Say what you want about comparative strength of schedules for the BCS title contenders but I saw a list yesterday that showed the win/loss records of the opponents of all BCS top ranked teams and Florida's was the highest at a lofty 42-17. Now I see this in CFN: "5. The Big Ten isn’t exactly the SEC this season Florida has had to face the nation’s No. 1 (LSU), No. 14 (Georgia), No. 18 (Alabama), No. 24 (Auburn), and No. 31 (Tennessee) defenses, and still has to face the No. 37 (South Carolina) and No. 16 (Florida State) Ds. Would Ohio State beat all those teams? In a one game shot, I think so, but ask the Gators about the cumulative effect of playing a nasty defense week in and week out. Ask LSU what it's like to play road games at Florida, at Auburn, at Tennessee and at Arkansas" I think it is almost guaranteed that if...and it's a big if... UF wins out that the Gators would be the one loss team to play for the NC. I think UF would have a good shot at beating out an unbeaten Louisville but an unbeaten W.Va as good as they look would probably get the nod over a once beaten Florida.
I'm sorry <t>but that stretch isn't all that it appears to be. Its not. Each of those 4 teams have some form of deep flaw in them.<br/> <br/> They aren't bad teams, but a few of them appear to be static or even going backwards as the year goes on. Georgia is not a bad team, but they are not world beaters. Ditto that for a very limited Alabama with perhaps the most predictable offense in the conference. Auburn is a team that has played virtually no one, and the few 'ones' that they've played have showed some serious flaws in that team. Auburn's defense has serious problems stopping the run against a physical rushing attack. UT is a weird team but still very 'Fulmer-like'. They are as good as anyone, but still have moments of braincramp that bring them down to the level of their opponent from time to time.</t>
I say playing Ga. Tech. on the road at night followed by Penn. St. and Mich. back to back is pretty tough. But then they're not SEC teams so maybe not.
I do expect Tenn to lose to LSU on Sat. and especially if Ainge is out. Auburn is damned lucky if you want to call it that to be where they are. Their offense is very suspect as evidenced by the fact they couldn't score a single TD at home on UF and were so poor vs. Arkansas. Ga does have a very good defensive potential and they stepped it up in the second half on Sat. although Meyer's offense is prone to sputter at times. I think Arkansas will not beat LSU and it will be UF in a rematch with Auburn in Atlanta and I think Al Ford stays home in Alabama watching this one on TV.
I keep harping on this but I really believe it is relevant.... Notre Dame's schedule is tougher than it already looks because of the travel factor. The SEC, Big 12, Big Ten etc., they don't travel. Same time zones, climate and cultures. Try playing day and night, coast to coast, warm and cold if you want to find out how good you really are. No offense to my SEC friends here, but remove any doubts about your teams and come and get yourself some against a quality opponent up here, in November.
Let the record show that for the past few years I have considered the SEC to be the best top-to-bottom conference in college football. This year is no exception. Having said that, this is another incestuous pandering to its SEC reader base by CFN. With the possible exception of TN, name one of the above teams who has better than an average-to-mediocre offense and who has played even a semi-challenging out-of-conference schedule. It makes sense that the SEC defensive stats would be impressive when the offenses are less than they have been in the past. This analysis proves that you can twist statistics to suit your argument for or against any team or conference. That's what CFN has done here, but they're not fooling anyone, at least not moi.
Well.....42 wins...17 losses and that is the record of Florida opponents regardless of who they beat. Tenn did beatdown the Pac 10s arguably strongest team....Cal. Arkansas's only loss is to USC. LSU played AZ and Auburn smoked WashSt. The SEC is 3-1 vs. the Pac 10. Other than Ohio State playing Texas and the regional ND Big Ten matchups who has the Big Ten played of any note? Who has Michigan played other than ND....Vanderbilt? Yeah...Florida plays them too. You want to compare the SEC to ND who does not have a completely regional schedule because of necessity....because the Irish are not in a conference. Otherwise all conference schools play a somewhat regional schedule....they are in a conference!
Ain't it funny how we all have it so tough? You guys are breakin' my heart. It's a wonder that anybody wins any games at all. :wink: Notre Dame may travel a bit more than anyone else, but don't pretend they are the only midwest team to go out to the west coast. Y'all have three games outside the states of Michigan/Indiana this year...one against powerhouse Air Force. Oh, and South Bend to Atlanta is 647 miles, while Columbus to Iowa City is 541 miles...not a huge difference. SEC is tough, no doubt about it...but you're getting your props for it...poor Wisconsin has one loss to maybe the best team in the country, and there are all kinds of SEC teams (and others) in front of them. MCG isn't even giving them credit for being a quality opponent to Michigan. Yeah, tOSU may have a bit more trouble if they had to play all those SEC monsters Fla has to contend with, but we will have played two legitimate #2 ranked teams in the regular season (traveling to Texas). Actually those two teams may yet end up in the National Championship Game. Mebbe we all should build our teams up by kickin' a@@, not by complaining about how tough we have it.
