Random Thoughts

Since the GBU is much longer, I kinda let this part of the skit die on the vine a bit. So, maybe this will be acceptable...



What do we know about the SEC teams and when will we know?


Right now, there have been a handful of teams in the SEC that have been tested already. Teams like Bama, Tennessee, Georgia, and LSU have gone out of conference and played some quality opponents and we know a little bit about who they are. That really isn't the whole story yet, but if you are asking me....


Auburn- Auburn has a night game with West Virginia, but how good they are is unknown. The true rubber meets road at the end of October. 4 of the last 5 are ranked, and 3 are currently in the top 10. I'll be honest, they have looked good against the level of competition, but I question if they are prime time yet or not. They look bowl eligible and their game with UT may decide who wins a weedeater and who gets a banjo.


Arkansas- Year two of the Petrino Project hits the road this week. The next 3 games are going to test the Hawgs capacity to play in December. They get UGA, Bama and aTm. By that point we'll know more about them, but even if there is doubt, they get AU, UF, and Ole Miss after that.


Florida- Florida is just on cruise control. They have UT this week and while it isn't a push over they aren't a threat to Florida. Circle October 10th though, they head to LSU for a night game. As anyone can attest, Baton Rouge at dark is a deadly place, football and otherwise. I think after that game, we will know all we need to know, if anything, about how good this team is.


Kentucky- They like Arkansas now have the real test. They get state rival Louisville, then they have 2 key home games against UF and Bama. They probably will be fighting with Auburn and Tennessee for a lower bid. They play both along the way.


Ole Miss- Ole Miss has probably the luckiest schedule that the SEC could ever have given. They have 30 guys oinking in the infirmary last week and got a bye. This week is a semi-bye with SE Louisiana. Their October 10th showdown with the Tide and Halloween night game with Auburn will be the only time we see much from them until their near end battle with UT and LSU.

So how would they stack up? Bowl Wise?

To me I see 3 top end teams, one that can be there, and several mid-tier teams brewing.

Top Tier

At the top you have Florida, then Bama is about 2 paces behind them right now. If UF just thrashes UT by 60, they probably open up a bigger gap. The top tier sees a little air between Bama and the next 2 in Ole Miss and LSU because they have both looked good but haven't been shaken yet. Ole Miss is the one I'm not sure yet about how good they are. They drubbed Memphis, but so did MTSU....

Mid Tier

I'll be honest, I didn't think Auburn would be very good this year, but they have bought in and that's always key. The top end of the middle is really a 2 horse competition between UGA and Auburn. Given how bad Georgia's defense has played thus far, I'd almost put Auburn ahead of them. USCar has been so unstable that you don't know if they are the team that mauled around with NC State or the team that couldn't help themselves against Georgia. Kentucky hasn't got the talent to be the top of this tier, but they are well coached. Tennessee is really a tweener right now between tiers. If they get slapped around by their higher end foes, they really aren't here, but if they can pull at least one surprise, they have credibility.

Bottom Tier

Arkansas isn't a bad team, but their schedule is brutal. Their record may not reflect the strength this team has. The Hawgs go to Bama, Florida, Ole Miss, and LSU. That's a killer schedule alone, but they have UGA and aTm at home as well as Auburn and South Carolina. Vandy has returned to earth now, after last year's Cinderella season. For Vandy, it is all about execution and the failure to do such on the flip side. Their wins in the SEC last year are pretty well summed up by that. They took advantage of the other team's mistakes and didn't make many. This year, they are retooling, for Vandy anyways, and probably aren't going to make many waves this year. Mississippi State has a lot of recruiting to do. They did put up a fight with Auburn, but they are still 2 years away from having the talent to run the spread option and build a defense that can work with that type of offense. I think Mullens is a good coach and top end recruiter, but he's got a lot of work to do before MSU is a threat in the West for anything more than the Independance Bowl.

I think the bowl picture right now is, and I know this is waaaaaaaaay early:
(by rank)
Florida- BCS
Bama- BCS
LSU- Cap 1
Ole Miss- Cotton
Georgia- Outback
Auburn- Peach
USCar- Music City
Kentucky- Liberty
Tennessee- Independence (The Lane Train derails that bad)
Arkansas- home for the holidays, a 5-7 mark may be a victory with their schedule
Vandy- home for the holidays, they could find 6 wins with some help, but I doubt it strikes twice
MSU- home for the holidays, and on the recruiting trail in a hurry.

The new SEC Network...

I keep seeing stuff on message boards that say they are dissatisfied with it. My thought is this, when the HELL did Bama v. North Texas ever become TV worthy before??? Yes, this year has some time conflicts, but this schedule was inked before the deal if memory serves. I am not too spoiled if it isn't in the HD format or if the HD is not top end, like ABC's is. All of that is nice, and I enjoy the picture too, but I don't have to have it. I watched the FIU game from my laptop, so if I can handle that quality, the rest is cake. I am surprised that most cable providers in the SEC region didn't put ESPNU as a part of the basic packages since most don't buy the expanded packages unless they are movie fanatics. Personally, I don't like that I pay what I do for 70+ channels when I watch maybe 10, but it is what it is.

As to the scheduling, sure it could be a little less compact, but at least they are on. At least we can watch USCar v. UGA and Bama v. FIU at the same time or LSU v. Vandy. Given that 4 or 5 years ago, we were all sitting around going "will the Bama game be on X or PPV" and really the entire conference was at the mercy of scheduling fate to the point that some games were doomed to JP/Raycom hell, we've come a long way baby. Enjoy the games for the games, not the picture quality or any nerdy near "Dothan" reason.