Lets end the talent argument!

[KillerNut]

Alright guys, I was just wondering through Rivals.com and was looking at the recruiting of some of the top teams from the north and from the south for 2008. From the looks of everything, it looks like some of the northern teams get just as good of recruits as the southern schools. So is SEC the only conference that has speed or world class athletes? I'll give you the recruting class pages of a few of the northern teams and a few of the southern teams. So why do most SEC fans think that schools outside of the SEC can't compete with them? Is there really that much difference between them talentwise? You be the judge of that.

Ohio State
http://rivals100.rivals.com/commitlist.asp?Year=2008&School=56&Sport=1

Notre Dame
http://rivals100.rivals.com/commitlist.asp?Year=2008&School=55&Sport=1

Michigan
http://rivals100.rivals.com/commitlist.asp?Year=2008&School=44&Sport=1

Compare those to.....

LSU
http://rivals100.rivals.com/commitlist.asp?Year=2008&School=37&Sport=1

Florida
http://rivals100.rivals.com/commitlist.asp?Year=2008&School=21&Sport=1

Georgia
http://rivals100.rivals.com/commitlist.asp?Year=2008&School=26&Sport=1

Okay my point is that when you guys play the "our athletes are better" card it is just plain foolish and ignorant. If you look at those classes above, you find that Georgia's class is no better than Notre Dame's, LSU's is no better than Ohio State's, and Florida's is no better than Michigan's. Just wanted to prove a point and I'll am figuring to get hammered by most of the members here but hell, its worth it. Also, Florida and tOSU are currently the leaders for the services of the number one recruit in the nation, Terrelle Pryor. So why do a lot of you say that athletes don't want to come up to the north because it cold or lack of atmosphere. Seems pretty apparent that this is a fallacy. :laugh:

[volimhtown]

Okay my point is that when you guys play the "our athletes are better" card it is just plain foolish and ignorant.

No argument here!! :thumpsup:

[True Grit]

Sorry, but you cant use Rivals or Scout rankings to prove who has better talent.

[BamaFanNKy]

I'm glad you chose ND, Michigan and OSU..... it's better compare he best and worst:

2007 Rivals rankings:
1. Florida
3. Tennessee
4. LSU
6. USCe
7. Auburn
9. UGA
10. Alabama
Over 50% of the conf. is in the top 10 and not one big televen.
12. Michigan
15. tOSU
20. Illinois
24. Penn State
27. Ole Miss
28. Iowa
31. Arkansas
34. Wisconsin
39. Mississippi State
42. Michigan State.
Top 50- 10 of 12 teams are from the SEC meanwhile 7 of 11. Already top to bottom the SEC blows away the Big Televen.
53. Northwestern
54. Kentucky
57. Minnesota
59. Purdue
67. Vanderbilt
97. Indiana

Sorry kn.

[BamaFanNKy]

Sorry, but you cant use Rivals or Scout rankings to prove who has better talent.
Well I did and proved even his parameters show the Big Televen still doesn't compare.

[True Grit]

Well I did and proved even his parameters show the Big Televen still doesn't compare.

You cant. Rivals and Scout are not accuarrate in their rankings.

[KillerNut]

Sorry, but you cant use Rivals or Scout rankings to prove who has better talent.

Hey, normally I would totally agree with you because star ratings shouldn't be used to measure how good an athlete is but according to some people on this site, it is. So while using their logic and reasoning, I have made my case.

BFNKY, I am talking about this year. :thumpsup:

[BamaFanNKy]

You cant. Rivals and Scout are not accuarrate in their rankings.

Uhhhhh..... it's thier rankings. It's like me being inaccurate in my top 10 movie list. It's a talent evaluation. It's more subjective.

[BamaFanNKy]

Hey, normally I would totally agree with you because star ratings shouldn't be used to measure how good an athlete is but according to some people on this site, it is. So while using their logic and reasoning, I have made my case.

BFNKY, I am talking about this year. :thumpsup:What do you mean this year? 2003 class or 2008?

[smfr]

I have to say that just because the ranking make them so high doesn't mean squat. Take for instances Kregg Lumpkin and Reggie Bush if i'm not mistaken Lumpkin was ranked higher than Bush but who is the better running back...Bush by far. Rivals and Scout rank them based on High School performance. You can't know how someone is gonna adapt to college. You can have an idea but you can't know. You just gotta hope so them numbers don't mean nothing more than maybe you got recruits that are just as good as the south but doesn't mean they are gonna be as good.