Must be a trick question..... :wink: LSU appears to have a nasty defense....as for the others, what's particularly daunting about facing #'s14, 18, 24, 31 and 37? I don't get it? Let's just play....
I think it will be hard for any of the once beaten teams to jump the winner of the W.Va./Louisville game for the #2 slot in the BCS game. But even the winner of the game Thursday night isn't exactly home free they have a few games that they will have to play well, esp Rutgers, inorder to stay unbeaten. Of the 1 loss teams if they all win out. It will result in some major league bickering over who's the most deserving. Texas if we win out will end up most likely #3 in the human polls and Texas fans will be mighty upset if the BCS doesn't reflect that. The one thing I really hope doesn't happen is that Ohio State and Michigan play a really tight close game and that Mich stays #2 when they lose. I don't think anybody but Ohio State/Mich fans want to see a rematch in the bowls. Terry
I don't profess to be an expert on anything... But trust me, they'd never put tOSU and Mich in the bowl as a rematch. Not gonna happen, no way, no how. But I WAS telling Crazy John that if they both win out, play a great game, and look good and win their respective bowl games, that the possibility is there for OSU and Mich to end up #1 and #2 AFTER the bowls. Not chickening the hatches before they are counted, of course.
That's exactly what happened in 1996 when Fla won it. The replayed the FSU/Fla game in the Sugar Bowl.
But it wasn't the last game of the year, was it? That's the one thing that makes me certain it won't happen. Do you have a computer in every exam room?...must be aggrevating to your patients for you to have one hand in their mouth and the other on the Skybox keyboard. :lol:
MCG, stop trying to read my mind or assume what I'm thinking. I don't think like you. I am not comparing anybody with anybody. I'm just stating facts relating to this year's SEC teams that have nothing to do with any other conference or team outside the SEC. The CFN writer was trying to convince the reader that FL is the best 1-loss team in the country, and he played fast and loose with the facts to make his point. All I did was call him out. There still is a long way to go before we know who is the best 1-loss team....or 2-loss team..........
It's going to be a bitch if there is only Ohio State left undefeated and a whole bunch of 1 loss teams. Lots of unhappy fans! Looks to me like the SEC has a lot of good teams but no great team. The Big 12 certainly doesn't have a great team, Texas is good but not great. PAC10 doesn't look to have a great team, ACC certainly doesn't have a great team. It's only the B10 that has a great team in OSU, I think UM is a good team but I don't think they are a great team. Might be best if one of Louisville/Rutgers/W.Va. ends up undefeated and in the BCS game. Then we can all be unhappy together!! Terry
Motor City Gator, I would love to play Florida in the national Championship Game! Too early to say how things will play out, but I am not excited about facing West Virginia. (Assuming they go undefeated) The Gators with one loss would be much more of a challenge and great for the fans. We have never played Florida. Don
Stu, Florida State is always Florida's last game of the year. The only exception that I know of was one year where Tennessee and Florida had to play a postponed game after the Florida/Florida State game. I think that was 2001 because of 911.
Don, I recall the national championship game of '88 when we (ND) played West Virginia. They were undefeated, had a stud QB (Major Harris?) and had an all-5th yr O-line. There was a lot of pre-game talk about how good they were, etc., but when the teams took the field they were never in the game. Simply put, even if they make it to the "big game" it will be a farce, whoever they play. I don't think it will happen, because I think Louisville will burst their bubble. Then, we may have the same controversy but with a different Big East team. If MI plays OSU close and just barely loses who could argue against MI being the #2 team? Certainly not Texas or ND. Same if vice versa and OSU loses a close one to MI. On the other hand, if FL or TN go through the SEC rigors and emerge as the SEC champ with only one loss, I would not argue with their inclusion in the "big game". In any event, I certainly hope there is a lot of weeping and gnashing of teeth at the end of the season. It's an essential element of college football tradition. It also would be proof that the "big game" doesn't come close to putting controversy to rest. I would be very pleased if ND was part of the argument and eligible for a BCS bowl. It would be another huge step forward for our program.
From an article in a Florida newspaper: "He also knows what everybody else seems to have forgotten - Florida hasn't exactly been playing against Louisiana Tech's defense every week. Of the top six defenses in the conference and top 31 in the nation, Florida has faced five of them in its last six games. "We've played several and Ohio State doesn't have any. Michigan doesn't have any," Meyer said"
I used to think Texas had a great defense, but our pass defense seems to be lacking after that bombing that Tech put on us in the first half. I do however think it's hard to evaluate SEC defenses because SEC offenses have been so ordinary for the most part. Tenn is the lone exception. Which came first the ordinary offenses or the great defenses?