Is There an Anti-SEC Bias?

[robbyb03]

As I look at the rankings every week I can't help but wonder if there is an anti-SEC bias. The SEC has won the last four BCS title games and won six of the twelve BCS title games ever. This doesn't even take into account that the SEC has never lost a BCS title game and are 14-5 combined in all BCS games. There is not a single other conference that even comes close to matching the dominance of the SEC in the BCS era. As an Oklahoma fan, I am looking at this as a neutral eye when it comes to SEC football, but lets take a look at this year's rankings...

Oregon's Wins:

New Mexico(1-10), @ Tennessee(5-6), Portland State(2-9), @ Arizona State(4-6), #6 Stanford(10-1), @ Washington State(2-9), UCLA(4-6), USC(7-4), Washington(4-6), @ California(5-6)

Combined Opponents' Record= 46-61

Auburn's Wins:

Arkansas State(4-7), @ #25 Mississippi State(7-4), Clemson(6-5), #18 South Carolina(8-3), Louisiana-Monroe(5-6), @ Kentucky(6-5), #12 Arkansas(9-2), #5 LSU(10-1), @ Ole Miss(4-7), Chattanooga(6-5), Georgia(5-6)

Combined Opponents' Record= 71-51

LSU's Wins (lost @ #2 Auburn):

UNC(6-5), @ Vanderbilt(2-9), #25 Mississippi State(7-4), West Virginia(7-3), Tennessee(5-6), @ Florida(7-4), McNeese State(6-5), #11 Alabama(9-2), Louisiana-Monroe(5-6), Ole Miss(4-7)

Combined Opponents' Record= 70-51

I think the voters are tired of having to recognize that the best football in the entire country is played in the SEC and are not going to credit a SEC team with the respect and position in the polls that a team like Auburn has earned this season.

[Carter]

I think the SEC is getting a little less credit this year because it's a fairly down year for the conference in general. Teams like Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee are up a creek and the teams in the West have basically beaten each other up.

And I think every other conference in the country is going to play up the situation at Auburn as being widespread across the SEC to explain away why the SEC has been so dominant in the BCS era. The media may even jump into it.

[Faithful Falcon]

If it was Alabama, this would not be in question. Remember when Auburn went undefeated, and still wasn't crowned? You just have to be the right team. Which is why the BCS is what it is.

[robbyb03]

And I think every other conference in the country is going to play up the situation at Auburn as being widespread across the SEC to explain away why the SEC has been so dominant in the BCS era. The media may even jump into it.

The same can be said of FSU(Free Shoes University), Texas(with their call girls for recruits), Southern Cal(let us buy your family a house), etc...

I think other conferences are jealous of the quality of football being played in the SEC and voters are frankly sick of having to recognize the SEC as the best of the best. Heck, LSU, to me, is the second best team in the country behind Auburn.

[Carter]

The same can be said of FSU(Free Shoes University), Texas(with their call girls for recruits), Southern Cal(let us buy your family a house), etc...

I think other conferences are jealous of the quality of football being played in the SEC and voters are frankly sick of having to recognize the SEC as the best of the best. Heck, LSU, to me, is the second best team in the country behind Auburn.

Well FSU, Texas, and USC are fairly isolated within their conferences in those instances. Auburn is not the first SEC school even this year to be mentioned in the discussion of extra benefits and players getting paid. When all the agent investigations were going on, half the conference was brought up by name - and the two biggest voices in the matter were Saban and Meyer.

There is a widespread perception that SEC schools don't play by the same rules as everyone else in the country. As unfounded as it may be, it is a sentiment that exists... the latest stuff with Auburn only fuels the perception more.

Honestly I agree, the best football is played in the SEC. I don't think any conference comes close; though the Pac-10 and Big 12 have made strides in recent years. I just find it ridiculous with other conferences when football final scores resemble basketball scores.

[CalDawg]

There's no doubt that the SEC is the toughest quality college football, has the best athletes by far, IMO. But to be honest, I'm starting to develop some anti-SEC bias myself. There's a lot of cheating going on and from my perspective it looks like it starts at the top of the league. Cheating happens everywhere in cfb, but I've never seen a time when I thought the leadership and the officiating of the SEC were close to this corrupt. I don't like where this is going and I'll applaud the day when a complete housecleaning takes place, hopefully with some legal repercussions involved.

