SEC Exposed

It is an interesting question, however I think the SEC is the best conference for the often overlooked intangibles. While it is accurate to point out most big conferences are top heavy, that measurement only addresses wins and losses. Other measurements are required in college football, otherwise we have to accept what the computers say as gospel.

Assuming we ignore the statistical data, which I'll admit can be deceiving in the middle of any season due to who has played who and what games remain on a schedule, and assuming we ignore historical statistical data over 5 year trends which also puts the SEC near the top in most offensive and defensive categories, there are other intangibles that can be measured.

Players and Coaches are usually the first place fans look at when comparing teams, whose players are better and which coaches have had success over a period of time. This is useful before the season, but as individual football team seasons develop I think these questions are better asked after the games are played, but before the bowls, otherwise you can get caught up in the trap that a single group of players or single coach makes a team. See Miami or Florida State for respective examples of how teams can be more hype than substance if players and coaches were the only criteria.

I think conferences can  also be measured by intangibles though. There is a big difference between playing at Tennessee and Boise St. despite Bronco stadiums legendary status as the Blue Turf field. Both are great stadiums, both house good football teams, but in the end Bronco stadium has a capacity of only 30,000 fans. Compare that to the 106,000+ fans in Rocky Top, and you can see where one might consider playing at Tennessee a major advantage.

Carry that to the next logical step, consider a football team that can walk in and beat Tennessee, in Tennessee...

In my opinion, that is one example of an intangible that props up the SEC, legitimately. A road game in the SEC is always fighting a 12th man intangible that simply isn't imitated very well in other conferences. The stadiums are bigger, the seats sell even when the teams aren't very good, and the fans make it more difficult on opponents. Whether it is cowbells that are supposedly outlawed by the NCAA in Starkville, a Marti Gras style 12+ hour tailgate in Baton Rogue, or an all day Party in the Swamp road teams in the SEC are facing very large, loud home teams that add to momentum and can disrupt an unprepared opponent.

It isn't `only' the size and speed of the players, the reputations of the coaches, or the depth and quality of the quality teams that makes the SEC the best conference, it is also the difficulty of winning road games, usually including more than one high quality opponent road game in a SEC conference season, that makes the SEC so good. Remember, 5 of the top 10 and 8 of the top 20 D-1 NCAA team's total attendance so far this season are SEC teams, and the 8th team in that list for total attendance so far this season, Arkansas, is averaging over 73,000 fans per home game.

Check it yourself.
http://web1.ncaa.org/d1mfb/2006/Internet/attendance/IA_AVGATTENDANCE.pdf

The SEC has the best home field advantage of any conference, so a road SEC game is never easy. Even Vanderbilt, seen as the cupcake of the SEC and last in attendance in the SEC, averages over 85% stadium capacity for home games, nearly 34,000 fans, and the road team never gets more than around 4,000 tickets even in Vandy. 34,000 is 7,000 fewer fans than number #11 in attendance Mississippi St, but 39,000 few fans than #8 Arkansas.  

No other conference in college football even comes close.

Using the above as a guide, and factoring in the statistics, we can accurately measure college football. It turns out, Ohio St is a really good team, they beat Texas, in Texas. Michigan beat Notre Dame, in Notre Dame. Texas has 2 big road wins, at Nebraska and at Oklahoma. In fact, of the top 10 teams in the country, only 3 do not have a big road win; Auburn, Louisville, and West Virgina.

Auburn has 2 big home wins though (although 1 big home loss), so we know they are a pretty good team. Louisville also has 2 big home wins, with no such home loss. West Virginia, well, maybe that is why they can't get any respect... they still need to earn it.

"Every year the naked emperors of the South play a weak non-conference schedule (see Georgia, Alabama) benefit from a general belief that Southern football is King and everyone has a nice home upset and its declared the toughest g-- d---ed conference of all time. As such, Tennessee's 3 point victory over Alabama is somehow a positive, while Notre Dame's 3 point victory over UCLA is something that isn't dinner table appropriate."

I don't think the facts support your argument.

Taking a quick look, it appears the SEC does a good job scheduling non conference games, better than many conferences top to bottom.

Examples:

Alabama is not a good football team, yet beat Hawaii, whose only other loss is to Boise St.
Georgia still has to play Georgia Tech
South Carolina still has to play Clemson.
Vanderbilt lost to Michigan.
Kentucky lost to Louisville
Arkansas lost to USC
Tennessee beat California
Florida still has to play Florida St., historically a big game
Auburn beat Washington St.
Miss St. lost to West Virginia
Ole Miss lost to Wake Forest, without that win, nobody would talk about Wake Forest the same
LSU beat Arizona

That is a weak non-conference schedule? The list above includes 10 of top 15 teams in today's top 25 poll, and notables like Florida St, Alabama, Georgia, and Clemson are not apart of that 10, although traditionally could be. The top 10 of 15 list also doesn't include Wake Forest who is 8-1, or Georgia Tech which is 7-2 and in the top 25.

If the SEC is scheduling cupcakes, try that exercise with other conferences. The PAC-10 is the only other conference that can make a list worthy of note, thanks in no small part to the 4 contributions from the SEC also listed above.

This is admittedly a small nit to pick, but it's a bit unfair to hate on UGA's OOC scheduling this year.  When the Georgia/Colorado series was scheduled, no one could have known that CU would be in a down year... or that Georgia would suck, too.

First off, I agree that the talking heads are mouthing bromides, not actually thinking. Comparing conferences is kind of pointless, unless (and this is important) you're using conference records for something important (this matters more in hoops than football).

Conferences don't play games, so any analysis has to be at the team level. It doesn't matter as much that the SEC is 3-1 vs the Pac 10 as it does that it was Arizona @ LSU, Washington State @ Auburn, Cal @ Tennessee, and USC @ Arkansas. (And no, I'm not saying game location made a differnce in any of those, 3-45, 14-40, 18-35, and 50-14 weren't within a hypothetical HFA).

My point is, those specific teams were better (or not, in Arkansas' case) than the other specific teams. I have a summary report that takes into account the relative team strengths - the Big 10 might be "better" than the SEC this year, but tied-for-1st-in-the-B10 Michigan's win over last-in-the-SEC-East-Vanderbilt isn't exactly evidence of that.

What is really funny to me is the perspective of "insiders" down here in SEC country. The general perception amongst the talk radio hosts and newspaper columnists is that "the SEC is down this year compared to last year", mostly because the middle teams aren't doing well in conference. What makes that funny is that by my objective report the SEC was at best the 5th-best in interconference play last year, with the 10th-toughest interconference schedule, and has been 1st or close to it this year, also with the 10th-toughest IC schedule.

For reference, last year the Big East was 6th with a slightly tougher SOS than the SEC, this year also 1st or 2nd with a slightly tougher SOS. Interconference-wise, the Big East actually is better so far this year.

It's close enough that the SEC can pass the Big East in the last week of the season, though, if they win enough of the rivalry games with ACC teams, since the Big East is done with interconference play.