Let's me just be clear here on The Maven's High Holy Day, aka Rivalry Saturday: Anyone who claims the SEC is still the power conference to beat is still pretty strung out on the tryptophan from gorging on turkey. Let us count the ways:
1--Texas A&M QB Johnny Manziel, aka Johnny Football, exposed weaknesses on Bama's defense. Plus, explain why Bama plays more cupcakes (Jacksonville State), some toward the end of the season, than most major conference teams.
2--Auburn is terrible. Their offense (what little there is) resembles a Chinese firedrill. Look for Gene Chizik to possibly get the boot by next week.
3--ABC's Jesse Bradford, obviously in the tank for the SEC, claimed yesterday that Alabama and Georgia were the two best teams in the country. Georgia? They beat one quality opponent--Florida (though I think they may have a few things exposed today against FSU--while also beating Buffalo, Florida Atlantic, Missouri, Georgia Southern (another late game), cupcakes all. Georgia is not that strong and are ranked way higher than they should be. When they play a real opponent, then I'll listen. Until then, get back on your tractors and go home.
4--Proof that my opinions are not biased: LSU, my SEC team, has been ranked way too high all season. They have no QB and have hung on by their fingernails in most games. The Arkansas game should have been a clear win, not a nail-biter.
5--South Carolina, coached by Steve Spurrier, a family friend, has done decently this season but it will be hard to judge the season w/ the loss of Marcus Lattimore, a terrific athlete and honorable guy; I'm a fan despite his playing for the wrong team. This Clemson game will be interesting, to say the least, but I think my boys will hopefully expose their weaknesses on defense due to our uptempo offense.
6--Tennessee. "Rocky Top" my ass. Derek Dooley is a good coach and was great for Louisiana Tech but just not a good fit for UT. And I don't blame him entirely for their problems. When you have thugs like QB Tyler Bray mouthing off about being "paid to perform," the team has a major problem, one Dooley couldn't control which is the worst quality in a coach. Bray isn't a leader but a self-centered player who doesn't put the team's interests first, and this hurt UT. Four overtimes and Missouri still wins? A much-improved Vandy beats UT by 23? If the Vols don't beat Kentucky (talk about a cupcake in the SEC) today, they will go 0-8 for the first time--and it could happen. Dooley won't coach the game, Bray will be mulling over his NFL prospects. Maybe Bray could go be the new QB for the Cowboys since they don't have one at the moment...
For the past few years, all I've heard is how weak the Big 10 is (or is it Big 12 or Big 14? Hell, I can't keep the number of teams straight), how they are down. As players and coaches change this will happen. The ACC? Stronger in basketball obviously but it's still my conference. If players from UNC, Miami, and Florida State can stay out of trouble long enough...
But I argue the SEC is down now. Bama is still strong and will be hard to beat, I admit. Oregon is just as strong. Kansas State has a strong QB in Collin Klein, a Heisman hopefull (while we're at it, how about some Heisman love for Clemson QB Tahj Boyd? But I digress...). Notre Dame has just been damned lucky. As much as I abhor USC and especially that pansy Lane Kiffin, I hope USC beats the Irish to bust the BCS wide open. Notice in all the reallignment of conferences the SEC is largely untouched, save for the addition of Missouri and Texas A&M (which I'm sure Bama was pleased by)? I still say just have four major conferences and stop the idiotic, out-of-region reallignment. Maryland in the Big 10? I wouldn't allow them to touch my beloved conference on those Helen Keller-designed uniforms alone...
We'll see how the games shake out today and during the Championship games next weekend. The pundits will still find a way to argue an SEC team should be in the National Championship because they're in the tank. A film critic once said the worst film by Italian Filmmaker Federico Fellini is better than most films out there. Did this critic see Fellini's Satyricon?
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