[KillerNut]

What do you mean this year? 2003 class or 2008?

2008

I am not trying to dog anyone or any team, but rather just using a few examples, trying to prove that our top teams recruiting equals that of the better SEC teams. Thats all.

I agree that both Scout.com and Rivals.com are inaccurate but they are somewhat close in how good and sought after a certain player is.

[reese]

u cant use 1 years worth of rankings to judge a teams talent. u would need to go back 3 or 4 years and combine them to really judge a teams talent...ill do it later mabe

[KillerNut]

Take for instances Kregg Lumpkin and Reggie Bush if i'm not mistaken Lumpkin was ranked higher than Bush but who is the better running back...Bush by far. Rivals and Scout rank them based on High School performance. You can't know how someone is gonna adapt to college. You can have an idea but you can't know.

I agree with that statement. I can name a number of nationally recognized athletes that were not even close to being a Top 100 recruit but excelled in CFB to legend status. Some higher ranked athletes do not turn out to be as advertised.

Man, I really opened up a bag on this thread. :laugh:

[KillerNut]

u cant use 1 years worth of rankings to judge a teams talent. u would need to go back 3 or 4 years and combine them to really judge a teams talent...ill do it later mabe

And you would find that those same teams have just as good of recruits. Just using this year as an example because its current. Thats all.

[reese]

I have to say that just because the ranking make them so high doesn't mean squat. Take for instances Kregg Lumpkin and Reggie Bush if i'm not mistaken Lumpkin was ranked higher than Bush but who is the better running back...Bush by far. Rivals and Scout rank them based on High School performance. You can't know how someone is gonna adapt to college. You can have an idea but you can't know. You just gotta hope so them numbers don't mean nothing more than maybe you got recruits that are just as good as the south but doesn't mean they are gonna be as good.

there rankings are actually basedon college potential. take aj green and julio jones for example. green's numbers are far better the jones. but jones is ranked ahead of him becuz he is bigger, stronger faster. he has more potential.

[smfr]

I agree with that statement. I can name a number of nationally recognized athletes that were not even close to being a Top 100 recruit but excelled in CFB to legend status. Some higher ranked athletes do not turn out to be as advertised.

Man, I really opened up a bag on this thread. :laugh:


It's a really good thread to start. Prob something we don't talk as much as we should about. But me and a friend of mine were talking about this same subject. We decided not to look at rivals or scout anymore except to see who has commited. Maybe we should start our own ranking system based on our own teams and current roster to get a more accurete rating on them.

[BamaFanNKy]

2008

I am not trying to dog anyone or any team, but rather just using a few examples, trying to prove that our top teams recruiting equals that of the better SEC teams. Thats all.

I agree that both Scout.com and Rivals.com are inaccurate but they are somewhat close in how good and sought after a certain player is.

And you can't use the 2008 class yet. We are 3 months away from being done. So the last 4 years still proves the SEC is better.

[KillerNut]

And you can't use the 2008 class yet. We are 3 months away from being done. So the last 4 years still proves the SEC is better.

Not by much. Which is my point. I rather more equal than most people think.

[BamaFanNKy]

2006 class
2 Florida 27 4 17 5 3.89 2,901
4 Georgia 28 2 14 12 3.64 2,436
6 Penn State 24 1 14 8 3.63 2,241
7 LSU 25 2 12 11 3.64 2,238
10 Auburn 25 1 14 7 3.52 2,148
11 Alabama 23 2 10 11 3.61 2,127
12 Ohio State 20 2 8 10 3.60 2,000
13 Michigan 19 2 9 7 3.63 1,974
16 Ole Miss 30 2 7 15 3.17 1,718
23 Tennessee 22 1 4 13 3.09 1,245
24 South Carolina 24 0 6 14 3.08 1,236
8 of 12 top 25 for SEC. 3 of 11 for the big Televen.
26 Arkansas 26 1 4 14 2.96 1,172
31 Illinois 27 0 6 12 2.89 1,148
33 Michigan State 25 0 7 7 2.84 1,112
36 Kentucky 30 0 3 10 2.53 829
40 Iowa 20 0 2 10 2.70 703
42 Wisconsin 23 0 3 10 2.70 672
44 Mississippi State 24 0 3 10 2.67 595
50 Purdue 26 0 1 10 2.38 490
11 of 12 in top 50 SEC 8 of 11......

