:roll: From my perspective, based on results of SEC conference games so far this season, there is only one team in the conference that is capable of challenging Bama....Mizzoo. It could change, but so far this appears to be a year when the SEC is pretty average. That's not Bama's fault. It seems to me that the Bama train keeps rolling regardless of what is happening around it.
LSU played the most most physical defense in the SEC in Florida and it definitely was a physical game with several injuries on both sides.... then went to Ole Miss and laid an egg. It happens that way in the SEC sometimes. And Bama has not had those kinds of back to backers and probably will not this season. No way in hell Missouri will beat South Carolina this Saturday. If they do I'll take a month off this board.
I tend to agree with Gip. At the same time, Missou's front 4 is significantly better than Texas A&M's. Also, Missouri has an entire platoon of huge, fast WRs to present matchup problems. Saban is the jedi master of isolating teams to get an optimal matchup on almost every single play defensively. Missouri can do a lot of things. They have good RBs. They have a good OL. Their WRs are big and fast. They get a LOT of perimeter pressure from their defensive ends. They aren't as easy as a lot of people think.
That's no fun. Who am I going to torture if/when Missouri wins? That's just running away at that point.
MCG, I think a better condition would be that you have to post at least once a day for a month and you can't mention Florida at all for the whole month. Make sure you pay up your life and health insurance first. :wink:
Kesley, I think Alabama is 3-0 against top 30 programs. I think that compares pretty well with other programs in the country. Anybody's defensive front 4 is better than A&M's, but are they better than Alabama's. Our OL is our remaining weakness. Our DB's (especially since losing Sunsieri) is not our strong point but it is getting better. The Arkansas game Alabama put everything together. If we play as error free as we did last weekend, Alabama will be tough to beat. Easy to say, hard to do. Gip, ah but Manziel didn't beat Alabama! 8)
kp - I give kudos for scheduling VT and somewhat for CSU. Not so much for Georgia St. and Chattanooga, but that is the way things are done these days, unfortunately.
Kesley, But then you don't count the other ranked teams. Texas A&M, Ole Miss, LSU, Auburn and hopefully another ranked team in the SECCG. yes they are conference foes but we have to play them. Who else has played and beaten 3 top 30 teams? I don't mind the bar being set high but lets set it high for everyone.
24-4 That is the current won-loss record of the 4 away games that UF plays this year. Only 4 away games you can say.... all in the SEC or in the state of Florida. But has any other team faced such a daunting away schedule record wise?
I dunno Dave, Maybe Ask Tom about his road sched... At Oregon 7-0 At Florida (I assume you still call them a tough game?) At Alabama 7-0 At Mizzou 7-0 And of course that killer at the end... AT KENTUCKY!!
Dang it you're right.... I forgot about Kentucky. Well 25-9 with 4 of the five teams at 24-4 is still a pretty stern road test. And these Gators.... whoever some of them are :wink: .... have just not been up to the test. Tenn's top 4 then are 25-3.... with the Gators being the 3.... and with the Gators playing their best game of the year to beat the Vols... ( little did we know )...
Kentucky is on Thursday night TV...not very often do you see SEC team on Thursday night...that's usually been ACC/Big East territory.
kp - the difficulty of the conference schedule, SEC and P12, is all well and good. What I was lamenting was the fact that I miss the days when teams would get out and play respectable non-con schedules. When the SEC started their unprecedented run and showed that tough schedules actually hurt your chances of playing for the NC in the BS era, the other conferences have been quick to learn. I am still of the opinion that the week in/week out slobber knocking schedule of the SEC is largely a myth worked up by the entertainment and sports network. The top of the SEC has been good. So has the top of the P12. The bottom of the SEC has been just as atrocious as the bottom of the P12. However, all we ever hear is that EVERY WEEK in the SEC is a test, where by comparison, all the other conferences only have to play one or two testing games every year. Which is the circular argument to defend not playing non-cons of any substance. It's the same ol' story kp. I really wasn't intentionally taking a swipe at Alabama, and you've been pretty fair about your evaluation of your team. Alabama deserves their #1 ranking.
Kesley, you're starting to sound like Stoops. :wink: Here's the deal, who are you proposing plays a more difficult schedule? You take the shots at Alabama but once again, who else has played and beaten 3 top 30 teams? I'm just asking that everyone is held to the same standard. Who, besides Notre Dame and only because all of their games are OOC, plays more than one top 30 team OOC? I really don't know the answer but in the end Alabama is going to end up playing 5 or 6 teams out of the top 30 this year, and yes we play some not so good teams but once again give me the team that doesn't? :?:
Seems like the top half of the SEC, PAC 12 and possibly the ACC are where the elite teams reside this year. On a week-to-week basis I do think Bama could be tripped up in any of those three conferences. The Big 10 not so much except I do think Ohio State in the BCS Title game with Urban Meyer at the helm having 6 weeks to prepare and outscheme Saban would be the toughest out of them all.