blakngold4

I can't believe the stuff about the SEC in this topic.

First, a lot of this evaluation turns on what you want from a "best" conference. Do you want a depth of above average teams, or do you want a smaller number of teams who look capable of competing for conference and national titles? I tend to think that a conference is judged by its elite teams, and the SEC wins in that regard. Florida, Tennessee, Bama, LSU, and Georgia all have cases to be in the national title picture. Can that be said of the Pac 10 or Big 10? No. The SEC probably has more strength at the top than any other major conference. The Big 10 has a fair case to be considered alongside the SEC this year, but how can you possibly support the SEC as the WORST major conference? Big East? Pac 10? Big 12? Come on.

Those five teams listed above have only lost to each other, and either Georgia or Tennessee will lose their head-to-head this weekend. You're faulting a conference for its teams losing conference games. How stupid is that? Florida OR Tennessee had to lose. Florida OR Bama had to lose. You would devalue a conference because two highly rated teams played each other early in the year? That's illogical.

I can indulge here some. I think USC's the best team in the country, but match the Pac10 up team for team with the SEC, and please explain how they're better. The SEC has more collective talent than the Pac10 and probably has five teams capable of beating the Pac10's number 2 squad. Heck, LSU even went on the road on short notice and won at Arizona State, and they aren't even going to win their division in the SEC (God willing).

I like the Big 10 this year. I like the Big 10 a lot. Iowa's been a disappointment, Michigan State has been a surprise, Penn State is back, but I think a pick between the Big 10 and SEC turns on what you want. The Big 10 has more bowl-caliber teams, and more competitive games week-to-week. I think the SEC produces more big ticket matchups between current powerhouses.

And the ACC? I'm just not buying. I think VT deserves to be ranked 2nd in the country, but I have pretty powerful doubts about FSU and Miami, and I think those 3 teams are the extent of the conference's elite ranks. The ACC doesn't have the depth at the top that the SEC does, and doesn't have the depth in the middle that the Big 10 does. I'm just not sure what they've done to merit inclusion.

That's because you go to Kentucky. You'd think that losing six conference games a year to real football schools (plus whatever happens against Vandy and some random less significant west opponent) would give you an appreciation for the rest of the conference. The SEC put 4 teams in the BCS Top 15 each of the past 3 years. The Big 10 did it in 2002 and 2003. No one else is in the ballpark. I think that pretty much sums up the strength of both of those conferences relative to the others. Hell, the ACC hasn't placed a team higher than 7th in the BCS for the past 3 years.

One more thing...

Two major points here. First, the rankings from week to week (especially early) are all over the place. In week 3, the Pac 10 had 3 ranked teams. One week later, they had 5. Were they that much better than they were 7 days ago? Doubtful. By the same token, the ACC has two teams ranked 18th or worst. If they drop a game, they're probably out of the poll, leaving FSU, Miami, and VT. Would the ACC suddenly be a shell of its Week 4 self? Again, doubtful.

Second, just to reiterate for everyone: what do you want out of a conference? I look at the ACC and see a lot of good football teams, but only one (two?) potentially great ones. That doesn't appeal to me personally. I'd rather have a few teams capable of dominating like last year's perfect Auburn team (who won 5 games against 9+ win teams) paired with Tennessee, Georgia, and LSU. Yeah, the ACC had 7 teams in the Top 25, but four of them were unstable. The SEC has 5 teams that are virtual locks for the final Top 25, and another team in Auburn that's clearly progressed in the past month. The Big 10, for comparison's sake, doesn't have the clearly defined top tier that the SEC does, but their teams have gone out and shown what they can do moreso than the ACC. Ohio State lost to Texas, but played a helluva game. Michigan's a formidable foe with Michael Hart involved. Michigan State has surprised people, and even Penn State looks dangerous right now (I'm skeptical but whatever).

I write all of this not because I think the SEC is the best conference in America (I'd vote for the Big 10 if pressed) or because they have the best team in America (Southern Cal, with apologies to VT and Texas), but because they have the depth of teams year in and year out that no other conference has, except possibly the Big 10. THAT is what's special about the SEC.