2005
4 Tennessee 27 1 16 9 3.63 2,403
6 Michigan 23 1 10 11 3.48 1,995
10 Georgia 19 0 11 8 3.58 1,814
11 Iowa 23 1 7 11 3.22 1,745
12 Ohio State 18 1 9 6 3.50 1,654
13 Auburn 21 1 7 10 3.19 1,596
15 Florida 18 0 8 9 3.39 1,467
18 Alabama 32 0 6 21 3.03 1,424
22 LSU 13 1 7 5 3.69 1,335
23 South Carolina 28 0 6 15 2.96 1,310
24 Arkansas 24 1 3 15 3.00 1,293
25 Penn State 19 2 2 10 3.05 1,152
8 of 12 top 25 SEC and 4 of 11 big Televen
29 Purdue 21 1 3 12 3.00 967
30 Ole Miss 27 1 2 8 2.56 887
33 Mississippi State 27 0 3 9 2.56 767
34 Wisconsin 23 0 2 13 2.74 767
35 Michigan State 24 0 1 16 2.75 762
10 of 12 top 50 SEc 7 of 11 big televen

2004
2 LSU 28 3 12 10 3.54 2,492
5 Michigan 22 1 12 8 3.59 2,116
6 Georgia 21 1 11 8 3.57 2,074
7 Florida 23 1 11 10 3.52 2,065
9 Ohio State 25 1 9 10 3.24 1,913
11 Tennessee 24 2 8 8 3.25 1,748
14 Penn State 25 2 2 15 3.00 1,430
15 Alabama 27 0 4 16 2.89 1,366
16 Michigan State 30 0 6 16 2.93 1,347
20 Purdue 27 0 3 13 2.70 962
21 Auburn 27 0 4 10 2.67 954
22 Arkansas 30 0 3 14 2.67 938
8 of 12 SEC 5 of 11 big Televen.
30 Ole Miss 24 0 3 11 2.71 838
35 South Carolina 28 0 3 11 2.61 799
38 Iowa 20 1 1 7 2.60 701
39 Wisconsin 23 0 1 9 2.48 693
45 Kentucky 27 0 1 10 2.44 490
50 Illinois 24 0 1 5 2.29 406
11 of 12 in top 50 and 8 of 11

See a pattern....... SEC will have 8 teams in the top 25. THAT IS THE ONLY REASON WE ARE THE #1 Conferene...... Talent.

[BamaFanNKy]

Not by much. Which is my point. I rather more equal than most people think.
70% of SEC is top 25 recruitting year in year out. Where as the Big Televen is 45% with less teams.

[reese]

ok heres the numbers...
i looked at the '03 to '07 classes...that would make sure every player that could be on the team was counted...everything from 5th year seniors to true freshman.

out of lsu, florida and uga there were 27 5* players and 182 4* players
of michigan, osu, and nd there were 17 5* players and 126 4* players

so ur talkin almost a 60 player difference in 4 star guys...thats 20 per team and thats also a whole lot of talent.

[BamaFanNKy]

KN...... you would of been better leaving Rivals out of it.

[KillerNut]

Wasn't comparing conferences. Just some of the top tier teams from up north to some in the south. Yes of course the SEC is going to have a lot in the top 25. That is why you guys play in the toughest conference. If you look at the stats you posted. Most of the teams that I mentioned are consistantly in the the same position year after year.

Thus proving my point that those teams like Ohio State have the same amount of talent of your LSU, Florida, Georgia, etc....

[BamaFanNKy]

No your point was we couldn't say we had more talent in the South...... yes we can. Look at the rivals 100. Most are from the south and California (my home state).

[reese]

individually

florida had 14 5 star and 59 4star
lsu 9 and 67
uga 5 and 56
mich 8 and 48
osu 4 and 45
nd 5 and 33

also ut and auburn were at the top alot..i didnt count auburn but ut had 10 and 46 but those werent included in my previous post

[reese]

Wasn't comparing conferences. Just some of the top tier teams from up north to some in the south. Yes of course the SEC is going to have a lot in the top 25. That is why you guys play in the toughest conference. If you look at the stats you posted. Most of the teams that I mentioned are consistantly in the the same position year after year.

