Kirby Smart Thinks All 14 SEC Teams Should Be In The Top 25

Knight&Day said:
No such thing as “P2/B1G/SEC supremacy”. It’s a myth. The actual on-field results just don’t show it.

Outside of UGA, and usually Bammy (but they kinda suck this year), and sometimes LSU (they also kinda suck this year, too), I don’t see what’s so special about the SEC.

Outside of OHST, UM, and once-in-a-while PSU, I don’t see what’s so great about the B1G.

They both look pretty top-heavy to me. 2-team leagues, maybe sometimes 3-team, in a really good year.

If any conf, top to bottom, is really tougher/better than the rest, it’s obviously the Pac 12.
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Yep. I think it's fair to say that the top 2-3 teams in the SEC have been consistently better than the top 2-3 teams in the other conferences.

But all of the conferences are essentially the same. 2-3 teams that are at the top of the conference almost every year, 2 or 3 others that occasionally break through for a season or 2...then everybody else.

If anything, you can make a case that the PAC has often been the toughest conference many years because it is the conference that cannibalizes itself the most. For example, most of the few losses USC had during the Pete Carroll era were to PAC schools.
 
osubuckeye89 said:
My problem with that "benefit of the doubt" is that is very much extends to SEC teams who have not done anything to deserve it. They just get it because they are in the same conference as teams that win national titles. Like that magically somehow makes them better than they really are.
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They have to play against fast kids from the south, not slow Midwest losers that couldn’t make any high school team in Georgia or Florida. That’s why SEC teams rightfully get more benefit of the doubt than Big Slow teams
 
Across The Field said:
It's always cyclical. The SEC gets the benefit of the doubt because they own the NCs and normally finish with a lot of ranked teams. Last year they had the NC and 6 top 25 teams at year's end.
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Unless we have another huge population shift, as we had when so many people moved to the South -- I think you will see many of the same programs at the top, to continue to be at the top, for a couple of reasons.

1. In the South/Southwest -- they can play all year round because of their climate.

2. Football is king in the South/Southwest, where as places like Midwest, the sport that is king changes with whatever season it is. Spring is baseball. Summer/Fall is football. Winter is basketball.

3. The level of play at the high schools in the South for football is WAAAAAAAY higher than you see from teams in the Midwest. In Michigan, the saying is..........a 4 star kid from Michigan is on par with 3 star kid from the South.
 
I am not going to research it in detail because I shouldn't have to. I preface this by saying any of you who have read my stuff for a while know that in addition to being a Dawg fan, I am a CFB fan. So I like it when lots of teams are good. That said the idea that it's just a few teams in the SEC that are good simply doesn't add up. The idea that beyond the top teams the SEC isn't better than others doesn't add up. So let's take a look:

1. I agree that at any given time there are normally only a couple really elite or top teams in any league. I think we all agree on that.
2. But the SEC is the one that has had 6 teams win NCs in the BCS era. No other conference comes close - ACC at 3 is next, I think. If you want to include new teams, the SEC is at 8, but I'll go the SEC in the past.
3. Recruiting - SEC dominates year in and year out.
4. NFL drafts - SEC dominates year in and year out.
5. We've won what? something like 15 of the last 20 NCs.
6. We have the best bowl record.
7. We have the best OOC win %, I think.
8. The SEC and the B1G have the biggest TV contracts and TV numbers.
9. We don't have the largest stadiums - the B1G does - but we have more larger than everyone, including the B1G.
10. If you look at team value, revenue, whatever, the SEC teams, even the middling ones, are mostly in the top 25. The B1G has great ones at the top, but they drop off well before the SEC does. See below for revenue - SEC - 7 of top 10, 11 of top 25. B1G has 3 of the top 10, 10 of the top 25. I don't know how accurate this list is ... ND isn 't on it, but it will be similar if you find other lists.

I bring this up not to brag ... but to explain why they get the benefit of the doubt. In a perfect world that wouldn't happen. We wouldn't rank teams until week 8, or something like that. But, we don't live in a perfect world. And to point out that there is a real difference ... for good and bad, that can't just be dismissed by saying it's just Bama, or Bama/UGA, etc.

