The Modern Gal must always be able to make and discuss the following football arguments over Sunday brunch with the gentleman friend:
1. The SEC is the greatest conference ever. (a highly mathematical explanation and an old, but still valid one)
2. The Pac-10 is arguably the best conference right now. (see below)
3. Second-tier football conferences include: Big East, ACC and Big 12. (no explanation needed)
4. The Big Ten+One should have its football privileges redacted immediately. (shouldn’t need an explanation, but just in case it does)
In SEC v. Pac-10 debates (which is a very legit debate right now), I give you this very good but week-old column by Pat Forde that includes the best method of comparison I’ve seen to date.
I’m proposing (and copyrighting) a sort of guest exchange program with the SEC for future seasons: The SEC offers its worst team, say Ole Miss* or Vandy, in exchange for a Big Ten+One school for one entire season. This would allow all those other schools which like to deny the SEC’s superiority a chance to see if they could survive a season in college football’s toughest conference. Michigan would be uttered in the same breath as “basement” and “doormat,” and Ohio State would cease to exist. Meanwhile Ole Miss or Vandy would be kicking Big Ten+One tail. And that is a beautiful thing.
*I’m not sure the SEC can really farm out the Rebs, regardless of how much an embarassment the Orgeron is. It is, after all, the SEC’s most Southern school.
Dear Modern Gal,
Really? The SEC is the toughest conference? Please…you guys schedule more cupcakes out of conference than any other conference. I didn’t realize that beating up on SunBelt and SoCon opponents legitimizes the SEC as supreme conference of them all. The SEC likes to tout its “parity.” Why is parity a good thing in the SEC, but not the BigTen? Over the last five years, the BigTen is 8-6 against the SEC in bowl games. Most of those games are in SEC territory, too. I’ll agree that the SEC is traditionally one of the stronger and deepest conferences. But I think SEC fans like to congratulate themselves a tad too much.
Respecfully,
Herman
Bowl games, schmowl games. The real bowl game is the SEC championship.
If you want to talk about bowl games, tell me how many national championships the Big Ten has under its belt since the inception of the BCS? One.
I will stop harping on the Big Ten as soon as they do two things:
1. Rename themselves to the Big Eleven or get rid of one member.
2. Get a conference championship game (I have this argument for several BCS conferences)
P.S. It’s all in good fun, Herms, and I certainly harbor no ill will toward your school.
Thanks for the link, Modern Gal.
Outstanding blog.