[Andrew]

I think the SEC is getting a little less credit this year because it's a fairly down year for the conference in general.

Is it a fairly down year because of our record suggest that? When you have teams like South Carolina, Arkansas, Miss St, Auburn all improving its going to become tougher for any team in the SEC to get away with only 2-3 losses, much less 1 lose or going undefeated.

[Carter]

Is it a fairly down year because of our record suggest that? When you have teams like South Carolina, Arkansas, Miss St, Auburn all improving its going to become tougher for any team in the SEC to get away with only 2-3 losses, much less 1 lose or going undefeated.

No I mean the top teams are all down and the improving ones are still below that established level of championship caliber. Auburn is having a phenomenal season, but that's obviously completely tarnished by this point. South Carolina has had a great year, but their losses have been bad ones.

All the strength in the SEC lies in the West this year. South Carolina seems to be the only team in the East playing SEC title quality football. The West has beat down everyone but SC from the East this season.

[Dawgy]

I don't think there is really any bias. Reporters including ESPN) routinely tout SEC as the best conference. I think it is due to the fact that Oregon is really a very good/innovative team, and Auburn has a poor defense and has had a bunch of close games. I would think Oregon would handle Auburn if they played. Of course, my hope is that AU loses to Bama, and Boise play Oregon and wins, so we get to play the NC in our opener. That would be AWESOME.

[Falconsken]

THe thing that annoys me year in and year out is the sec getting favored.

Dont get me wrong i understand what sec teams have to do to come out wiht records like auburns record but the sec teams just arent consistant enough year in and year out.

I have the utmost respect for the sec but ima ga fan and i hate seeing them do really good one year and bad the next.

[Carter]

THe thing that annoys me year in and year out is the sec getting favored.

Dont get me wrong i understand what sec teams have to do to come out wiht records like auburns record but the sec teams just arent consistant enough year in and year out.

I have the utmost respect for the sec but ima ga fan and i hate seeing them do really good one year and bad the next.

That's because most teams in the SEC are not far off from each other when it comes to being a high quality football team. The difference between a 5-6 Georgia and perhaps a 9-2 Georgia literally comes down to one mistake or bad play in every loss. Auburn has had to come from behind numerous times to win games. South Carolina gutter stomped Alabama and then lost to Kentucky.

A lot more games in the SEC are settled by a possession or two than any other conference and many times can go either way. But a lot of fans around the country look at that as a sign of weakness, instead of conference strength. They are more impressed by high ranked teams blowing the doors off teams that aren't even close to their level.

The same teams rarely win their division or make the playoffs every year in the NFL, but it's not considered a sign of weakness or inconsistency.

[muskokas finest ©]

The SEC is having a down year. Even with the high turnover of talent in college football, people still feel the need to anoint the SEC as the de facto top conference, regardless of on-field performance.

[Guest AtlWhite84]

The SEC is having a down year. Even with the high turnover of talent in college football, people still feel the need to anoint the SEC as the de facto top conference, regardless of on-field performance.

People keep saying the SEC is having a down year and it couldn't be further from the truth.

#2 Auburn

#5 LSU

#11 Alabama

#12 Arkansas

#18 South Carolina

#25 Mississippi State

Looks like the SEC every year. Just because Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee are having down years, doesn't mean the SEC is.

[Faithful Falcon]

People keep saying the SEC is having a down year and it couldn't be further from the truth.

#2 Auburn

#5 LSU

#11 Alabama

#12 Arkansas

#18 South Carolina

#25 Mississippi State

Looks like the SEC every year. Just because Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee are having down years, doesn't mean the SEC is.

Auburn is having a good season, and you could argue for South Carolina and Mississippi State. The rest of the teams have gotten by on very little. Even though LSU only have 1 loss, they have not looked like a powerhouse.

[Guest AtlWhite84]

Auburn is having a good season, and you could argue for South Carolina and Mississippi State. The rest of the teams have gotten by on very little. Even though LSU only have 1 loss, they have not looked like a powerhouse.