Thus proving my point that those teams like Ohio State have the same amount of talent of your LSU, Florida, Georgia, etc....

no they dont...i posted the number up above that prove otherwise

[KillerNut]

No your point was we couldn't say we had more talent in the South...... yes we can. Look at the rivals 100. Most are from the south and California (my home state).

I said, a few teams not all of them.

[UFGatorFan]

Wasn't comparing conferences. Just some of the top tier teams from up north to some in the south. Yes of course the SEC is going to have a lot in the top 25. That is why you guys play in the toughest conference. If you look at the stats you posted. Most of the teams that I mentioned are consistantly in the the same position year after year.

Thus proving my point that those teams like Ohio State have the same amount of talent of your LSU, Florida, Georgia, etc....

individually

florida had 14 5 star and 59 4star
lsu 9 and 67
uga 5 and 56
mich 8 and 48
osu 4 and 45
nd 5 and 33

also ut and auburn were at the top alot..i didnt count auburn but ut had 10 and 46 but those werent included in my previous post

http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z110/leroyfromyonder/owned.gif



accordin to the number posted by mr reese OSU doesnt stack up talent wise to either LSU GA or FLA....jus sayin

[GeauxTo]

In the final analysis, the best measure of recruits is how they play AFTER they are recruited, not before. And, in that scenario, the recruits at the SEC schools play better than the recruits in the Big 10; as I believe the records will indicate.

CowTerd ripped the Big 10 apart today, in case you didn't hear.

And by the way, you were "wandering" through Rivals, not "wondering."

[BamaFanNKy]

So KN.... the talent argument has been ended. Up North they don't have as much talent.

[gatorunvrsty]

And you can't use the 2008 class yet. We are 3 months away from being done. So the last 4 years still proves the SEC is better.

No kidding, good point. How can you use this year's class? We only have 13 guys, which is a little over half our class. With mostly 4* and 5* guys left to commit, we'll be Top 10, maybe Top 5 again. Hell, in a little over a month, we've moved from 47th to 16th.

[GatorNation]

Wasn't comparing conferences. Just some of the top tier teams from up north to some in the south. Yes of course the SEC is going to have a lot in the top 25. That is why you guys play in the toughest conference. If you look at the stats you posted. Most of the teams that I mentioned are consistantly in the the same position year after year.

Thus proving my point that those teams like Ohio State have the same amount of talent of your LSU, Florida, Georgia, etc....


here's the problem...northern schools usually get the great northern/midwest players, and the southern schools usually get the best players in the south. The south, overall, has better football at the HS level....the competition is better, which makes the standout athletes REALLY great. That is, if we're going to use "rankings," a four-star player in Minnesota isn't the same thing as a four-star player suiting up in a 6A league in Florida.

So, though the "numbers" end up showing that the top programs are pretty equal, the problem is there isn't a general standard used to rate the players. Four-star players in Montana may actually be 2-star players if they played in Texas, Florida, or Georgia. And I think the proof is in the pudding, what we see on the field....more often than not (yes, there are some exceptions), involves a disparity in the overall talent level. There is a reason the state of Florida is able to feed three elite football programs (and a few emerging ones: USF, UCF, etc.)...not to mention the few players that invariably go elsewhere (usually staying in the south). There is a reason Texas can feed UT, OU, and a bunch of other top programs every single year.

HS football is just better in the south, and the top southern programs cultivate the top-flight recruits in the south much more easily because the relationships are constant and much stronger. It is a huge advantage, for example, for Meyer to be able to get in his car and drive to see 10 recruits in person in one week. Tressel has to get on a plane and fit basically a one-shot deal into a busy schedule.

Location and HS football are everything.

[Roscoe]

Okay my point is that when you guys play the "our athletes are better" card it is just plain foolish and ignorant. :laugh:

Wow, you're right! Since our talent levels are even on the field, it must mean our coaches are on a much higher level. No wonder tOSU is 0-8 against the SEC in Bowl games :thumpsup: :happy:

[ugamcrae]

"The Southeastern Conference had 263 players on the 2007 National Football "League opening day active rosters, which led all conferences.

The Atlantic Coast Conference was second with 238 players, followed by the Big Ten with 234 players, Pac-10 with 183 players, Big 12 with 176 players and the Big East with 84 players.

Among SEC schools, Georgia was first with 37 former players on NFL rosters, followed by Tennessee with 36, LSU with 33, Florida with 31 and Auburn with 30. Alabama had 21 players on NFL rosters, while South Carolina had 19, Ole Miss and Mississippi State had 17 each, Arkansas had 12, Kentucky six and Vanderbilt with five.

