Question: Is the B1G for real or a Product of ESPN Hype?
- Thread starter CoastGhost
- Start date
aside from bama and miss state, every other sec west program is a dumpster fire or is about to become one.
It is hard to figure because there is so little cross-section between conferences. I think the SEC is massively down this year. This is definitely the worst the SEC has been since Saban got here at least. May be the worst year since 2004 or even earlier.
The Big Ten has two significant teams, two more right below those significant teams. Pretty reminiscent of the 2008-2012 time period in the SEC. I do believe that Michigan State, Rutgers, Purdue, etc being really poor teams has inflated schedules but only to a point. Penn State is the most overrated of them in my opinion.
The Big Ten has two significant teams, two more right below those significant teams. Pretty reminiscent of the 2008-2012 time period in the SEC. I do believe that Michigan State, Rutgers, Purdue, etc being really poor teams has inflated schedules but only to a point. Penn State is the most overrated of them in my opinion.
Also, why would ESPN hype the B1G when they have the SEC network and televise all the SEC games on their network?
The biggest concern for me about the playoffs is not unawareness of what any of these other national contender are as a team but an unsureness of what our team really is as a team. Because the 2016 SEC is just so terrible. I think we've been able to get away with some things that maybe would've been busted in a more "typical" group of excellence in the SEC. We haven't played an accurate passer with WRs that can push it down field since giving up 40+ against Ole Miss. That team didn't even end up making a bowl!
We look so dominant but at the same time I wonder if we're not just bullying inept football teams at this point. Our USC win has some luster now with how they finished the season but that ain't the same offense we detonated on Labor Day weekend. They went with their athletic QB and retuned the offense from a more traditional pro-style into a more multiple pro-style with spread option concepts. I think they're defense quit after the pick six by their offense near the end of the first half. Just not a representative game at this point.
We look so dominant but at the same time I wonder if we're not just bullying inept football teams at this point. Our USC win has some luster now with how they finished the season but that ain't the same offense we detonated on Labor Day weekend. They went with their athletic QB and retuned the offense from a more traditional pro-style into a more multiple pro-style with spread option concepts. I think they're defense quit after the pick six by their offense near the end of the first half. Just not a representative game at this point.
The Big 10 is the best conference this year. Ohio State beat the best team in the Big 12. Wisconsin is the third or fourth best team in the Big 10 and beat LSU. Michigan beat Pac-10 South champs Colorado. The SEC is only Bama right now. Now they have some really weak teams, and Rutgers may have replaced Kansas as the worst P5 school. That said, their top 4 or 5 teams are better than any other conference right now. As Bama fans, it doesn't really affect us as we are the exception, but as a conference, we just have to take our medicine. This is how the other conferences felt when the SEC was dominating for a decade. Seems a bit hypocritical to accept praise and downplays non-believers when it is us receiving it, and then say the exact opposite when we aren't on top. I think the reason for the Big 10 success this year is more experience at QB, better coaches (Saban has run off everybody here), better recruiting by the Big 10, etc.
The two games they lost were 1-score games to Michigan and Ohio State I believe...so not the worst two losses to have in the nation this year.
BTW, it is better to play in a conference that is weaker if you have the horses to go undefeated. The SEC is down this year, which has helped Alabama go 12-0 (soon to be 13-0) and stay pretty healthy. That is hard to do when your conference is really tough. And once you lose a game, you need help to make the playoff.
I think OSU has benefited from their schedule despite the loss. I think they have a good idea of their limitations and how teams will attack those weaknesses on offense and defense. Playing Oklahoma out of conference then getting every good team in their own conference as a bad interdivisional scheduling bounce...yeah Ohio State knows where they stand on a lot of fronts.
Alabama? There are some alright teams on our schedule but almost every single one of them is broken in one or more critical areas that simply precludes them from having a chance against us. The best QB we faced had no run game, suspect protection accordingly and his defense was extremely bad. The two best defenses we played had no help from their offenses trying to get by without even a mediocre QB. Most of the SEC is just plain god awful on defense and I don't think we really sharpened Jalen Hurts like he would've been after a full season in SEC slates of past seasons. The teams that had the horses to test him, we were able to break them with massive time of possession advantages due to their offenses being garbage.
Ohio State? They played 3 of the better defenses in the nation within their conference that actually could move it around a bit on offense. JT Barrett frankly looks no better than Jalen Hurts against these guys but at least Ohio State found a way to win anyway (2-1 against these teams). They had their games where they won by stepping off the bus at the stadium too. Still, they're a bit more battle tested to me.
Alabama? There are some alright teams on our schedule but almost every single one of them is broken in one or more critical areas that simply precludes them from having a chance against us. The best QB we faced had no run game, suspect protection accordingly and his defense was extremely bad. The two best defenses we played had no help from their offenses trying to get by without even a mediocre QB. Most of the SEC is just plain god awful on defense and I don't think we really sharpened Jalen Hurts like he would've been after a full season in SEC slates of past seasons. The teams that had the horses to test him, we were able to break them with massive time of possession advantages due to their offenses being garbage.
Ohio State? They played 3 of the better defenses in the nation within their conference that actually could move it around a bit on offense. JT Barrett frankly looks no better than Jalen Hurts against these guys but at least Ohio State found a way to win anyway (2-1 against these teams). They had their games where they won by stepping off the bus at the stadium too. Still, they're a bit more battle tested to me.
I guess what I'm saying is that none of the teams who could make the playoffs are as critically broken in an area that the strength of us being mostly average to elite in every area will overwhelm them. And basically our entire schedule was an exercise of us being able to chip away at whatever weakness a team may possess and winning - often comfortably - in the process.
Washington is the weakest potential playoff team in my opinion but they have a pretty decent defense (weaker now that they lost their top pass rusher, but still well coached) and a NFL-caliber QB+outside WRs combination. Ohio State has had some issues with down four pass rush this season but the pure talent is there for them to get it...passing game hasn't been great but the athletes are there to be elite. Clemson...well we know what to expect out of them after last year. We usually play at least one team in our conference that is within the area code of these type of teams but not this year...
Washington is the weakest potential playoff team in my opinion but they have a pretty decent defense (weaker now that they lost their top pass rusher, but still well coached) and a NFL-caliber QB+outside WRs combination. Ohio State has had some issues with down four pass rush this season but the pure talent is there for them to get it...passing game hasn't been great but the athletes are there to be elite. Clemson...well we know what to expect out of them after last year. We usually play at least one team in our conference that is within the area code of these type of teams but not this year...
Big ten is top heavy but sec is a mess and you shouldn't dismiss whisky beating lsu. They have some garbage teams but so does the sec honestly, sec is stronger through the middle probably
Latest threads
-
-
Political Meme - Cartoon/Joke Thread...Part XX- Started by Bazza
- Replies: 9
-
US Army replacing 5.56mm rifle with a 6.8mm for infantry- Started by Tidewater
- Replies: 6
-
-
Game One of Alabama-Texas A&M Alabama Series Moved to Friday as Part of Doubleheader- Started by Diamond Tide
- Replies: 0
-
Bama Game Thread: Bama Gymnastics - NCAA Championship Semi-finals (ESPN2 | 4/18 @ 8pm CT)- Started by BamaNation
- Replies: 33