SEC has the chance to shape the narrative this season.

In all honesty we are kind of past the point of the OOC mattering for the SEC

The league could legit win 25% of these OOC matchups and their conference winner is still 100% getting on the playoff and they'll have at least a decent shot of getting a second team

They've earned that right too with their performs this century. It's going to take a lot more than 1 season to lose it
 
I've seen Miami and Utah both be projected as CFP teams(FWIW). And Oregon could be, if they somehow beat UGA. I don't think South Carolina has a chance to beat Clemson. But I give UF a great shot to beat Utah. That's my point here. They have a chance to basically eliminate two conferences from the CFP. Also, if they get some of these other wins, the possibility is there for a 2 loss SEC team to get in. What if A&M beats Miami and Tennessee beats Pitt and those teams play in the ACCCG? This could really impact things from an SOS standpoint.
Except Pitt and Miami are both in the same division
 
These polls really show how diluted the sport is currently. There are really only 4-5 teams that have mattered most seasons from a CFB Playoff perspective and it has been, for the most part, the same 4-5 teams: Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, and Clemson with sometimes an LSU or Oklahoma in the mix.

I don't see that many impactful games. The ones that have impactful teams are miss-matches. #1 Alabama vs unranked Texas, #7 Utah vs. unranked Florida, #2 Georgia vs. an overrated #11 Oregon (not trying to be mean but a team that lost 3-4 games and has a new coach shouldn't be #11).

In fact, in week 1, Ohio State vs. Notre Dame is the most impactful game and I think Notre Dame is overrated like Oregon (for the same reasons other than not having the losses as well).

I am still baffled that we haven't gotten Alabama vs. Ohio State. Right now, that game makes so much sense from OOC perspective.
Some of the most impactful games in CFB are the ones we don't see coming. Lets rewind to a year ago where OU, OSU, and Clemson were locks to win their conference and have a good chance in the playoffs. Even tho we didn't see it coming, games that were impactful for the playoffs were:
- Oregon v OSU
- Michigan v OSU
- Clemson v NCST
- OU v Baylor
- OU v Oklahoma St.
- Baylor v Oklahoma St. BIG12 title match
- Oregon v Utah
 
Some of the most impactful games in CFB are the ones we don't see coming. Lets rewind to a year ago where OU, OSU, and Clemson were locks to win their conference and have a good chance in the playoffs. Even tho we didn't see it coming, games that were impactful for the playoffs were:
- Oregon v OSU
- Michigan v OSU
- Clemson v NCST
- OU v Baylor
- OU v Oklahoma St.
- Baylor v Oklahoma St. BIG12 title match
- Oregon v Utah

Actually that is a poor example because every one of those games had an impactful team playing a highly ranked/regarded team. The exception being Baylor vs. Oklahoma State but that was the Big12 Title game.
 
Actually that is a poor example because every one of those games had an impactful team playing a highly ranked/regarded team. The exception being Baylor vs. Oklahoma State but that was the Big12 Title game.
So a year ago, you had these games on your list of impactful playoff games?
- Oregon v OSU: favored by 2 scores and Oregon wasn't given much of a chance
- Michigan v OSU: Michigan preseason unranked
- Clemson v NCST: NCST preseason unranked
- Baylor: preseason unranked
- OkSt: preseason unranked
 
So a year ago, you had these games on your list of impactful playoff games?
- Oregon v OSU: favored by 2 scores and Oregon wasn't given much of a chance
- Michigan v OSU: Michigan preseason unranked
- Clemson v NCST: NCST preseason unranked
- Baylor: preseason unranked
- OkSt: preseason unranked

Yes,

The first two because of Ohio State
The third one because of Clemson
The last two because that is the Big12 Championship game. (Also neither team made playoffs so it wasn't impactful).
 
The SEC has a chance to really separate itself from the rest of CFB, with all the great OOC matchups they have scheduled:

Week 1:

#11 Oregon vs. #3 UGA
#23 Cincinnati vs. #19 Arkansas
#7 Utah vs. Florida
FSU vs. LSU

Week 2:

#1 Alabama vs. Texas
#22 Wake Forest vs. Vanderbilt
Tennessee vs. #17 Pitt
Missouri vs. Kansas State

Week 3:

PSU vs. Auburn
#16 Miami vs. #6 Texas A&M

Week 7:

#19 Arkansas vs. #25 BYU

Week 13:

Florida vs. FSU
South Carolina vs. #4 Clemson

They have a great opportunity to essentially knock out the P12(Utah/Oregon) and severely damage the ACC. Of course, it could also go the other way, and then the depth of the league will come into question.
How we doing? Believe we are undefeated in OOC, assuming LSU beats FSU. I think something like 15-0. That’s good, right? Narrative set?
 