The SEC had five of its schools with 30-or-more-players on NFL rosters. No other conference had two.

Nationally, Miami (Fla.) leads with 46 former players on NFL rosters, followed by Ohio State with 44, Florida State with 41, Tennessee with 36 and Georgia with 35. " - secsports

The pros are a pretty damn good judge of conference talent.
I was kind of surprised by the OSU numbers. :ph34r:

[azamugg]

Alright guys, I was just wondering through Rivals.com and was looking at the recruiting of some of the top teams from the north and from the south for 2008. From the looks of everything, it looks like some of the northern teams get just as good of recruits as the southern schools. So is SEC the only conference that has speed or world class athletes? I'll give you the recruting class pages of a few of the northern teams and a few of the southern teams. So why do most SEC fans think that schools outside of the SEC can't compete with them? Is there really that much difference between them talentwise? You be the judge of that.

Ohio State
http://rivals100.rivals.com/commitlist.asp?Year=2008&School=56&Sport=1

Notre Dame
http://rivals100.rivals.com/commitlist.asp?Year=2008&School=55&Sport=1

Michigan
http://rivals100.rivals.com/commitlist.asp?Year=2008&School=44&Sport=1

Compare those to.....

LSU
http://rivals100.rivals.com/commitlist.asp?Year=2008&School=37&Sport=1

Florida
http://rivals100.rivals.com/commitlist.asp?Year=2008&School=21&Sport=1

Georgia
http://rivals100.rivals.com/commitlist.asp?Year=2008&School=26&Sport=1

Okay my point is that when you guys play the "our athletes are better" card it is just plain foolish and ignorant. If you look at those classes above, you find that Georgia's class is no better than Notre Dame's, LSU's is no better than Ohio State's, and Florida's is no better than Michigan's. Just wanted to prove a point and I'll am figuring to get hammered by most of the members here but hell, its worth it. Also, Florida and tOSU are currently the leaders for the services of the number one recruit in the nation, Terrelle Pryor. So why do a lot of you say that athletes don't want to come up to the north because it cold or lack of atmosphere. Seems pretty apparent that this is a fallacy. :laugh:


we're sportsfans here so most will understand this analogy.....in the Olympics, the guy that wins the 100 meter dash becomes a millionaire, the guy that comes in 4th place is anonymous for life.....and often what was it that separated fame from anonymity? 1/100th of a second......is the winner vastly superior to the 4th place finisher? No, of course not, but on that day, an imperceptible difference gave the man with 1/100th of a second more speed, the win

climate in the south is generally thought the reason for the slightly faster athletes, which is indirectly the reason we prefer different sports that in a youth's life, physically foster a faster athlete and simply with the evolution of all sports there is a trend toward speed and agility versus brute strength

[KillerNut]

No kidding, good point. How can you use this year's class? We only have 13 guys, which is a little over half our class. With mostly 4* and 5* guys left to commit, we'll be Top 10, maybe Top 5 again. Hell, in a little over a month, we've moved from 47th to 16th.

We haven't finished our class either and will most likely have a few more 5 star and 4 star athletes commit. tOSU is really the only Big 10 school that recruits nationally and we do get our fair share of athletes from Florida, Texas, and California. BTW, have you ever noticed how many of the top HS players that both tOSU, Florida, etc... go after. We try to recruit a lot of the same players.

here's the problem...northern schools usually get the great northern/midwest players, and the southern schools usually get the best players in the south. The south, overall, has better football at the HS level....the competition is better, which makes the standout athletes REALLY great. That is, if we're going to use "rankings," a four-star player in Minnesota isn't the same thing as a four-star player suiting up in a 6A league in Florida.

So, though the "numbers" end up showing that the top programs are pretty equal, the problem is there isn't a general standard used to rate the players. Four-star players in Montana may actually be 2-star players if they played in Texas, Florida, or Georgia. And I think the proof is in the pudding, what we see on the field....more often than not (yes, there are some exceptions), involves a disparity in the overall talent level. There is a reason the state of Florida is able to feed three elite football programs (and a few emerging ones: USF, UCF, etc.)...not to mention the few players that invariably go elsewhere (usually staying in the south). There is a reason Texas can feed UT, OU, and a bunch of other top programs every single year.

