Six Pack- Kiss the SEC's Ring?

The Pac Ten and the SEC are very close. Plus, can Alabama or Texas survive a loss this weekend?

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. Isn’t the SEC the best conference? People have been on to me for not bowing down before the SEC’s throne as the best conference in college football. For the second straight year, I say that outside of Alabama and Florida, the conference has been a disappointment. They proved me wrong (to some degree) during the bowl season a year ago. The Pac Ten is the conference I think is best. The SEC is a close second. Here are some stats to consider- the SEC is 7-4 against BCS competition this year. They have three games this week against BCS schools- Georgia-Georgia Tech, Florida-Florida State, and Clemson-South Carolina. I expect the SEC to go 1-2 in those games, to get to 8-6 against BCS competition (including Notre Dame). The Pac Ten is 6-7 against BCS conference teams, with Stanford-Notre Dame this week. I expect the Cardinal to win, and get the Pac Ten to 7-7. The SEC is 2-1 against the Pac Ten this year, but look at the match-ups. Tennessee was favored to beat UCLA at home, and lost. Georgia was a huge favorite to beat Arizona State at home, and needed a late field goal to win 20-17. LSU was a huge favorite to win at Washington, and won 31-23 in a nailbiter. Those are three of the four worst teams in the Pac Ten, the SEC team was picked by almost everyone in all of those games, and they all were not heavy blowouts in favor of the SEC team. These two conferences are very close. Surprisingly, the ACC has gone 3-3 against the Pac Ten and SEC with three games against SEC schools this week. So maybe the ACC is not as far off as we thought after the first couple of very disappointing weeks. Yes, the SEC has two of the three best teams in the country, and certainly two of the top five. But beyond that, the conference is just fairly mediocre. That’s all there is to it.

2. Which day is the one you need to watch football? So, it is Thanksgiving weekend, and you need to do some stuff with your family. Which day should you dedicate solely to college football? I’m going with Friday. Look at Friday’s schedule. It all starts with Cincinnati (a national title contender) taking on Illinois. Then Auburn and Alabama battle in the Iron Bowl in a game with huge national title implications. Then Pittsburgh takes on West Virginia in primetime in the Backyard Brawl in one of the better games of the week. It all wraps up at 10:00 Eastern with Boise State hosting Nevada for the WAC title, as the Wolfpack have steadily improved. There are other games on Friday that make it interesting, the Saturday games are somewhat fun, and Thursday night’s Texas-Texas A&M game should be great, but Friday should be special.

3. Does Ndamukong Suh deserve the Heisman? I know that there are some of you out there saying, “Who?” Well, get ready to be introduced. Another reason to watch football on Friday is that you will get to see this guy as Nebraska takes on Colorado. The Cornhuskers defensive tackle has been unbelievable this year. If the Huskers find a way to top Texas in the Big 12 Championship Game, it is almost certain that it will be because Suh has picked them up and carried them on his back. Suh has 65 tackles, 15 tackles for a loss, six and a half sacks, 20 quarterback hurries, 10 passes broken up, and an interception. Those stats are amazing for a defensive tackle. This guy deserves a serious look at the Heisman Trophy, especially if they become Big 12 Champs in a huge upset. In a year where no one stands out above the crowd, why not Suh?

4. Which rivalry game is being overlooked the most this weekend? No one is talking about it, but I’ll let you in on a little secret. Tune your television to ESPNU on Saturday night at 7:00 and watch Kentucky try to end their 24 game losing streak to Tennessee in Lexington. The Wildcats and Vols are battling for second in the SEC East. The winner gets it. That could mean an Outback Bowl bid. That game could easily be the best game of the entire weekend, even though most people are not talking about it too seriously.

5. Alabama-Auburn or Texas-Texas A&M? These are two of the great rivalries in all of college football. Alabama-Auburn may be my favorite rivalry. If it isn’t my favorite, Ohio State-Michigan is. With the added importance of the games this year, they will both have special feels. Teams that have a real shot at the national title are hitting the road to take on their archrival, who are both good enough to pull off upsets. Like I said, Thursday night and Friday have potential to be absolutely amazing days of college football that could change the complexion of the season- or keep us status quo.

6. Which leads to this- if Alabama or Texas lose this weekend, can they still play for the national title? This gets complicated. Obviously with the right number of upsets, they can both still play for the title with a loss. But that is predicated on both of them still winning their conference title games. If Alabama loses to Auburn but beats Florida, they probably would stay ahead of TCU, Cincinnati, Boise State, and Georgia Tech, and play for the title. If Texas loses to Texas A&M and beats Nebraska, it would be tougher for them to make their way back to the top two, although it does become an interesting question. Would everyone be willing to vote a Mountain West team in ahead of a Big 12 Champ with one loss? How about a Big East, WAC, or ACC champ? That’s the most compelling situation, I believe. A Texas loss to Nebraska and win over Texas A&M makes it clear that the Longhorns don’t play for the title.

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!