Totally open to someone pointing out where I am wrong on any of these ... like I said, I didn't take time to research it because it's pretty obvious.

College Athletics Total Revenue – Top 25​

RankSchoolTotal RevenueTotal Expenses
1.Ohio State$251,615,345$225,733,418
2.Texas$239,290,648$225,153,011
3.Alabama$214,365,357$195,881,911
4.Michigan$210,652,287$193,559,375
5.Georgia$203,048,566$169,026,503
6.LSU$199,309,382$192,770,399
7.Texas A&M$193,139,619$177,671,900
8.Florida$190,417,139$174,365,070
9.Penn State$181,227,448$170,542,050
10.Oklahoma$177,320,217$175,997,457
11.Auburn$174,568,442$151, 590,763
12.Michigan State$172,799,513$156,449,795
13.Indiana$166,761,471$132,392,596
14.Virginia$161,916,231$150,584,173
15.Florida State$161,141,884$150,777,734
16.Kentucky$159,079,024$153,621,183
17.Clemson$158,283,618$143,356,820
18.Tennessee$154,566,935$157,108,637
19.Oregon$153,510,555$140,565,297
20.Arkansas$152,513,755$144,319,041
21.Iowa$151,483,092$151,144,861
22.Wisconsin$150,100,977$147,807,183
23.Louisville$146,225,965$139,978,927
24.Illinois$145,735,330$129,119,247
25.Washington$145,184,864$149,458,923
 
NewPhoneWhoDis said:
Unless we have another huge population shift, as we had when so many people moved to the South -- I think you will see many of the same programs at the top, to continue to be at the top, for a couple of reasons.

1. In the South/Southwest -- they can play all year round because of their climate.

2. Football is king in the South/Southwest, where as places like Midwest, the sport that is king changes with whatever season it is. Spring is baseball. Summer/Fall is football. Winter is basketball.

3. The level of play at the high schools in the South for football is WAAAAAAAY higher than you see from teams in the Midwest. In Michigan, the saying is..........a 4 star kid from Michigan is on par with 3 star kid from the South.
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I think NIL is going to be a great equalizer of sorts of the coming years though. There are a shitload of rich boosters in the north that want to pull some of that talent. Before it was very hard unless you were OSU, or occasionally ND, michigan, and PSU. If they want that talent from the south, they definitely can make it happen. I also think you're going to see more of it with the Pac-12 schools coming to the B1G.
 
WhosYourDawggy said:
I am not going to research it in detail because I shouldn't have to. I preface this by saying any of you who have read my stuff for a while know that in addition to being a Dawg fan, I am a CFB fan. So I like it when lots of teams are good. That said the idea that it's just a few teams in the SEC that are good simply doesn't add up. The idea that beyond the top teams the SEC isn't better than others doesn't add up. So let's take a look:

1. I agree that at any given time there are normally only a couple really elite or top teams in any league. I think we all agree on that.
2. But the SEC is the one that has had 6 teams win NCs in the BCS era. No other conference comes close - ACC at 3 is next, I think. If you want to include new teams, the SEC is at 8, but I'll go the SEC in the past.
3. Recruiting - SEC dominates year in and year out.
4. NFL drafts - SEC dominates year in and year out.
5. We've won what? something like 15 of the last 20 NCs.
6. We have the best bowl record.
7. We have the best OOC win %, I think.
8. The SEC and the B1G have the biggest TV contracts and TV numbers.
9. We don't have the largest stadiums - the B1G does - but we have more larger than everyone, including the B1G.
10. If you look at team value, revenue, whatever, the SEC teams, even the middling ones, are mostly in the top 25. The B1G has great ones at the top, but they drop off well before the SEC does. See below for revenue - SEC - 7 of top 10, 11 of top 25. B1G has 3 of the top 10, 10 of the top 25. I don't know how accurate this list is ... ND isn 't on it, but it will be similar if you find other lists.

