BCS Breakdown: Does the SEC Have Too Much Power? - jmik58's Blog

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BCS Breakdown: Does the SEC Have Too Much Power? Stuck

Posted on October 16, 2012 at 11:24 AM.

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If the first wave of BCS standings teach us anything it's that the SEC is still king of college football. They play by their own rules and quite frankly -- rule college football.

2011 delivered a national championship matchup between two teams from the same division of the SEC (Alabama and LSU from the West). The initial offering of the BCS for this season doesn't exactly eliminate a repeat performance with Alabama at number one, Florida at two, LSU at six, and South Carolina seventh. The SEC has earned their top billing due to six consecutive national championships, but is their success being blown out of proportion to the detriment of the present?

Moving forward it's clear to see that the rest of the nation is playing by a different set of requirements than the SEC as a loss means more to everyone else outside of that tight inner circle. The question may now become: How will we ever know when the SEC has lost its edge?

The conference home to the past six BCS titles is riddled with top-ten teams. But if they are good due to their rankings -- and conversely ranked highly due to their solid reputation -- what will it take to bring it to and end? When a supposed #12 beats #2 and they change places, we assume they were appropriately rated. Have we created a self-serving reciprocal relationship that has no end?

Quite frankly, the SEC's hold on the nation is reaching a point where the 2014 playoff format is going to arrive just in time. With over 120 teams in FBS (and growing yearly) there is no way that teams can prove their worth directly. Instead, we're stuck making inferences and relying on illogical and hypothetical number-crunching that amounts to subjective conjecture.

The BCS proved this flaw by ignoring a one-loss Oklahoma State team in 2011. We should have been given a chance to see how an LSU or Alabama defense would perform against the likes of the Cowboys' spread attack. Instead, the computers took that away; tying together distant ends by filling in non-compatible components.

There is no way that the SEC will be left out this year. The only question is whether they'll get two teams in again or only one. The winner of the Alabama/LSU contest will have the toughest argument going into postseason play. If the SEC East representative should take down either the Tigers or Crimson Tide, they'll automatically receive the bump necessary to square off in the national title game. And the winner of South Carolina and Florida this week has just as tough a grip out of the East.

With all these ranked teams scattered across the top squads of the SEC, it's becoming less a hypothetical question of "Does the SEC deserve an automatic bid?" and more an informal reality that someone in the conference will get a spot in the national championship.

Throughout the rest of the nation, #5 Notre Dame's schedule looks too daunting, #3 Oregon must survive Stanford and USC (possibly twice), #4 Kansas State is a "boring" product that voters likely hope will fall to Geno Smith and West Virginia; meanwhile #11 Florida State is praying that Florida stays in the top two for their season ending matchup.

The bottom line for everyone outside of the SEC is that too many things have to go perfectly for even a hack at the championship. A loss by any non-SEC team is devastating and requires extensive argument in defense of inclusion. A loss by the SEC's elite means something completely different.

It means a shrug, a point to the schedule, and a back-pat from the BCS standings.

Sound Off: What are your thoughts on the initial BCS standings of 2012?

Justin Mikels is a staff writer for Operation Sports. Follow him on Twitter: @long_snapper

Comments

# 1 onac22 @ Oct 16

*cough* rigged and bias BCS system *cough*

# 2 PJ33 @ Oct 16

Not as spectacular is the media would have you believe

SEC vs other conferences 1998-2011
SEC vs other conferences 1998-2011
SEC vs. PAC-12 regular season: 10-12
SEC vs. PAC-12 bowl games: 1-0
SEC vs. Big 12 regular season: 6-10
SEC vs. Big 12 bowl games: 21-8
SEC vs. ACC regular season: 42-36
SEC vs. ACC bowl games: 16-9
SEC vs. Big 10 regular season: 7-4
SEC vs. Big 10 bowl games: 19-19
SEC vs. Big East regular season: 16-15
SEC vs. Big East bowl game: 3-8

# 3 jreala32 @ Oct 16

They started USC off as top 2 and over rated several big 10 teams. Currently K State is #4 having beat one ranked team. Notre Dame is at 5 having basically beat all big 10 teams. Ohio State at 7 beat no one higher than 20 and Oregon State is top 10 for beating Wis and UCLA. What do you mean tougher for everyone else? Sure doesn't seem like it. FL State and USC both had a shot and blew it and now Oregon has a shot. All you have to do is beat them and it will end

# 4 jmik58 @ Oct 16

@jreala32 ... I think you'll see how it's tougher for teams outside of the SEC as the season wears on. The SEC is so well-packed into the top-ten of the BCS that they will merely trade places with each other should they do a round-robin beatdown within conference. Meanwhile, teams from other conferences don't have that leverage and must play perfect or have the perfect storm to get in with a loss.

