Bo and SECPN

[Count 'Bility]

WHY ARE WE SHOUTING?

CAPS LOCK FRIDAY.

 

[Kernal]

Here's one small part of a Rolling Stone column on ESPN and the SEC. There's a lot more at the link. The author spells things out pretty well in my opinion.

 

Three SEC teams have yet to record a conference win, going a combined 0-13 so far in league play. Five of the conference's teams are .500 or worse. Tennessee hasn't turned in a winning season since Obama's first year in office. Florida has won just seven of its last 19 games. LSU, South Carolina and Texas A&M haven't lived up to preseason expectations, and Arkansas is Vanderbilt now.

 

The collapse has forced the most powerful media entity in college football to shift its influence to the Mississippi and Alabama schools. Where No. 3 Ole Miss' loss on Saturday might ordinarily represent a setback to such a cause, ESPN has created such an incestuous bubble of hype that there can be no arguing when these teams lose. "Alabama lost, but it was to Ole Miss...Ole Miss lost, but it was to LSU...LSU lost, but it was to Auburn… Auburn lost, but it was to Mississippi State."

 

http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/features/the-worldwide-cheerleader-espn-and-the-college-football-playoff-20141028

[SouthLincoln Husker]

 

Here's one small part of a Rolling Stone column on ESPN and the SEC. There's a lot more at the link. The author spells things out pretty well in my opinion.

 

Three SEC teams have yet to record a conference win, going a combined 0-13 so far in league play. Five of the conference's teams are .500 or worse. Tennessee hasn't turned in a winning season since Obama's first year in office. Florida has won just seven of its last 19 games. LSU, South Carolina and Texas A&M haven't lived up to preseason expectations, and Arkansas is Vanderbilt now.

 

The collapse has forced the most powerful media entity in college football to shift its influence to the Mississippi and Alabama schools. Where No. 3 Ole Miss' loss on Saturday might ordinarily represent a setback to such a cause, ESPN has created such an incestuous bubble of hype that there can be no arguing when these teams lose. "Alabama lost, but it was to Ole Miss...Ole Miss lost, but it was to LSU...LSU lost, but it was to Auburn… Auburn lost, but it was to Mississippi State."

 

http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/features/the-worldwide-cheerleader-espn-and-the-college-football-playoff-20141028

Any Affiliation with ESPN and the final 4 vote should be eliminated. It is a conflict of interest and it is called $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.

[HuskerNation1]

 

Bo is definitely right on his assessment here. While the SEC may still be the top conference overall, that gap has diminished in the past few seasons. Here are some key reasons the SEC bias is problematic.

 

1. When the polls come out at the beginning of the year with many SEC teams ranked high, when a non-SEC team loses in the non-conference season, the SEC teams poll status is elevated further. By the time conference season begins, the SEC is in a situation where they have 6 or 7 teams in the top 15, and thus every week there is a big matchup of top 15 teams. When one team goes on a roll and beats 2 other top-15 teams, they suddenly rise drastically in the polls as Ole Miss or MSU has. It's kind of like a self-fulfilling prophecy where only a great SEC team can beat another great SEC team.

 

2. The SEC is always given the benefit of the doubt. Case in point....had Texas A&M lost the same type of games while in the BIg 12 (prior to getting destroyed by Alabama), they would have fallen out of the top 25, and would not have hung around. Missouri is another example where, by joining the SEC, they are suddenly a part of point 1 above, and found themselves last year in the top 5 late in the season. They are the same damn team that they were in the Big 12, but because they joined the SEC, they must now suddenly be better?? Its hard to explain that just a month ago, A&M was ranked in the top 5 given the way they are playing.

 

3. Georgia is a great example of SEC bias. While I agree Georgia has played better ball the last week or two, they lost to South Carolina earlier in the season at a time when everyone assumed South Carolina was great. But South Carolina lost to Missouri, who lost to Indiana....aren't they in the Big Ten? And didn't NU, another Big Ten team, beat Georgia earlier in 2014? Yet prior to NU's loss to MSU, a 1-loss Georgia was still ranked several spots ahead of NU.

 

So in the end, is the SEC a good conference...yes....but that doesn't justify the SEC bias in the number of teams ranked, as well as the position/seeding of the rankings. Assuming two SEC teams don't make the top 4 teams in the playoffs, there will be more opportunity for a non-SEC team to knockout the SEC team in the playoff, and things can go back to normal where the media doesn't assume an SEC should win the NCAAF championship every year.

excellent post I agree with everything you say

 

Thanks man. It looks like the SEC bias is still alive with LSU's rise above us in the AP poll, and the fact that Ole Miss didn't fall very far.

 

As far as this playoff committee goes, I think its a dumb idea to release any polls now. Just wait til "selection sunday" as we do in basketball, and let everything play out. I really think in the end that the committee will reward some conference champions.