I bring this up not to brag ... but to explain why they get the benefit of the doubt. In a perfect world that wouldn't happen. We wouldn't rank teams until week 8, or something like that. But, we don't live in a perfect world. And to point out that there is a real difference ... for good and bad, that can't just be dismissed by saying it's just Bama, or Bama/UGA, etc.

Totally open to someone pointing out where I am wrong on any of these ... like I said, I didn't take time to research it because it's pretty obvious.

College Athletics Total Revenue – Top 25​

RankSchoolTotal RevenueTotal Expenses
1.Ohio State$251,615,345$225,733,418
2.Texas$239,290,648$225,153,011
3.Alabama$214,365,357$195,881,911
4.Michigan$210,652,287$193,559,375
5.Georgia$203,048,566$169,026,503
6.LSU$199,309,382$192,770,399
7.Texas A&M$193,139,619$177,671,900
8.Florida$190,417,139$174,365,070
9.Penn State$181,227,448$170,542,050
10.Oklahoma$177,320,217$175,997,457
11.Auburn$174,568,442$151, 590,763
12.Michigan State$172,799,513$156,449,795
13.Indiana$166,761,471$132,392,596
14.Virginia$161,916,231$150,584,173
15.Florida State$161,141,884$150,777,734
16.Kentucky$159,079,024$153,621,183
17.Clemson$158,283,618$143,356,820
18.Tennessee$154,566,935$157,108,637
19.Oregon$153,510,555$140,565,297
20.Arkansas$152,513,755$144,319,041
21.Iowa$151,483,092$151,144,861
22.Wisconsin$150,100,977$147,807,183
23.Louisville$146,225,965$139,978,927
24.Illinois$145,735,330$129,119,247
25.Washington$145,184,864$149,458,923
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lol, more proof of OU's poorness.
 
Across The Field said:
I think NIL is going to be a great equalizer of sorts of the coming years though. There are a shitload of rich boosters in the north that want to pull some of that talent. Before it was very hard unless you were OSU, or occasionally ND, michigan, and PSU. If they want that talent from the south, they definitely can make it happen. I also think you're going to see more of it with thue Pac-12 schools coming to the B1G.
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I think they are going to put up rules and regulations for NIL soon. Also -- the buying recruiting classes is not a sustainable model to use.

Nothing has changed with recruiting now, other than Texas and Texas A&M using that oil money to buy some kids. Not sure if Texas even has to, but I know they are offering great NIL packages. It is still the same teams at the top of recruiting and those teams at the top are not the richest schools.

Way I see it -- SEC teams are die hard about football, are willing to put up money for NIL and kids who grow up dreaming of playing for those schools are going to pick them 9 times out of 10 over a school located in the Midwest. And 9 out of 10, may be low balling it. My brother, who is a season ticket holder for ND and has been with me to the Big House a dozen times, took his daughter to look at Auburn, Georgia, Alabama on a college tour. He went to a game at Georgia with her and he said it is a WAY different atmosphere than in the Midwest. They also took in a HS game in Georgia and said you would have thought you were watching a college game.

Don't get me wrong -- you can still sway a kid or two, or you can a 3 or low 4 star kid who isn't recruited a ton by SEC schools. Beating an SEC for a kid in the south is not how schools will make a living. The one state in the south it doesn't apply to is Florida. As so many kids in Florida came from other states and programs in Florida have been all over the place, so you can grab players out of that state.
 
NewPhoneWhoDis said:
I think they are going to put up rules and regulations for NIL soon. Also -- the buying recruiting classes is not a sustainable model to use.

Nothing has changed with recruiting now, other than Texas and Texas A&M using that oil money to buy some kids. Not sure if Texas even has to, but I know they are offering great NIL packages. It is still the same teams at the top of recruiting and those teams at the top are not the richest schools.

Way I see it -- SEC teams are die hard about football, are willing to put up money for NIL and kids who grow up dreaming of playing for those schools are going to pick them 9 times out of 10 over a school located in the Midwest. And 9 out of 10, may be low balling it. My brother, who is a season ticket holder for ND and has been with me to the Big House a dozen times, took his daughter to look at Auburn, Georgia, Alabama on a college tour. He went to a game at Georgia with her and he said it is a WAY different atmosphere than in the Midwest. They also took in a HS game in Georgia and said you would have thought you were watching a college game.