HS football is just better in the south, and the top southern programs cultivate the top-flight recruits in the south much more easily because the relationships are constant and much stronger. It is a huge advantage, for example, for Meyer to be able to get in his car and drive to see 10 recruits in person in one week. Tressel has to get on a plane and fit basically a one-shot deal into a busy schedule.

Location and HS football are everything.

I'll agree with that to an certain point. Thats why we have that Ohio vs. USA HS football challenge this year paring the top tier Ohio programs vs. national powers like Lakeland, FL, Byrnes HS SC, Hoover HS Ala, etc... Remember when we were talking about that? Why would we even put that on if our HS football programs weren't just as good as some of the nations best. Ohio has a lot of the top HS programs in the country.

2007 schedule
i2007info (http://www.ohiovsusa.com/i2007info/i2007info.html)

Its pretty apparent that this arguement is going nowhere fast especially on this board. :brick:

[BamaFanNKy]

Yeah...... and the Herby challenge is great. BUT ALL OF THE OHIO TEAMS PLAY IN OHIO! The home team wins like 69% of the time. Again a Buckeye uses the argument for his state/school to prove how the whole region is good. It's not just Florida that's good. It's Mississippi, Alabama, Louisianna, Georgia, Arkansas, Tennessee, South Carolina hell even Kentucky. These states produce better talent than a Minnesota or Iowa.

[KillerNut]

Yeah...... and the Herby challenge is great. BUT ALL OF THE OHIO TEAMS PLAY IN OHIO! The home team wins like 69% of the time. Again a Buckeye uses the argument for his state/school to prove how the whole region is good. It's not just Florida that's good. It's Mississippi, Alabama, Louisianna, Georgia, Arkansas, Tennessee, South Carolina hell even Kentucky. These states produce better talent than a Minnesota or Iowa.

We get more recruits from Florida than we do Minnesota or Iowa. So if our recruits "suck" by everyones standards, we are we able to reload year after year and not rebuild?

[BamaFanNKy]

We get more recruits from Florida than we do Minnesota or Iowa. So if our recruits "suck" by everyones standards, we are we able to reload year after year and not rebuild?
Actually most your recruits are majorly from Ohio. You basically lock down the state..... but again. This is a North vs. South Discussion. Not Ohio State.

[VU#1]

That recruiting junk doesn't mean anything.

[BamaFanNKy]

This coming from a Vandy fan who always ends number 12 in the conference in recruitting...... and usually on the field. Pretty good gauge actually.

[SeanVol]

Recruiting should be about getting the players who execute their assignments, not about raw talent! Talent doesn't mean jack sh!t if you don't execute your assignment!!!!! How many "can't miss" prospects have feel flat on their faces in college?!?

[BamaFanNKy]

Wow Seanvol...... What insight. Could that be because Phill and your boys get some of the best dbs and none of them get better than the first day they arrive?

[GatorNation]

We haven't finished our class either and will most likely have a few more 5 star and 4 star athletes commit. tOSU is really the only Big 10 school that recruits nationally and we do get our fair share of athletes from Florida, Texas, and California. BTW, have you ever noticed how many of the top HS players that both tOSU, Florida, etc... go after. We try to recruit a lot of the same players.



I'll agree with that to an certain point. Thats why we have that Ohio vs. USA HS football challenge this year paring the top tier Ohio programs vs. national powers like Lakeland, FL, Byrnes HS SC, Hoover HS Ala, etc... Remember when we were talking about that? Why would we even put that on if our HS football programs weren't just as good as some of the nations best. Ohio has a lot of the top HS programs in the country.

2007 schedule
i2007info (http://www.ohiovsusa.com/i2007info/i2007info.html)

Its pretty apparent that this arguement is going nowhere fast especially on this board. :brick:


Killer, you're getting all upset when the solution is really, really simple....

best LSU.

If you beat the Tigers and win the national championship, you and the Big 10 will be vindicated. And that will go a long way toward balancing the perceived disparity between the Big 10 and the SEC.

If you lose to an SEC team back-to-back (sort of like one other sport we all follow around here :wink: ) with all the checks pushed to the middle of the table, then you're making the hole deeper. And if you lose this time, it may be too large a hole out of which to crawl. It will be very difficult to explain losing the ultimate game (twice) to another SEC program because of things not related to speed and talent level.

Just win, and you'll be alright.

:D

[SeanVol]

Wow Seanvol...... What insight. Could that be because Phill and your boys get some of the best dbs and none of them get better than the first day they arrive?

