Week Seven Open Thread

I'll be away most of the day, again, but feel free to interact in this space, leave game comments, etc.

GameDay's at Auburn for the Florida/Auburn game tonight. 

Comments

[CFR]

Vanderbilt 14, Georgia 13

10:35 third quarter...

[cardattack]

Another quality SEC team goes down! LOL

[Marty]

When a lower-tier PAC-10 team beats an upper-tier team, it's because the conference is so strong and balanced. When it happens in the SEC, it's because the upper-tier team is not very good and the neither is the conference.

[Quaker]

Georgia is not good. Plain and simple. If Tereshinski and the receivers hadn't played out of their head in the first half last week, they'd have lost by 35 to UT, and they could very well lose by 35 against Florida.

[cardattack]

Brohm starts for Louisville. However, Cards are losing to Cincy 10-3, 6 minutes to go in the 2nd quarter.

[cardattack]

How will we ever know if the SEC upper tier teams are as good as advertised, when they won't play nobody OOC. Other than Florida or Tennessee, the other upper tier teams seldom, if ever, play anyone.

[Marty]

I won't argue that the SEC needs to play better quality OOC opponents. But it's a fallacy to say that "they don't play a lot of quality OOC opponents, therefore they are not good." At best, you can say that there's not enough evidence to draw a conclusion.

However, in the limited games between the SEC and PAC-10 for instance, you'd have to give the edge (however slight) to the SEC.

[cardattack]

The Ville scores right before halftime to go up 13-10 at the half.Cincy is playing them tough, or the Ville is not respecting their opponent.

[CFR]

Marty,

You are correct, that is a fallacy.

But it's very important teams schedule better.

[CFR]

BTW how about Indiana's win!?

[Marty]

CFR, I agree with you. You won't hear me parroting the SEC company line that things are so tough in the conference that it's okay to go soft all the way OOC.

As an Auburn fan, I hate to see 2-3 cupcakes on the schedule every year. Part of the reason I gave up my season tickets is because I could not justify spending $350+ (for my family of 4) on 3 out-of-conference cupcake games. Other Auburn fans say think that's okay, I don't. However, when you look at the empty seats at those games, you see how the fans really feel about it.

[Quaker]

Another underwhelming win for USC. Could the Trojans be this year's 2002 Buckeyes?

[CFR]

Yes and No.

Ohio State had Michigan on its schedule to finish the year.

USC has California, Oregon, Notre Dame and angry (7 losses in a row) rival UCLA all smelling blood to finish the season. USC won't survive that stretch unless they get a lot better and soon.

[TorBear]

"However, in the limited games between the SEC and PAC-10 for instance, you'd have to give the edge (however slight) to the SEC."

That MIGHT be true this year, but the Pac 10 has the edge since 2000.

Also, there are plenty of SEC fans who point their fingers and laugh when an upper division Pac 10 team loses to a lower division team. One difference between the two leagues, though, is that membership in the SEC's upper ranks is pretty much fixed year in and year out. Is that because these six programs are so much better than any other conference's top five or six, so that the conference's also-rans just can't compete? Or is it because the lower half are usually so bad that the upper half can pencil in W's against them most years? That really is the crux of the debate.

[Ryan]

TorBear... your point is nonsense.Eight of the 12 teams have appeared in the SEC Championship. Of those that haven't only Vandy has been truly uncompetitive. Kentucky was pretty good for a few years but everyone knows football is a secondary priority.

Top SEC teams ooc:
LSU- Arizona, Fresno
AU- Washington State
Arkansas- USC
Fla- Florida State
UGA- Colorado, Gerogia Tech
Tenn- Cal

There you go, all six of the top SEC teams play at least one quality ooc opponent.

[g-man's homeboy]

Arizona and Fresno aren't quality opponents, but at least Fresno probably WAS a quality opponent when LSU scheduled them. That being said, LSU played nobody OOC this year. Colorado is NOT a quality opponent this year either, but same goes, as they probably were when UGA made their schedule.

[Ryan]

When LSU scheduled Arizona they had just finished the season with one loss (1998?).

[TorBear]

Ryan,

I stand corrected. Two of your bottom six managed to make it to the SEC championship game...and lost. One of those teams actually made it to the championship game twice...and got blown out each time. So only one third of your conference is perennially mired to the bottom. Two other teams once in while have been able to break into the upper half.

As for, Kentucky, they've managed to finish above .500 ---barely---three times since 1984. So I think they would meet most people's definition of "doormat" even if they don't meet yours.