What is better -- dominating weak SEC or narrowly top team in elite conference?

[UntouchableCrew]

Let me first say this -- nothing is more important than Alabama being the best team in college football. Forget conference pride, forget rivalries, forget everything. I'm sure we'd all agree the single most important thing is that Alabama is the preeminent team in college football. And they are. Since 2009 Alabama has been the GOLD STANDARD in college football. Sure, we've lost a few big games but we've won more. Since 2009 Alabama has won half the college football national championships, but even more importantly than that they've been the top contender every single year during that span. And the program has earned that respect.

All that said I'm curious how Bama fans feel about the following -- would you rather be the obvious best team in a weak SEC or would you rather be the best team (by a narrow margin) in what is clearly the best conference in the country?

In the early part of the Saban run (2008-2012) Alabama was relatively narrowly the best team in what was clearly the best conference in the country by a mile. We fought it out in the SEC West war, but everyone knew the team that emerged was the best. In more recent years (2013-2017) the SEC seems to be down but Alabama is not. Coach Saban's dominance has cost talented coaches their jobs and the result seems to be that the SEC isn't as good across the board as it has been. And honestly that seems to have benefited Alabama.

So the question is this -- would you rather dominate a weaker SEC? Or would you rather prove you're the best by beating the best in an elite SEC?

Some I know seem to be down on the SEC but on a personal level I LOVE that Alabama's dominance has disheartened the SEC and made their road to the playoff easier. What do you think?

 

[JBama_in_PCOLA]

Hard to say right now. We’ve been on top so long that it all feels the same. Roll Tide!


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[CrimsonForce]

Weaker SEC because that creates an easier path to the playoffs for Bama. All I care about..


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[colbysullivan]

National championships are all that matter

 

[CrimsonNagus]

Just win the game in front of you. Thats all you can control. Not Bama's fault that most of the SEC has quit waiting for Saban to retire.

 

[crimsonaudio]

Perfection would be if every SEC team save Bama could go 0-12 while Bama made the playoffs.

 

[RT27]

How about being the dominate team in all of college football? That is what we are right now, no one comes close to what Alabama has done the last 10 yrs no one. I would rather be what we are right now, the team that is the best of the entire college football land. To be what we are means we will make the rest of SEC look bad, so be it, catch up or shut up. Other than Clemson last 2 years we have run over pretty much every other program and or set them back a good bit. YES we have lost some games but less than any other in the last 10 yrs. Won more conference and national titles than any other. I like ruling the world. Not just the conference. Like the man in a movie said once, you are the top of the food chain, accept it and enjoy it.

 

[Probius]

Going through a tough conference prepares the team for the playoff. The team is tried by fire and comes out of the regular season battled hardened. It may seem like we should just want an easy path to the playoff, but an easy path doesn't prepare a team. It's like an old poster from my elementary school classroom said, you can only coast downhill.

 

[B1GTide]

In a playoff format, conference strength doesn't matter as long as you are in a P5 conference. Wins are all that matter. Go undefeated in winning your P5 conference and you are in the playoff. So why would you want to decrease the chances of that happening by playing in a tougher conference?

Alabama is not the best team because it plays in the SEC.

 

[NationalTitles18]

The SEC may be weaker but Alabama, I dare say, is also stronger this year. To this point this is the best overall Alabama team I've seen since 1979. Time will tell.

 

[CullmanTide]

You play the schedule you have. No team right now is playing to Alabama's level.

 

[CajunCrimson]

Maybe it's because I'm getting older, but give me 66-3 every game all year long....

Nail-biters are for people who like to eat Sushi, watch porn with their wife in the other room, are fascinated by weird growths on their back, and dig the monkeys from Wizard of Oz....

I much prefer to have big leads early....and cruise

 

[Mystical]

Weird thing is we seem to be getting more injuries against an easier schedule. Wish D. Hand was out of the game when he got cheap shotted.

 

[CajunCrimson]

Weird thing is we seem to be getting more injuries against an easier schedule. Wish D. Hand was out of the game when he got cheap shotted.

in the 3rd quarter? These guys deserve to play....It wasn't a freak accident, someone took a shot at him. It could have easily happened in the first quarter on the first play.

I get taking them out when the game is out of reach....but in the 3rd quarter -- in his Senior year when he's been waiting to play, when he's trying to put a resume together, I have no problem with him being in the game

 

[Mystical]

In a playoff format, conference strength doesn't matter as long as you are in a P5 conference. Wins are all that matter. Go undefeated in winning your P5 conference and you are in the playoff. So why would you want to decrease the chances of that happening by playing in a tougher conference?

Alabama is not the best team because it plays in the SEC.

It would only hurt you if the SEC is so bad and all our teams lose everyone of their out of conference game including the cupcakes. Than compound that with us not having any good out of conference wins with 4 other undefeated power 5 champions. For that reason I would never want the SEC to be that bad. The reason the winner of the SEC always gets in is because we were always known as the best conference. Change that perception and we start being known as the worse conference....well.

 

[FThomas]

As a fan, I would much rather win narrowly and be tops in a good conference. It means more close games, more anxiety and biting nails, more exhilaration pulling out victories, etc. My best memories of games are always games like Tiffin's kick, or the comebacks in Baton Rouge, the blocked FG against Penn State, the Drake kickoff Return against Clemson. The huge blowouts are not nearly as memorable or satisfying for me as a fan. I enjoy them, but they don't leave the impression of close games.

 

[B1GTide]

It would only hurt you if the SEC is so bad and all our teams lose everyone of their out of conference game including the cupcakes. Than compound that with us not having any good out of conference wins with 4 other undefeated power 5 champions. For that reason I would never want the SEC to be that bad. The reason the winner of the SEC always gets in is because we were always known as the best conference. Change that perception and we start being known as the worse conference....well.

None of that matters if you are undefeated. No P5 conference champion which is undefeated will ever be left out of the playoff. Ever.

 

[GeorgiaTider]

The SEC may be weaker but Alabama, I dare say, is also stronger this year. To this point this is the best overall Alabama team I've seen since 1979. Time will tell.

The O is better than in the past, but the D is not as good as the past few years. We will see how good we are when we play Auburn and perhaps the SEC East representative.

 

[NationalTitles18]

As a fan, I would much rather win narrowly and be tops in a good conference. It means more close games, more anxiety and biting nails, more exhilaration pulling out victories, etc. My best memories of games are always games like Tiffin's kick, or the comebacks in Baton Rouge, the blocked FG against Penn State, the Drake kickoff Return against Clemson. The huge blowouts are not nearly as memorable or satisfying for me as a fan. I enjoy them, but they don't leave the impression of close games.

I enjoy the heck out of watching the '93 Miami game and '09 Florida game and on occasion the '08 UGA game and the '13 ND game. I LOVE a good blowout win!

 

[uafan4life]

None of that matters if you are undefeated. No P5 conference champion which is undefeated will ever be left out of the playoff. Ever.

Unless there are five of them.

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