Debating OSU - ammo for your use

Anyone who accuses the SEC of playing easy schedules is either lying, or just doesn't understand math. The SEC plays the toughest schedules in the country, and this can be demonstrated in any number of ways. Some people would say yeah well the SEC wins the most bowl games, and they won the most BCS championships by a large margin, but they still play soft schedules.

No, the SEC wins the most bowl games, the BCS championships, and they play the toughest schedules. I've looked it up several ways, top ten schedules? The SEC is at the top of the list, guess how many Big 10 schools have played a top ten schedule in the past few years? The answer is 0. Then I looked at conference games, and basically the SEC could play anyone as a ninth game, even a MAC team and still be playing as tough a 9 game slate as any conference. Their 8 game slate is so tough they could play nobody and still have it tougher than a 9 game ACC schedule. It's all there for anyone that wants to look it up, but some people are willfully ignorant.

You can usually tell which conferences the talking heads are pulling for by listening for "out of conference schedule". When a team starts pumping up their "out of conference schedule", it means their "in conference schedule" is weaker than a three day old teabag. If a team is in a strong conference, they'll hype their overall SOS, not just the games they can pick and choose.

There are SOME Ohio State (and Big Ten) fans - no reflection upon our own B1G Tider poster, who is sane - who have rehearsed a mantra through the years and give excuses as to why the SEC is "overrated." Let me summarize this for you as I've seen it before:

1) The SEC refuses to play November games up north.

This accusation is patently absurd - and it's also disingenuous if the fan saying it knows ANYTHING about college football. There's an unstated implication: "You see, if Alabama had to come to the Horseshoe or Wisconsin in November, they'd get beat - and they know this and they're afraid." But this is laughable since: a) I don't know if this is an OFFICIAL rule or not (though I think it is) but Big Ten teams don't play OOC games after conference play has begun; b) I don't see any Big Ten teams in a rush (assuming no such rule exists) to give up the Ohio State-Michigan game or another conference game so Alabama or Florida can come to town.

In fact, there IS no refusal of the SEC to play November games up north - they CAN'T because there's NONE available.

2) Florida has not played a ranked opponent on the road outside of the state of Florida since losing to Syracuse in 1991.

This also has a bunch of unstated rhetoric designed to persuade. It implies that Florida is somehow "scared" because they "learned their lesson" when Syracuse beat them. But this statement ignores the fact that Florida plays FLORIDA STATE EVERY SINGLE YEAR WITHOUT EXCEPTION!!!! And most of those years the Noles have been a very good team. In fact, in that same 1991, everyone thought FSU was the best team even after the one-point loss to Miami. And then Florida beat the Noles, 14-9. Sounds like a frightened bunch to me, eh?

This statement ignores the fact that in 1991, Florida (like the rest of the SEC) only played SEVEN CONFERENCE GAMES; with the 1992 expansion, they now played EIGHT plus FSU EVERY YEAR plus an SEC title game if they won their division.

Florida isn't "afraid," the Gators just don't see any need to go cruising up north in September. And besides - the Gators have played the Miami Hurricanes a few times as well in years they also played FSU. The implication of "fear" is insanely ridiculous, and I'm not even a Florida fan.

3) All the major bowl games are in Southern venues where Big Ten plays SEC, which gives the SEC an advantage.

My counter? "Funny, y'all threw a fit about NOT getting to go to Pasadena, California on January 1."

2014 Temperatures (highs) on January 1
Pasadena: 77 degrees (Stanford vs Mich St)
Orlando: 64 degrees (USCe vs Wisconsin)
Jacksonville: 60 degrees (Georgia vs Nebraska)
Tampa: 62 degrees (LSU vs Iowa)

So apparently, the higher temps didn't affect Michigan State - and yet this was more Stanford's clime than MSU, right?

And I could show you point after point refuting that nonsense. If the high temperature is the problem then why aren't they fleeing the Rose Bowl and demanding a bowl game in Indy?

KrAzY3 said:

Anyone who accuses the SEC of playing easy schedules is either lying, or just doesn't understand math. The SEC plays the toughest schedules in the country, and this can be demonstrated in any number of ways. Some people would say yeah well the SEC wins the most bowl games, and they won the most BCS championships by a large margin, but they still play soft schedules.

No, the SEC wins the most bowl games, the BCS championships, and they play the toughest schedules. I've looked it up several ways, top ten schedules? The SEC is at the top of the list, guess how many Big 10 schools have played a top ten schedule in the past few years? The answer is 0. Then I looked at conference games, and basically the SEC could play anyone as a ninth game, even a MAC team and still be playing as tough a 9 game slate as any conference. Their 8 game slate is so tough they could play nobody and still have it tougher than a 9 game ACC schedule. It's all there for anyone that wants to look it up, but some people are willfully ignorant.

Click to expand...

I agree. I do not understand why some want us to play nine game SEC schedules, other than the TV folks, of course. Many who criticize SEC schedules always focus on out of conference schedules because they know that is the only possible point they have. Well, most conferences need to add a few tough ooc games because their conferences are pretty weak.