SEC Football Weekend Reaction: Overrated…by who?
After proclaiming the SEC back and the PAC-12 silly in week one, I have to eat some crow in week 2. Auburn was outplayed by FCS foe Jacksonville State, Auburn lost to Toledo, Florida had to claw to victory against Eastern Carolina, Georgia failed to impress in beating Vanderbilt, Mizzou snatched victory from the jaws of defeat against Arkansas State and Tennessee blew at 17 point lead at home to fall to Oklahoma. A week after going 12-1, SEC football looked mediocre at best.
But where does the blame lie for the perception of the SEC? Many in SEC country were surprised by much of the preseason hype. Fans and analysts on local radio shows questioned decision after decision of the national media.
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Why was Tennessee getting so much love? Sure, they won 4 of their last 5. But their 4 victories were against South Carolina, Kentucky, Vanderbilt and Iowa. Exactly zero of their victories were impressive. Their toughest opponent, Missouri, was their loss.
Why was Arkansas a trendy dark horse in the SEC? They barely made a bowl game. Yes, they defeated deflated LSU and Ole Miss teams in impressive fashion, but they were still 2-6 in the SEC in 2014. How does that equal a 2015 contender?
Why did Auburn get all the love and Texas A&M get none? Auburn went 8-5 (4-4 in the SEC), A&M went 8-5 (3-5). Auburn got Will Muschamp, A&M got John Chavis. The Tigers had to replace an SEC Champion quarterback; the Aggies had a returning starter and an incoming freshman that would push him. How does Auburn get picked to win the SEC, but A&M enter the season unranked?
Why were all of Florida’s problems suddenly proclaimed resolved? They beat Eastern Michigan 65-0 to open the 2014 season. How was a 61-13 defeat of New Mexico State suddenly the definitive solution to all their woes?
Why was Mississippi State already ranked? The SEC media picked State to finish 7th in the West; they were expected to drop games.
While the national story will be about how overrated the SEC was after the conference set a record of having 10 teams ranked in the AP Top 25, many SEC fans will shrug their shoulders and wonder why so many of those teams were ranked in the first place.
It is certainly confusing when you look at Ole Miss and Texas A&M. Ole Miss has dominated inferior opponents for two weeks and, rightfully so, has seen very little movement in their ranking so far. If Ole Miss wants to crack the top 10 they will have to beat Alabama in week 3. That is fair.
Texas A&M, who has an incredible amount of similarities to Auburn, had to defeat Arizona State to crack the Top 25. They, rightfully so, had doubters and had to prove they belonged in the rankings.
Yes, week 2 had several embarrassing results for fans of the SEC. But before you trounce SEC fans, remember we weren’t the ones begging to have these teams ranked. We were the ones questioning the rankings before week 2 ever happened.
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