Six Pack- Overrated SEC?

Could Boise State and TCU both get to a BCS bowl? Is the SEC overrated?

Conversation Starting Six Pack

It’s Friday night. You are sitting around with your friend drinking some beverage of choice. And it is fall. What are you talking about?

Well, if you are anything like me, you’re talking college football. So this provides a framework for that discussion. It will give six topics to talk about. Sometimes the topics will be controversial, and sometimes not. Basically, these are conversation starters- six topics that are at the center of the college football discussion.

So, this week starters. Let’s get to it!

1. The SEC is overrated. This has gotten some publicity in recent weeks, but is it true. The answer is resounding- sort of. The SEC has Alabama and Florida, who are at worst two of the best three teams in the country. The rest of the conference is not impressive. LSU is OK, but they needed a little bit of help to beat an awful Georgia team. Auburn is fresh off a three game losing streak. Tennessee got beat by UCLA, who is winless in the Pac Ten. Ole Miss and South Carolina have been disappointments. All in all, the SEC is a little bit down, in that we all do not have to bow to the throne of the SEC this year. That being said, the SEC is still probably the best conference. The only other one with an argument is the Pac Ten. The SEC is tougher at the top with Florida and Alabama than the Pac Ten, so I give it the slight edge at this point. But the conference is not what some make it out to be.

2. Can Boise State and TCU both end up in BCS bowls? Yes…and no. It is going to be a tough sell to convince a BCS bowl to take Boise State over Notre Dame or USC if they are eligible. The cash that will flow in from having those two teams in a BCS bowl would be unbelievable compared to Boise State and TCU. Plus, USC fans are probably anxious to travel after not being outside of Pasadena for a bowl game in a while. But, let’s say both of those teams lose another game. The Big Ten will likely get two bids between Ohio State, Penn State, and Iowa. The SEC will likely get two bids between Alabama, Florida, and LSU. That leaves one at-large open. If USC and Notre Dame are not available, who is it going to be? Miami? A surging Arizona (or Oregon if the Wildcats win the Pac Ten by knocking off the Ducks)? Georgia Tech if they reach and lose the ACC title game? Texas if they reach and lose the Big 12 title game? The Pitt-Cincinnati loser in the Big East? At this point, a unbeaten Boise State might just be too tempting to pass up for the Fiesta Bowl.

3. Which coach has done the best job this season? Hands down (at least right now), David Cutcliffe at Duke. When Virginia Tech beat Duke 34-26 last month, people said that the Hokies simply had a bad week. Well, don’t look now, but the Blue Devils need to just win out to win the Coastal Division of the ACC. They need one more win to be bowl eligible. They have North Carolina, Georgia Tech, Miami and Wake Forest left on the schedule. Georgia Tech and Wake Forest come to Duke. If they beat Georgia Tech and win two out of the remaining three games, then they will do no worse than tie for the division title. While Duke should already be at six wins (they definitely should have beaten Richmond back in Week One), they are looking like six or seven wins and a bowl game is not out of the question, and that is a remarkable step for Cutcliffe’s team to have made in this, his second season. Clearly, he has done a phenomenal coaching job.

4. Who is number four? Wow. This is a tough call. I’ve seen TCU, Oregon, Iowa, Boise State, and Cincinnati all listed by credible sources as the number four team. It’s tough to know who belongs where in that mess. Right now, I tend to lean towards Iowa because they have played a significantly tougher schedule than anyone else on that list and are unbeaten, no matter how ugly it has been. Oregon has a great case because of how well they have played, but they are plagued by their loss to Boise State. The Broncos struggled too much with UC-Davis and Tulsa for me to be ready to put them at number four. TCU has looked great, and beat Clemson and Virginia on the road, along with BYU. They may be getting close to that spot. Cincinnati has looked great, but haven’t gotten to the meat of their schedule with West Virginia and Pittsburgh yet. These five teams are virtually interchangeable at the number four spot.

5. Who is number one? Should it be Florida? Texas? Alabama? This is a senseless debate in one sense, because if all of them win out to December, then it will be decided at the SEC Championship Game between Florida and Alabama, and in Pasadena between the winner and Texas. Texas is playing the best football, but they have not played a tough game yet, really. And they won’t. Oklahoma State and Oklahoma and Missouri are all down right now. That’s not Texas’ fault. It’s just the facts. Florida has not really impressed me much, while Alabama has at least been consistent. Basically, these three teams should share the number one ranking at this point. They are way ahead of number four, and all very bunched up right now. I’ll take Alabama by a nose. (Maybe Terrence Cody’s nose…)

6. Is there any way that the SEC champ does not play Texas for the national title? It is hard to find a scenario where the SEC champ does not play Texas for the national title at this point in time. If LSU was the SEC champ, they would have to jump some teams, and that could be tough for them. But if it is Alabama or Florida, it is hard to see Texas losing to anyone. Stranger things have happened than upset losses to Baylor or Texas A&M or in the Big 12 Championship Game, but Texas seems like a near lock at this point. If Alabama or Florida loses a game, would they fall behind the mess that is number four if they won the conference? Maybe, maybe not. It’s hard to know for sure. This is the most simple looking national championship race there has been in a long time. If one of these three loses during November, though, all hell could break loose, because number four is a total mess.

Thanks for reading! If you have any questions, comments, or concerns or want to get into the conversation, feel free to e-mail me at [e-mail]. I love talking college football!