Roy Exum: It’s ‘Hate The SEC’ Day

  • Monday, September 22, 2014
  • Roy Exum
Roy Exum
Roy Exum

The boo birds came out on the fly on the ESPN website Sunday afternoon, this moments after the latest AP College Football “Top 25” included eight teams from the Southeastern Conference.  What set naysayers aglow was Mississippi State, after upsetting LSU 34-29 Saturday night, debuted on the list at No. 14 while Clemson, playing Florida State in an overtime thriller, got tossed from the list.

“The SEC bias is on full display,” commented Tank Spence. “Mississippi State gave up 600 yards and barely beat UAB, beat a way over-rated LSU and jumped over a ton of teams. Anyone still believe this playoff system is not rigged!”

With No. 3 Alabama (4-0), No. 5 Auburn (3-0), No. 6 Texas A&M (4-0), and No. 10 Ole Miss (3-0), the SEC dominates the Top 10 but with unbeaten Miss. State at No. 14 and LSU sliding down to No. 17, the conference’s Western Division is the college game’s hottest ticket.

Commenter Justin Trammell was about to explode. “Clemson loses a close game in overtime to the No. 1 team in the country, (Florida State) which is very debatable, and they are knocked out of the Top 25.

“South Carolina gets destroyed at home by Texas A&M and they fall from No. 9 to No. 24 and then they barely beat Georgia and jump to No. 13. There are so many things wrong with the rankings,” he fumed. “I, for one, will never understand it. If you are the No. 1 team in the country and you barely win, you don’t deserve to be No. 1. Same for all teams ranked.”

Matt Miller agreed. “It’s pretty ridiculous. (The SEC) has got to make sure they can position it so they can pressure the (playoff) committee to include two teams in the (four-team) playoffs.”  

SEC East teams Georgia (2-1) at No. 12 and South Carolina (3-1) at No. 13 give the SEC further argument of dominating the Top 25. He said, “It's just ‘Hate The SEC Day.’ Because Saturday didn't prove that there are a lot of teams there overrated.

“Missouri loses at home to lowly Indiana. Indiana! LSU loses at home to Miss. State and South Carolina barely beat East Carolina (debuting at No. 23 after mauling North Carolina) but because of the bias and perception that teams such as ECU can compete, week after week, with top 10 teams, the SEC will always get the benefit of the doubt,” Miller added

“Have you noticed how if Mizzou beats the crap out of someone, they are praised and regarded as a good SEC team, but if they lose, they're just wannabes from the Big 12? Keep telling yourselves that the SEC is still the best, whatever you need to do to sleep at night.”

A writer from St. Petersburg, Fla., got in the mix. “I think that all of the teams in the SEC West should be ranked ahead of everyone because we are so much better than everyone else. Soon there will be a poll consisting of SEC teams only. The national championship will be SEC teams.”

But Terry Chapman was quick to point out it is still early. “So you guys begged for a playoff, but you are still crying about the rankings? What was the point? Who cares that the SEC has teams in the top 10. They will eventually knock each other off because most of them are SEC West and they all have to play one another. So research before you cry. Its gonna be ok, your team will get a shot. Roll Tide!”

Kevin Walker, writing from Utah, countered that notion. "The thing is, when SEC teams ‘knock each other off,’ they still move up the rankings … that’s the problem.”

Then commenter Dennis Morgan got in the discussion. “SEC haters gonna hate. To be the best you have to beat the best. If your school isn't Oklahoma, you can't claim that. Oregon and FSU are putting a quality product on the field and are being recognized for it, too.

“People that know college football know the SEC, the west in particular, is the best top to bottom in the country. No one else is even close, and all of you SEC haters are just delusional to think your mediocre program could compete on that level week in and week out. But it's just media bias! Really?” Morgan scoffed

“Keep telling yourself that and go watch your mediocre team play some other mediocre team, and then get completely dominated come bowl season. Outside of Oregon, Oklahoma, and FSU I don't see any schools that match up with that type of competition.”

Neither does Mack Potter from Kentucky. “I came to read all the SEC hate! Why does Miss St get ranked in the top 15? Because they can beat LSU in Death Valley when teams like Wisconsin can't on a neutral field. Duh. It takes an act of congress for the SEC lose out of conference. The only teams that can beat an SEC team is another SEC team. Indiana got very lucky.

“Why is that every time an SEC team wins it's forgotten about almost as quick?” Mack wondered. “But when an SEC team actually loses like Missouri did, you people talk about it for a month claiming evidence of why the SEC is soooo overrated?  What are you going to do when even Kentucky is back to being a ranked team? It's coming, so you better get your hate ready.”

Hank Lazarus was ready indeed. “It's time to break out the Haterade again for the weekly drink. The SEC is the worst conference in the world, they are all overrated and all teams belong somewhere below the MAC and Conference USA in the standings. Meanwhile Oregon slaughtered a powerhouse in Washington State and deserves to be ranked somewhere between 1 or 2 in the college poll or the middle of the AFC West. All the cupcake eaters this week should all fill the top 15 and close in on the playoffs.”

Finally, there was this from Marvin Simpson: “It's the same story every year: SEC teams are obviously great. SEC teams get ranked high. People complain the rankings are due to 'SEC bias.' SEC teams clean up in bowl season. The complaints quiet down for about 3 months. Rinse, wash, repeat.”

royexum@aol.com



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