Don't get me wrong -- you can still sway a kid or two, or you can a 3 or low 4 star kid who isn't recruited a ton by SEC schools. Beating an SEC for a kid in the south is not how schools will make a living. The one state in the south it doesn't apply to is Florida. As so many kids in Florida came from other states and programs in Florida have been all over the place, so you can grab players out of that state.
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we don't need NIL.. we only want kids who bleed burnt orange and would run ass backwards in a corn field
 
WhosYourDawggy said:
I am not going to research it in detail because I shouldn't have to. I preface this by saying any of you who have read my stuff for a while know that in addition to being a Dawg fan, I am a CFB fan. So I like it when lots of teams are good. That said the idea that it's just a few teams in the SEC that are good simply doesn't add up. The idea that beyond the top teams the SEC isn't better than others doesn't add up. So let's take a look:

1. I agree that at any given time there are normally only a couple really elite or top teams in any league. I think we all agree on that.
2. But the SEC is the one that has had 6 teams win NCs in the BCS era. No other conference comes close - ACC at 3 is next, I think. If you want to include new teams, the SEC is at 8, but I'll go the SEC in the past.
3. Recruiting - SEC dominates year in and year out.
4. NFL drafts - SEC dominates year in and year out.
5. We've won what? something like 15 of the last 20 NCs.
6. We have the best bowl record.
7. We have the best OOC win %, I think.
8. The SEC and the B1G have the biggest TV contracts and TV numbers.
9. We don't have the largest stadiums - the B1G does - but we have more larger than everyone, including the B1G.
10. If you look at team value, revenue, whatever, the SEC teams, even the middling ones, are mostly in the top 25. The B1G has great ones at the top, but they drop off well before the SEC does. See below for revenue - SEC - 7 of top 10, 11 of top 25. B1G has 3 of the top 10, 10 of the top 25. I don't know how accurate this list is ... ND isn 't on it, but it will be similar if you find other lists.

I bring this up not to brag ... but to explain why they get the benefit of the doubt. In a perfect world that wouldn't happen. We wouldn't rank teams until week 8, or something like that. But, we don't live in a perfect world. And to point out that there is a real difference ... for good and bad, that can't just be dismissed by saying it's just Bama, or Bama/UGA, etc.

Totally open to someone pointing out where I am wrong on any of these ... like I said, I didn't take time to research it because it's pretty obvious.

College Athletics Total Revenue – Top 25​

RankSchoolTotal RevenueTotal Expenses
1.Ohio State$251,615,345$225,733,418
2.Texas$239,290,648$225,153,011
3.Alabama$214,365,357$195,881,911
4.Michigan$210,652,287$193,559,375
5.Georgia$203,048,566$169,026,503
6.LSU$199,309,382$192,770,399
7.Texas A&M$193,139,619$177,671,900
8.Florida$190,417,139$174,365,070
9.Penn State$181,227,448$170,542,050
10.Oklahoma$177,320,217$175,997,457
11.Auburn$174,568,442$151, 590,763
12.Michigan State$172,799,513$156,449,795
13.Indiana$166,761,471$132,392,596
14.Virginia$161,916,231$150,584,173
15.Florida State$161,141,884$150,777,734
16.Kentucky$159,079,024$153,621,183
17.Clemson$158,283,618$143,356,820
18.Tennessee$154,566,935$157,108,637
19.Oregon$153,510,555$140,565,297
20.Arkansas$152,513,755$144,319,041
21.Iowa$151,483,092$151,144,861
22.Wisconsin$150,100,977$147,807,183
23.Louisville$146,225,965$139,978,927
24.Illinois$145,735,330$129,119,247
25.Washington$145,184,864$149,458,923
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Teams like Florida and Auburn are still living off of success they had 10+ years ago.

Same with LSU, outside of the 2019 miracle under jibber jabber man theyve been pretty average.

Winning a national title in say 2013 should not still be getting you clout in 2023.

Tennessee won a national title yea, 25 fucking years ago, they've been dog shit outside of last year since then.

