SEC looks bad

[Spoke]

The fun part is that several of the best SEC teams are young, and will be stronger next year.

@DSYoungEsq

I think it would be an interesting experiment to see what would happen if the two conferences picked a Saturday in the fall and simply matched themselves up top to bottom, half the games in SEC stadiums, half in Big-10 stadiums.

That would be fun, but it’ll never happen of course. It would also be nice to have more bowl game matchups between the Big 10 and SEC. Unfortunately, the Peach Bowl ties up a good SEC team every year and pairs them with an ACC opponent. Where’s the fun in that? I hate bowls with two conference tie-ins. It was always irritating to me when the Rose Bowl used to tie in both the Pac 10 and the Big 10, so that the SEC never got a crack at the best schools from those conferences.

[kelly5078]

@Lamar_Mundane

but look for Ohio State to put a hurting on LSU next Monday

It depends on which LSU team shows up. They’ve been infuriatingly uneven. If they bring their A game, OSU doesn’t stand a chance. But OSU is the more consistent team, from what I’ve seen.

[Euthanasiast]

Last night’s Georgia team could have beaten anyone in the country. Anyone.

And this is supposed to be their rebuilding year.

[ForumBot]

@Euthanasiast

Last night’s Georgia team could have beaten anyone in the country. Anyone.

There is at least one team that could not.

[Least_Original_User_Name_Ever]

@enigm4tic

I cannot believe that the Gators lost. We had every reason to CRUSH michigan. How did we give it away like that. cries

Um…couldn’t capitalize on 4 turnovers, perhaps? Seriously, when is the last time you saw a team go -4 in turnover differential and win? Taking the turnovers into account, and it’s pretty clear that Michigan outclassed Florida. As a Michigan guy, I expected Florida to at least be close, but it really wasn’t.

It’s worth noting that Florida had a lot of bad injuries along their defensive line.

Were we even watching the same game?

[Lamar_Mundane]

@DSYoungEsq

Well, but let’s keep it in perspective: In games between the Big-10 and the SEC, the record is 1 - 1, with the rubber match on Monday. And both the completed games between members of the two conferences were close affairs, showing that the Big-10 is quite competitive with the SEC.

I think it would be an interesting experiment to see what would happen if the two conferences picked a Saturday in the fall and simply matched themselves up top to bottom, half the games in SEC stadiums, half in Big-10 stadiums. Ole’ Miss could go scrounge up someone else to play and consider themselves lucky that day.

It’ll never happen. The SEC doesn’t travel at all. They play all their non-conference opponents at home and all the bowl games are in the south. The Big Ten and Pac 10 will play each other in the non-conference season and many schools play Notre Dame, but the SEC just refuses. They load up on the Coastal Carolinas and the Middle Tenessee States.

Florida last played a non-conference road game outside of the Sunshine State on Sept. 21, 1991, at Syracuse. They lost.

Georgia hasn’t played a game outside of the South since 1965.

Who Travels, Who Doesn't

[flickster]

@Lamar Mundane

It’ll never happen. The SEC doesn’t travel at all. They play all their non-conference opponents at home and all the bowl games are in the south.

Not true. For example, Tennessee has had recent home /away series with Notre Dame and has played Cal home/away over the last two seasons.

[Spoke]

@Least Original User Name Ever

Taking the turnovers into account, and it’s pretty clear that Michigan outclassed Florida.

There is no disputing that. On that day, at least.

In UF’s defense (and I can’t believe I, as a Georgia fan, would defend the Gators), I don’t think Florida took Michigan seriously (judging from pre-game antics). Sort of like Michigan didn’t take Appalachian State seriously.

[divemaster]

Well, in recent memory (last 5 years or so), LSU has traveled to Virginia Tech, Arizona, and Arizona State. I think they alternate their “major” OOC games from home to away year by year (within that time frame they also played Oregon St. Fresno St. and Virginia Tech at home), so one “good” away game every other year seems reasonable.

Didn’t Tennessee travel to play Cal this year (or last)?

And that’s just off the top of my head. I’m sure other SEC fans can chime in and refute the “SEC refuses to travel” canard.

[gonzomax]

@flickster

Georgia did put a whoopin’ on Hawaii

Seems like you’ve forgotten that Alabama, Auburn, Mississippi State, Kentucky are also in the SEC and all won their bowl games.

As for that “highly overrated” Badger team, didn’t they also kick Michigan during the season?

Michigan was not healthy for almost the whole year. Merely qb and running back Hart and much of the team. You have to be healthy to win.

[Spoke]

@Lamar Mundane

Georgia hasn’t played a game outside of the South since 1965.

What does playing “outside the South” have to do with anything? The South is a big place, and a tough road game is a tough road game. Georgia has a long-running non-conference rivalry with Georgia Tech (you know, 5-time national champion Georgia Tech?), and had in the past had a long-running non-conference home-and-home series with Clemson, and a home-and-home series with South Carolina before they joined the SEC.

Georgia has future games scheduled at Arizona State, at Oklahoma State, at Louisville, at Clemson, at Oregon, at Colorado (and of course, at Georgia Tech).

Come back and talk to me when the Big 10 gets a conference chamionship game (yet another tough game, and another chance of blowing a shot at the national title).

