2006- Florida
2007- LSU
2008- Florida
2009- Alabama
2010- Auburn
2011- Alabama
You guessed it. They are all from the Southeastern Conference. Everyone knows the SEC is the best football conference in America, but how come no other conference has been able to beat them in the championship game? Well this year, the BCS chose two SEC teams to play for the title, ending any hopes of breaking the streak. The SEC dominated college football this year. At one point in the season, LSU was #1, Alabama was #2, and Arkansas was #3. Not only are those three teams from the SEC, but they are from the SEC West. Luckily, the BCS has a rule that one conference cannot have more than one at-large BCS bid. If they didn’t have this rule, Arkansas and South Carolina could have easily played in a BCS game this year.
Will this dominance continue? You would have to think so. With all of these big bowl wins, the SEC is bringing in much more money than any other conference. The SEC won six bowls this year, more than any other league. This source of revenue, plus the revenue from television contracts is being split between the conference’s twelve schools. This benefits everyone from champions Alabama to 2-10 Ole Miss. The more money these schools have, the more effectively they will continue to recruit and obtain the nation’s top players.
Another reason why the SEC will continue to dominate is because of conference realignment. The Big East is in shambles. The Pac 10 added Colorado and Utah to become the Pac 12. The Big 12 lost some good teams and added TCU. The Big 10 added Nebraska to make a 12-team conference. The ACC added Syracuse and Pittsburgh to make 14. Notre Dame is still independent. What did the SEC do? They added Missouri and Texas A&M. The best high school football players are in Texas. Now, these players can choose to stay in the state of Texas and play in the best conference in America. This is certainly a game changer for years to come.
While the SEC is emerging, many of college football’s great programs have been recently declining.
Florida State was a powerhouse in the 1990’s, winning titles in 1993 and 1999, while losing in the title game in 1996 and 1998. Those two losses were to Florida and Peyton Manning’s Tennessee, both SEC teams. FSU has still kept its streak of bowl appearances, but has not made a run for the title since they won it all in 1999.
The University of Miami was a powerhouse in the 1990s and early 2000s. They won it all in 2002 and were runner ups in 2001, 1994, and 1992. Since their championship, Miami has not been impressive and chose not to enter a bowl game this year. They are also dealing with serious NCAA allegations.
The University of Nebraska has been one of the nation’s most successful college football programs. They won back to back titles in 1994 and 1995, and also won a shared national title in 1997. Since 2001, Nebraska has taken a step back in the Big 12, thanks to Oklahoma and Texas, and will move on to the Big 10.
It’s fair to call Notre Dame, Michigan, and Penn State great college football schools. Notre Dame won a title in 1998, Michigan won it all in 1997, and Penn State won a championship in 1986. Since their titles, none of these schools have been back to the championship game.
Since 2003, Ohio State and Oklahoma have each had two chances to beat an SEC team in a national title game. Ohio State lost to Florida in 2006 and LSU in 2007. The combined margin of defeat was 41 points, so neither game was close. After a 6-7 season and facing serious NCAA allegations, the Buckeyes will likely remain out of the national title spotlight for awhile. Oklahoma lost to LSU in 2003 and Florida in 2008. To add to Bob Stoops’s frustration, they lost to USC in 2004. They have come so close, that you figure they will be the team to end the SEC’s streak. Before they start thinking about winning a title, they need to back the title as Oklahoma’s best team. This year Oklahoma State beat Oklahoma 44-10, won the Big 12, beat Stanford to win a BCS bowl, and will finish the season as the nation’s #3 team.
The SEC has a good chance to extend their streak to 7 as LSU is the preseason favorite for the 2012 season. Alabama is losing a lot of players, but they will be very good, as will Georgia, South Carolina, and Arkansas.
If you look at this year’s final AP poll, the top 7 includes three SEC teams, three Pac-12 teams, and Oklahoma State. Oklahoma State will definitely need to rebuild, now that Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon are gone. Stanford will certainly drop off now that Andrew Luck is likely to go to the NFL. This leaves #4 Oregon and #6 USC as the top two non-SEC teams. Oregon returns quarterback Darron Thomas and the defense will be improved from last season. Losing star running back LaMichael James to the draft is a huge loss. The guy ran for over 1800 yards and that’s with missing two games. Oregon has another runningback who might be faster and better than James. His name is DeAnthony Thomas aka the Black Mamba. Not only is he a good runningback, he was Oregon’s leading receiver, and is a serious special teams threat. As for USC, they flew under the radar this season. They went 10-2, won at Oregon, and lost in triple overtime to Stanford. Their two year post-season ban is now over and star quarterback Matt Barkley and all Pac-12 safety TJ McDonald are both returning to USC for their senior seasons.
There is no way the SEC will get two teams in the title game again next year. That was an incredible feat, but I think it will not happen again until the BCS changes to a playoff system.
2012 Prediction
Championship: LSU vs. Oregon
Barring a major surprise, USC and Oregon will meet in next year’s Pac-12 championship game. This game will have conference championship implications, but it could be a virtual play-in game for the national title.
The offseason is just beginning, but 2012 should be another great year for college football.
No comments:
Post a Comment