Bama & Georgia are the only consistent SEC teams recently.

Acting like we should still be giving "benefit of the doubt" to these teams that have been meh since they won their national titles years ago is a joke though. Or give benefit of the doubt to the teams that have literally won nothing, just because they play in the league that wins the most national titles, also a joke.
 
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NewPhoneWhoDis said:
3. The level of play at the high schools in the South for football is WAAAAAAAY higher than you see from teams in the Midwest. In Michigan, the saying is..........a 4 star kid from Michigan is on par with 3 star kid from the South.
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We are damn sure developing throwers and catchers. But our tackling isn’t what it used to be imho.
 
osubuckeye89 said:
Teams like Florida and Auburn are still living off of success they had 10+ years ago.

Same with LSU, outside of the 2019 miracle under jibber jabber man theyve been pretty average.

Winning a national title in say 2013 should not still be getting you clout in 2023.

Tennessee won a national title yea, 25 fucking years ago, they've been dog shit outside of last year since then.

Bama & Georgia are the only consistent SEC teams recently.
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I agree with almost everything you typed. The problem is that it has nothing to do with what I typed.

My post was addressed to people who are posting that the SEC isn't anything special. I agree some SEC schools get the benefit of the doubt when they shouldn't. But all the other points are made are why that happens. It's not somthing that happens in a vaccum.
 
WhosYourDawggy said:
I agree with almost everything you typed. The problem is that it has nothing to do with what I typed.

My post was addressed to people who are posting that the SEC isn't anything special. I agree some SEC schools get the benefit of the doubt when they shouldn't. But all the other points are made are why that happens. It's not somthing that happens in a vaccum.
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When it comes to revenue and value I don't think that really has much to do with on field success.

I mean fucking Indiana and Virginia are in the top 15 of that list you posted.

Big LOL @ Florida State being below those 2 though.
 
WhosYourDawggy said:
I agree with almost everything you typed. The problem is that it has nothing to do with what I typed.

My post was addressed to people who are posting that the SEC isn't anything special. I agree some SEC schools get the benefit of the doubt when they shouldn't. But all the other points are made are why that happens. It's not somthing that happens in a vaccum.
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It definitely is always about the money though.

That's why Ohio State got in to the playoff in 2014 over Baylor/TCU, It's just how it is, is it right? maybe not. But it's how it is.

They are going to push the big money makers every time over some name that doesn't draw big eyes.
 
huskers1217 said:
Nebraska wants Vandy!!!!
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Stare Staring GIF by MOODMAN
 
osubuckeye89 said:
When it comes to revenue and value I don't think that really has much to do with on field success.

I mean fucking Indiana and Virginia are in the top 15 of that list you posted.

Big LOL @ Florida State being below those 2 though.
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Again I agree with you, including the chuckle at FSU's expense. But the point I was trying to make is that all that adds up to why the SEC is seen as the preeminent conference.
 
Wild Turkey said:
www.outkick.com

Kirby Smart Makes Comically Dumb Comment About Ranking SEC Teams

Kirby Smart seems to think every single program in the SEC is great. He said every team in the conference should be ranked.
www.outkick.com www.outkick.com

“I personally think every SEC team should be ranked. I can guarantee you there are some teams that don’t want to play them that are ranked. I mean, I don’t — I literally have no idea what you’re referencing because every team we play in the SEC is good enough to beat us and whether they’re ranked or not, I could care less,” the Georgia head coach said a press conference this week when talking about rankings, according to On3.com.

Sounds about right.
SEC, SEC, SEC!
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That is what some coaches do to placate the future opponents. Let’s not give them billboard material.
 
Thiefery said:
we don't need NIL.. we only want kids who bleed burnt orange and would run ass backwards in a corn field
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You definitely needed NIL to up your recruiting classes. I'm happy though. Now if you'd keep the Texas kids from going to Ohio State, I'd like it much more.
 
Deep Creek said:
We are damn sure developing throwers and catchers. But our tackling isn’t what it used to be imho.
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Agreed. The skill position talent in the south is unbelievable. Agree also that the tackling is definitely lacking.
 
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