# 5 Bmore Irish @ Oct 16

can't wait for the playoff to arrive. I'm greedy though, and already find myself fantasizing about a future with a larger playoff bracket. very exciting. hopefully the irish can pull off an undefeated season as that would all but guaruntee them a NC game spot; entirely feasible in my mind.

# 6 hawkster3269 @ Oct 16

I just want to see an 8 team playoff. There are 4 BCS games and then the National Championship that they arbitrarily added to the mix a few years ago. Take the 4 BCS games and use them as the quarterfinals. Winners of those will play neutral site games not named after bowls, just sold to the highest bidder, eyes on Jerry Jones, then the BCS Championship game is the Final. Once again at a neutral site. This way you are giving the teams a shot, get rid of the AQ status and base it on rankings. Top 8 get in. 1 vs 8, 2 vs 7 and so on. Let the teams play and then we can have a college football season where the regular season still matters because the playoff format isn't bloated. We can still have the lesser bowl games for teams outside of the top 8. And it will allow for the game to be settled on the field. Obviously team #9 will be upset but you can't please everyone.

# 7 The_Wise_One @ Oct 17

They have won year and and year out so you can understand the bias. Bama will win it again this year

# 8 Kaiser Wilhelm @ Oct 17

When is the last time an SEC team came north of Mason-Dixon during or after late October in sub 40 degree weather and played a top tier FBS team?

# 9 moneal2001 @ Oct 18

@kaiser who plays out of conference games past mid to late september.

@pj33 now find the record for SEC in bcs championship games. ill give you a hint. they have only lost to themselves. and have been champions 8 out of 14 total times. with one of the times they didn't make it to the championship game USC has now had to vacate their championship

# 10 CuseGirl @ Oct 18

People keep talking about their hold on the BCS title game when they need to talk about conferences not recruiting under the same mathematical rules. When that becomes equal, then we can have a legit discussion.

# 11 FedExPope @ Oct 18

Talk to me about the SEC losing its edge when Alabama stops decimating nonconference opponents. When Missouri and Texas A&M get wins against traditional SEC powers, especially at home. Stop blaming an SEC bias when plenty of teams (USC in 06 losing to UCLA, allowing UF to go in and start this whole SEC dominance thing; Florida State blowing it against NC State; Oregon losing to Cam Newton; Oklahoma getting outmuscled in several goal line stands against UF in teh 08 championship; Texas suffered an injury to McCoy in 09 against Bama, that might have been the best shot at a non-SEC championship; in 07 non-SEC teams kept losing and losing and a 2-loss LSU team won the title; last year OK State lost a game against a weaker opponent than Alabama had.) Just stop the anti-SEC bias, and instead blame the rest of the college football world for blowing it repeatedly.

# 12 sarlndr @ Oct 18

@moneal2001: The SEC finds a way to play OOC FCS schools in November EVERY year. On 11/17/2012, seven teams from the SEC (UF and Bama included) will battle the likes of Wofford, Samford, Alabama A&M, Sam Houston, etc.. So please don't come with that who plays OOC past September, it's possible.

# 13 BonesKnows85 @ Oct 20

All you anti-SEC whiners bring up is the FCS opponents. Forget the fact that you cannot beat us in the big title games. My Gators held to most potent offense in the history of college football, Oklahoma in 2008, to 14 points and beat them. The SEC plays far better defense that anyone else. No garbage like West VA or Texas here.

# 14 BonesKnows85 @ Oct 20

You are trying to find bs reasons why the SEC doesn't deserve the hype. How about another conference/team step up and end our reign. Try that.

# 15 BonesKnows85 @ Oct 20

Also, the originator of this post is an Iowa fan. Look at your league. The Big Ten struggles against the FCS opponents every year. The Big Ten is an absolute joke. Talk about a conference that doesn't deserve a BCS bid this year. The Big 12 powers can't play defense and the neither can the Pac 12. The ACC cannot field an unbeaten team. Boise State is closer to ending the SEC reign than the other BCS conferences.

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