Thats my view on recruiting in general not because of UT's lack of experience in the secondary. I think the Secondary has gotten better! How many points did LSU's offense score on UT's defense?

[BamaFanNKy]

How many did Alabama's with a limp wristed QB? LSU had a second string QB and was busted up.

[GatorHunter]

Killer, you're getting all upset when the solution is really, really simple....

best LSU.

If you beat the Tigers and win the national championship, you and the Big 10 will be vindicated. And that will go a long way toward balancing the perceived disparity between the Big 10 and the SEC.

If you lose to an SEC team back-to-back (sort of like one other sport we all follow around here :wink: ) with all the checks pushed to the middle of the table, then you're making the hole deeper. And if you lose this time, it may be too large a hole out of which to crawl. It will be very difficult to explain losing the ultimate game (twice) to another SEC program because of things not related to speed and talent level.

Just win, and you'll be alright.

:D

Is OSU a bigger underdog than UF was last year?

I don't know about you guys...but LSU looked very beatable to me as the season went on...and after playing that cupcake schedule, OSU should be rested up and injury-free. The Tigers are gonna have their hands full with the Bucks. Hopefully, Les won't do anything to hurt his team...like coach.:)

[SeanVol]

How many did Alabama's with a limp wristed QB? LSU had a second string QB and was busted up.

41 points! That's true LSU's QB was busted up, but think about this! That was what the 4 or 5 game that UT's secondary started the same 4 players. I'm not saying the UT secodary is the greatest thing since slice bread, but they can do no worse than, what they have done!

[KillerNut]

Is OSU a bigger underdog than UF was last year?

I don't know about you guys...but LSU looked very beatable to me as the season went on...and after playing that cupcake schedule, OSU should be rested up and injury-free. The Tigers are gonna have their hands full with the Bucks. Hopefully, Les won't do anything to hurt his team...like coach.:)

I would say that tOSU is a bigger underdog than Florida was last year. Its all about motivation and the Bucks have plenty of it. We were over confident and cocky last year and it bit us in the ass. Florida came to play last year and stomped a mudhole in our ass. Being complacent and happy with where you are won't get you a championship. I have nothing againist Les Miles, but I have to agree with you that sometimes he does seem like an idiot with his decision making. Just an observation of my own. I really think that tOSU matches up very well with LSU. LSU is a very good team and will be a huge challenge but I think that we will be up to it after last year. I don't care what anyone says, both teams are pretty equal talentwise and both teams reload every year and know no such thing as a rebuilding year. Most annual powerhouses can say the samething.

[BamaFanNKy]

I would say tOSU is not a big underdog...... everyone voted them #1. :) You know who usually wins when #1 vs. #2. uh oh.

[GetEmGamecocks]

here's the problem...northern schools usually get the great northern/midwest players, and the southern schools usually get the best players in the south. The south, overall, has better football at the HS level....the competition is better, which makes the standout athletes REALLY great. That is, if we're going to use "rankings," a four-star player in Minnesota isn't the same thing as a four-star player suiting up in a 6A league in Florida.

I agree 100%. Also, I'm not sure if anyone has already said this, but if a player decides to come to a good SEC program out of high school, he will be exposed to so many more difficult situations. Being in a conference so competitive as the SEC makes players grow and learn so much, given that the coaches are competent. By the time an SEC player is a senior, he will IMO have more experience in the game relative to players in other conferences.

To put it another way, consider this hypothetical situation: Player A decides to go to the Big 10. He plays a few great teams every year and learns from mistakes he's made to become a good player as a senior.
Scientists do an experiment with Player A, and send him back in time so that he doesn't know he ever played college football, but they manipulate the situation so that he chooses an SEC team. He plays 6 or 7 great teams every year. By the time he is a senior, he has been in so many more difficult situations than he did in the Big 10. He is better under pressure than he was as a Big 10 senior, and is now a great player as a senior.

I dunno if that makes much sense...Bottom line is, the SEC helps players become better because teams are exposed to many more other teams with great talent. As long as players are able to stay healthy, and as long as they have competent coaches, the SEC breeds better players than any other conference.

[Kevhugh]

Let's just all chill out and sing the Yankee National Anthem to show that we're all friends here:

"Oh Canada, let's go drink some beer.
Let's play hockey, the sport that makes us queer."

That's better.