I think that you can look deeper into that assertion in recent years to qualify the SEC as the superior conference over the Big Ten, in terms of championship wins, bowl appearances as well as the general decline of once-powerhouse teams like Michigan.
Yeah, that’s the ticket, it’s all Michigan’s fault!
The Mountain West looks good again.
Not surprising after Utah won the national championship last year with an undefeated season and demolishing Alabama in the title game.
Would have liked to see them beat Florida instead, but Florida lost earlier and didn’t make the game.
Perhaps you forgot that Bama was 0-2 after Dec 1, 2008.
Eh. Both Florida and Alabama had one loss, and Alabama beat the team that beat Florida.
I would have put Florida in the title game, but the voters disagreed.
Anyway, Utah went undefeated, dominated the championship game, and is on an amazing 15 game winning streak including their 2008 title.
Meh. The SEC has a built in advantage in that the pollsters are in their corner. Remember last year Penn State losing to Iowa? Right away, it was assumed that Penn State was out of the title game. Why? Because they’re from the Big Ten. Big Ten teams need to go unbeaten to make it to the big show. If you’re Alabama and lose a game, you drop maybe 3 spots and get them back the next week. So now on the evidence of going 10-1 in opening week, it’s open season on the Big Ten again. We may be the leaders and best, but it’s too much to ask for perfection.
That’s all true, but there’s more than that. The SEC’s advantage is that it hardly ever goes out of its territory to play, even for bowl games (Georgia’s recent trip to Okla State and LSU’s to Washington being two rare exceptions). The Big 10 needs to have some BCS games played in northern domes like in Minnesota or Indianapolis.
That’s because they are maintaining their proud legacy of never leaving the south, because it used to be when you headed north or east them teams actually played negroes and beat you.
I think in your example it had more to do with Penn State sucking in recent previous years than them being in the Big Ten so the expectation of them having a good team was shakier and therefore the early fall was greater with a first game loss. The polls are opinions.
Please. The SEC doesn’t need to expand much scheduling outside their base because there’s so much quality competition from within.
To give credit where credit is due, Tennessee has played home-and-home with 2 Pac-10 teams recently (the fact that they lost both road games may mean we’ll never see that happen again, of course…) and Georgia did just go to Oklahoma State and Arizona State. But yes, they are the exceptions that prove the rule.
Yeah, but it’s the same scenario as us vs. Texas Tech last year. We beat o.u., just needed to win out… Tech promised to be a challenge but a game we should be able to win. It was a night game in Lubbock, a couple of weird injuries, and Texas came out flat… they got it together, and it came down to the last play, but honestly, Texas was underwhelming for the first two and a half quarters.
Last year in Austin, we kind of played Ok State the same way. They were in it until the third quarter. It was almost as if Texas didn’t take them that seriously. I doubt that mistake will be made again, but who knows?
Much respect for your appreciation of the Cowpokes, but I think Texas can (and should) beat them 9 times out of 10… and it would be great to get that “let 'em get ahead by 28, then come back in the 4th for the victory” gameplan out of the rotation. Mike Gundy is a goon but I kind of feel for the guy after these losses. He may be a man and he may be 40, but that kind of stress will age you quick. 
Mal Williams had a decent game but the real story was Jordan Shipley - had about 185 yards receiving, one on a 78 yard bomb. John Chiles and Dan Buckner had nice catches as well. We even saw Marquise Goodwin, who apparently holds some junior world record for the high jump… a real burner. Texas has no tight end but an embarrassment of riches in the receiving corps. I’m most excited about D.J. Monroe, who returned a punt for a TD and might be the solution to our running back issue at the moment…
I am having a lot of trouble stomaching this game between Cincinnati and Rutgers but I am glad that the season has started anyway.
Rutgers actually looks like they have some surprisingly decent offensive talent. Their O-line is great at making space for the running game. Several running plays that should have been blown up in the backfield ended up as 8+ yd gains for first downs. They also gave 5th yr Sr Natale plenty of room to hang himself. I am happy that the true freshman QB Savage, put together a nice drive. It seems as if he will settle in nicely and I am perfectly content watching a solid player evolve and improve the program overall.
There were a lot of great games this weekend and now I expect to see a lot out of BYU, Boise St. and Navy throughout the year in addition to the teams I already knew to look out for.
Why are you having “trouble stomaching the game”? UC destroyed Rutgers, and (I am not a UC fan but live around Cincy) UC is a program on the rise. Why is it so surprising?
It’s the same situation as when Kentucky obliterated Miami of Ohio, pretty much, except that Rutgers is “supposed” to be “better than that”.
The Cincy tristate football programs that were once rollover wins are now gaining prominence. Out with the old, in with the new. Shit, UC went to the Orange Bowl last year and UK, once the whipping boy of the SEC has been to four straight bowl games! Again, why are you having trouble swallowing the outcome?
Miami - Florida State. One of those “maybe a meteor will hit the stadium” games, like USC - Stanford.
No offense, of course.
Neither of which play in the SEC so therefore, blech.
Williams went to my high school and has rather impressed me in the few games I’ve seen him in. I think that if we’re leading at halftime come Halloween, the players should just take a seat in the endzone and do their gatorade there.
(Though Gundy turned 42 a few weeks ago)
Wow this UM FSU game is incredible
Sad to see it end that way. That guy is going to be kicking himself for years for not catching that.
I wouldn’t necessarily say that the game was particularly surprising but, being a fan of Rutgers, it was not easy to sit through a game that more closely resembled Rutgers football before Schiano came to Piscataway.
I am glad that I got to watch the entire Miami-Fl State game. That was insane and a great way to finish a great weekend of football. Now I can’t wait for USC-OSU this weekend.
And Auburn went to USC, and Arkansas went to Texas, and Tennessee went to Notre Dame, and Alabama went to Oklahoma, and Ole Miss went to Missouri, and… wait, what were we talking about again?
It’s great to be a Miami Hurricane!
What a game by Jacory Harris! FSU was a lot better than I expected. I knew the Canes were going to a have a great offense this year, but didn’t expect as much from the Noles. Man, I’m on such a high. This is the first time since 2000 where both teams played well. There have been a lot of close games since then, but not that weren’t sloppy by one of or both the teams. 10 days to rest and get ready for GT and the triple option. I love cfb!