horrendously down
Arkansas State
Ole Miss -- won 1 SEC game.
TAMU who lost 4 games
Lousiana lafayette or whatever they are called now
Arkansas 2-10
Missou- 5 losses including to 6th place Big 12 team.
Tenn - 2 SEC wins, 5 overall
LSU - 3 losses
MissSt 5 losses
The Citadel
Auburn 5 losses

The best team they faced was 3 loss LSU.

Then they played real teams and struggled at times each game:
Georgia beat them up early but they came back and won 35-28
OU they rolled early but gave up yardage a la the Clemson game all 2nd half and held on to win 45-34
Clemson they were rolled 44-16.

If you score Bama SOS now it looks great. They had 3 top flight post season games to end the year.
BUT the final top 25 will likely include only 2 of Bama's regular season opponents out of 10 and a team like Bama has zero business playing a November match up with The Citadel.

The SEC is playing with cooked books and has been for a decade.
8 conf games, a late season bye week via a team that isn't in the top 100 and over-rating that allows a loss to top schools to not even drop your ranking at all.
Then they get to pick their Bowl match ups to put a cherry on top.

 

[atlantacowboy]

I’m only interested in the talent on the field and I’d say the best team won. And convincingly!!

I haven’t heard you say that.

I stated earlier in this thread that Clemson's performance was the most impressive thing i've seen in college football in a long time. I've moved past that and onto discussing the actual game.

 

[Diehardblues]

I stated earlier in this thread that Clemson's performance was the most impressive thing i've seen in college football in a long time. I've moved past that and onto discussing the actual game.

But you’ve stopped short of admitting Clemson has a better team.

 

[atlantacowboy]

But you’ve stopped short of admitting Clemson has a better team.

This year, Clemson absolutely has a better team. I don't know how the point could be argued otherwise. It would be like claiming Alabama wasn't the better team last year.

 

[DFWJC]

Again, Im.no SEC fan but people here sure are turning blue in the face trying convince others the conference isnt truly great in football.

They’re great at the top, obviously, and have several programs that have challened for and/or have won national titles

Alabama..several recent titles
Georgia..runnerup to Alabama for title last year...so would be champ otherwise
Auburn...won title in 2010
Florida....won title in 2008 and 2006
LSU....won title 2007
And so on....

Put it this way
Since Texas won the Big 12’s last national title way back in 2005....

SEC....9 national titles
ACC....3 national titles
Big10...1 national titles

Everyone else combined....0 national titles

————
And in the titles they didnt win, they were often runner-up.
I have a feeling A&M might even be challenging for their first title in the next 3-4 years as well
Just a guess

 

[Diehardblues]

This year, Clemson absolutely has a better team. I don't know how the point could be argued otherwise. It would be like claiming Alabama wasn't the better team last year.

And it will be interesting moving forward if Clemson after winning national championship 2 of last 3 years will continue their new grip as the most elite program in the country.

No doubt there’s no reason not to believe Bama won’t be right there again.

I think the bigger question is has the baton been passed to a greater program in Clemson? We shall see.

 

[atlantacowboy]

Again, Im.no SEC fan but people here sure are turning blue in the face trying convince others the conference isnt truly great in football.

They’re great at the top, obviously, and have several programs that have challened for and/or have won national titles

Alabama..several recent titles
Georgia..runnerup to Alabama for title last year...so would be champ otherwise
Auburn...won title in 2010
Florida....won title in 2008 and 2006
LSU....won title 2007
And so on....

Put it this way
Since Texas won the Big 12’s last national title way back in 2005....

SEC....9 national titles
ACC....3 national titles
Big10...1 national titles

Everyone else combined....0 national titles

————
I have a feeling A&M might even be challenging for their first title in the next 3-4 years as well
Just a guess

The strength of the conference is the depth. Former Arkansas and wisconsin coach Brett Bielema once lamented that there are no easy conference games in the SEC. Agree on A&M. They are recruiting on par with anyone now.

 

[Diehardblues]

Again, Im.no SEC fan but people here sure are turning blue in the face trying convince others the conference isnt truly great in football.

They’re great at the top, obviously, and have several programs that have challened for and/or have won national titles

Alabama..several recent titles
Georgia..runnerup to Alabama for title last year...so would be champ otherwise
Auburn...won title in 2010
Florida....won title in 2008 and 2006
LSU....won title 2007
And so on....

Put it this way
Since Texas won the Big 12’s last national title way back in 2005....

SEC....9 national titles
ACC....3 national titles
Big10...1 national titles

Everyone else combined....0 national titles

————
And in the titles they didnt win, they were often runner-up.
I have a feeling A&M might even be challenging for their first title in the next 3-4 years as well
Just a guess

It all depends how far you want to go back.

Obviously with Bama winning 5 in last 10 years the SEC has been dominant in this past era but that already appears to be evolving with Clemson winning 2 of last 3.

For example from 1997- 2005. SEC didn’t win any national championships.

 

[Diehardblues]

I’d recommend to the other power 5 conferences to stop playing more than 8 conference games because in the end undefeated is more important than strength of schedule.

And play some of those weaker non conference games near end of season to rest starters if needed.

 

[atlantacowboy]

And it will be interesting moving forward if Clemson after winning national championship 2 of last 3 years will continue their new grip as the most elite program in the country.

No doubt there’s no reason not to believe Bama won’t be right there again.

I think the bigger question is has the baton been passed to a greater program in Clemson? We shall see.

I think Clemson will be the top dog until someone knocks them off. Whats going to be interesting is how Dabo adapts when other programs start raiding his coaching staff. In college football with the reliance on recruiting, having continuity on staff is huge. Alabama is losing guys to TN and UGA b/c Saban's best recruiters are now head coaches at those programs.

 

[DFWJC]

I’d recommend to the other power 5 conferences to stop playing more than 8 conference games because in the end undefeated is more important than strength of schedule.

So are you saying there are teams in Big12, Pac10, or Big10 that couldve gone undefeated with an SEC schedule this year?
Im not sure any could get through without 2 losses,let alone go undefeated. Who the SEC plays outside their conf schedule is almost irrelevant given the powers they play almost every week.

Anyway, I digress.
Cant believe Im being defender of the SEC in this thread

 

[atlantacowboy]

I’d recommend to the other power 5 conferences to stop playing more than 8 conference games because in the end undefeated is more important than strength of schedule.

And play some of those weaker non conference games near end of season to rest starters if needed.

That is not true. Just ask Central Florida. You can argue Clemson is the top dog. You can't argue the SEC is not the best conference.