SEC is 14-0 currently. Vandy even has 2 wins, one of those halfway around the world...

Do they go 15-0?
 
In all honesty we are kind of past the point of the OOC mattering for the SEC

The league could legit win 25% of these OOC matchups and their conference winner is still 100% getting on the playoff and they'll have at least a decent shot of getting a second team

They've earned that right too with their performs this century. It's going to take a lot more than 1 season to lose it

If Alabama and Georgia had embarrassing OOC losses, I would disagree.

However, when the SEC has struggled OOC, it has typically been its mid-tier teams losing and not its high-tier. I don't think there has been a year in quite some time where the SEC Champion had an OOC loss. The most recent that I can think of is 1999 Alabama's loss to La Tech.
 
I underestimated the opening week.
UGA was a lock.
LSU and Ark., I thought 50/50 on each. We'll find out tonight about LSU.
I thought Florida was dead meat, but they proved me wrong. Good for them. Either the pre-season #7 ranking for Utah was a joke, or Florida has the makings for a pretty good team.
I have no idea what to expect from LSU. So, the SEC has a shot at 4-0 with the games listed.
 
I underestimated the opening week.
UGA was a lock.
LSU and Ark., I thought 50/50 on each. We'll find out tonight about LSU.
I thought Florida was dead meat, but they proved me wrong. Good for them. Either the pre-season #7 ranking for Utah was a joke, or Florida has the makings for a pretty good team.
I have no idea what to expect from LSU. So, the SEC has a shot at 4-0 with the games listed.

I thought Utah would have a fight just do to the setup of having to travel so far and into such a hostile environment for their first game. However, I didn't expect them to win.
 
I think that's the point. We know that Bama and UGA are handling their business these days.

What some here want to see is where is the rest of the SEC "gauntlet" if I can steal a phrase from another post that was skeptical about the strength of the SEC beyond Bama and UGA.

I get that:

- Auburn is dumpster fire.
- UF is on its 5th coach since Meyer, and just finished 6-6.
- UTjr is on a two decade long run of mismanagement and low expectations.
- LSU fell off a cliff after it won their NC with a pussy chasing coach O.
- ATM appears to have a ton of talent and money, but figures out how to lose 4 games every year.
- No one knows what the Lane Train is going to do at OM.
- We have the Pirate at MSU who could lose to Memphis one weekend and beat Bama or UGA the next.
- USCjr is more interested in talking about the name of their cock than playing football with an OU reject.
- Arky and UK appear on their way up.
- Vandy and Mizzou are Vandy and Mizzou.

With that in mind, Bama and UGA should beat Texas and Oregon. Losses there would be bad.

Any game with Vandy or Mizzou should be losses and no one should be surprised.

That leaves UF, UTjr, Arky, Auburn, ATM, to show that they are getting better. Utah and PSU are favored against UF and AU. The rest are toss-ups.
Mizzou has been middle of the pack in SEC since joining and funny has done more than A&M who technically has a better overall record. 2 SEC East Titles plus a Top 5 finish in 2013....Mizzou is 5-5 vs South Carolina( 7-5 overall) Florida (6-5 overall), Tennessee since joining conference. We got through the Barry Odom years of terrible recruiting and are getting back the talent again. We have had some individual great seasons as well...including Michael Sam (Defensive POY), Drew Lock breaking SEC passing TD record for season in 2017 (Burrow broke his record in 2019), Tyler Badie last season leading SEC in rushing.
 
The first Bowl Game of the year is set: West Virginia vs. LSU in the Liberty Bowl.
/ sarcasm
:)
 
Mizzou has been middle of the pack in SEC since joining and funny has done more than A&M who technically has a better overall record. 2 SEC East Titles plus a Top 5 finish in 2013....Mizzou is 5-5 vs South Carolina( 7-5 overall) Florida (6-5 overall), Tennessee since joining conference. We got through the Barry Odom years of terrible recruiting and are getting back the talent again. We have had some individual great seasons as well...including Michael Sam (Defensive POY), Drew Lock breaking SEC passing TD record for season in 2017 (Burrow broke his record in 2019), Tyler Badie last season leading SEC in rushing.
Don’t forget all those years as a top 10 defense.
 
Back
Top