And as long as you’re perusing Georgia’s past schedules, you might take note that Georgia has beaten any Big 10 team thrown at them in bowl games in the past 30 years. Ohio State, Michigan State, Wisconsin (twice), Purdue (twice). With a bonus victory over Notre Dame.

[Fugazi]

@Euthanasiast

Last night’s Georgia team could have beaten anyone in the country. Anyone.

And this is supposed to be their rebuilding year.

This is Ohio State’s rebuilding year too. Depending on how many Juniors leave, we should be better next year too.

[flickster]

Been on vacation so I apologize for the late response but I was thinking about this thread ever since the BCS Title Game.

So, how’s the SEC looking now?

[Gatopescado]

@flickster

So, how’s the SEC looking now?

Overrated!

[Martin_Hyde]

@MadTheSwine

Hail Yes! Go Blue!
Michigan moves to 23-5-1 all time vs. SEC.

Also 6-12 versus Cornell.

It’s worth mentioning that 10 of those 23 wins against the SEC were against Vanderbilt.

Anyway, I’m a bit confused on where you’re getting your numbers for 23-5-1 against the SEC.

The losses are fairly easy:

1 loss to Alabama
1 loss to Auburn
1 loss to Georgia
1 loss to South Carolina
1 loss to Tennessee

That gives us 5 losses, which is consistent with your claims (although I don’t feel it is accurate.)

Michigan has tied Vanderbilt once, which is consistent with your 1 tie.

Wins though, I’m a bit confused.

2 wins versus Alabama
1 win versus Arkansas
1 win versus Auburn
2 wins versus Florida
1 win versus Georgia
1 win versus Kentucky
1 win versus Mississippi
10 wins versus Vanderbilt

That gives us 19. Well, I have an idea as to where you’re getting your other wins.

Michigan is 3-0 against Tulane and 1-0 against Georgia Tech, two teams that USED to be in the SEC. I’ll give you the win over Tech, Tech was in the SEC when Michigan beat them, so that’s a fair claim that it was a win over an SEC team (though it’s mega cheesy, it was in the 1930s for god’s sake.)

However, not so fast on the 3-0 against Tulane, only one of those wins came while Tulane was in the SEC. Michigan beat Tulane in 1920, 1953, and 1972. In 1920, the SEC was still 13 years from existing, in 1972, Tulane hadn’t been in the SEC in something like 6 years. 1953 was the only year Michigan beat Tulane as an SEC member.

That would bring us to 21-5-1, since in fairness I don’t think we can count two wins over a team that was clearly not a member of the SEC ('21 Tulane and '72 Tulane.) At the same time, I’m not sure how you can count the win over South Carolina, since it happened before South Carolina entered the SEC. Also in fairness, the one loss to South Carolina came when South Carolina was not in the SEC. So Michigan’s record against SEC teams, from what I can see, is actually 20-4-1. (Note that this is fewer wins but actually a higher winning percentage versus the SEC than your claim of 23-5-1.)

Still, it’s worth noting that Michigan has only beaten an SEC team 20 times in its history, and that half of those wins were against Vanderbilt.

I could be wrong though, I’m just going from College Football Data Warehouse and easily could have miscounted, I’ll be happy being corrected if that’s the case :).

[DSYoungEsq]

Well, the news services reported the record as 23-5-1 against the SEC; you’d have to find out what source they were consulting.

And, for the record, it seems quite obvious this year that the SEC was a better conference top to bottom than the Big-10. They certainly outperformed them in the bowl games.

[Martin_Hyde]

@DSYoungEsq

Well, the news services reported the record as 23-5-1 against the SEC; you’d have to find out what source they were consulting.

And, for the record, it seems quite obvious this year that the SEC was a better conference top to bottom than the Big-10. They certainly outperformed them in the bowl games.

I’ve actually seen ESPN guys get their info direct from College Football Data Warehouse, so I wouldn’t entirely be surprised if their stuff is coming from the same place my stuff is coming from.

But anyway, I’ve dug some more, and believe that the 23-5-1 record is even more significantly inaccurate than I had originally assumed.

I’m going to give a brief overview of Michigan’s record against EVERY team, past or current of the SEC. Games that happened while said team was actually a member of the SEC will be highlighted in bold. The overall record will be in normal text and the true record of Michigan versus that team as an SEC member will be in bold.

Alabama W 1988 L 1997 W 2000 2-1

Arkansas W 1999 1-0

Auburn L 1984 W 2001 1-1

Florida W 2003 W 2008 2-0

Georgia W 1957 L 1965 1-1

Georgia Tech W 1934 1-0

Kentucky W 1908 1-0 0-0

LSU Never played

Mississippi W 1991 1-0

Mississippi State Never played

Sewanee Never played

South Carolina L 1980 W 1985 1-1 0-0

Tennessee L 2002 0-1

Tulane W 1920 W 1953 W 1972 3-0 1-0

Vanderbilt W 1905 W 1906 W 1907 W 1908 W 1911 W 1913 W 1914 T 1922 W 1923 W 1969 W 2006 10-0-1 2-0

I think that brings the real total to 12-4-0 (.750 Win-Pct)