WHo cares what they LOOK like though? You're job in sports is to win, no matter how you do it. They're 10-1 and ranked 5th in the BCS standings and that's all that matters.

[Xnex]

The SEC is having a down year. Even with the high turnover of talent in college football, people still feel the need to anoint the SEC as the de facto top conference, regardless of on-field performance.

Here's part of the reason why. On two occassions in this title run that the SEC has going, an SEC team has been selected to go to the title game and most of the people in the nation had real issues with it. UF got selected to go and just about everybody thought they didn't need to be there. Some even thought that Michigan should be allowed to go eventhough they had just lost to Ohio State in the final game of the season. So UF was chosen as the sacrificial(sp) lamb for Ohio State.

UF curb stomped them into a grease spot on railroad tracks.

Then LSU was ridiculed by everyone for getting into the game eventhough they had lost twice(I believe) and had lost their final game of the year to a "decent" Arkansas team. So LSU "lucked out" and got the chance to lose to mighty OSU in the title game.

Again OSU looked like road kill on a busy interstate highway once LSU finished with them.

So, in years when many people assume that the SEC shouldn't even be allowed to have a team in the game, we've still managed to destroy the teams they faced in the title game. When that happens consistently..... YOU GET RESPECT; and you get it because you dayum well deserve it.

[muskokas finest ©]

People keep saying the SEC is having a down year and it couldn't be further from the truth.

#2 Auburn

#5 LSU

#11 Alabama

#12 Arkansas

#18 South Carolina

#25 Mississippi State

Looks like the SEC every year. Just because Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee are having down years, doesn't mean the SEC is.

There was a time when the SEC title game was considered as important as the BCS title game. That's not the case this year. The Gamecocks are a 3 loss team, as is Alabama and maybe by this evening, Arkansas. A bad year in the Big 12 is helping to artificially elevate SEC schools in the rankings. Auburn took the easy route this year, scheduling 8 games at home.

[muskokas finest ©]

Here's part of the reason why. On two occassions in this title run that the SEC has going, an SEC team has been selected to go to the title game and most of the people in the nation had real issues with it. UF got selected to go and just about everybody thought they didn't need to be there. Some even thought that Michigan should be allowed to go eventhough they had just lost to Ohio State in the final game of the season. So UF was chosen as the sacrificial(sp) lamb for Ohio State.

UF curb stomped them into a grease spot on railroad tracks.

Then LSU was ridiculed by everyone for getting into the game eventhough they had lost twice(I believe) and had lost their final game of the year to a "decent" Arkansas team. So LSU "lucked out" and got the chance to lose to mighty OSU in the title game.

Again OSU looked like road kill on a busy interstate highway once LSU finished with them.

So, in years when many people assume that the SEC shouldn't even be allowed to have a team in the game, we've still managed to destroy the teams they faced in the title game. When that happens consistently..... YOU GET RESPECT; and you get it because you dayum well deserve it.

I'm not gonna defend the Buckeyes cause they are as overrated as it gets, but you're making my point. The respect shouldn't come from past BCS selection issues, but rather on field performance. With the pressure to succeed SEC that teams face, it's very logical that a number of league members could have coinciding down seasons based on losing a lot of talented seniors after last year. The problem with trying to establish an equal basis for ranking teams who don't meet, or even have common opponents is that there is a tendency to pre-determine those ratings based on past team/conference success. It's this kind of back room handshake deals that gets jokes like the Big East champ and the ACC champ automatic BCS slots, while better programs have to run the table just to get a sniff.

[Faithful Falcon]

WHo cares what they LOOK like though? You're job in sports is to win, no matter how you do it. They're 10-1 and ranked 5th in the BCS standings and that's all that matters.

That's part of the reason the BCS does not work. It's all about money. I think LSU should still have a shot at the National Championship. They can lose, and still come back around and win. Boise State will get punished for losing to Nevada, or even letting a team come close to beating them. They want us to believe that Nevada beating Boise State means that they were right for not putting them atop of the BCS standing. My Dawgs have not had their best season, but could still probably beat any of the top 10 teams if they had to play them again.