College Football: SEC Is Just Another Football Conference This Year
There has been one dominant conference in the last decade when it comes to college football. SEC teams have boasted some of the best talent the country has to offer. They have won more championships than all the other conferences combined in the last ten years. At one point this year, the SEC had 10 of its 14 teams ranked in the college football polls.
However, it appears that the days of dominance are slipping. In fact, the SEC may be nothing more than just another college football conference this year. The last two weeks have gone a long way to proving this point. Before the Southeastern corner of the country threatens to boycott, simply take a look at the performance of the “toughest” conference in the land.
Arkansas Razorbacks
Many analysts had the Hogs at or near the top 10 teams in the nation. This includes Kirk Herbstreit of ESPN.
Haven't decided and won't until late August. But I'm leaning towards Arkansas. We'll see. https://t.co/bxL7YD5IyV
— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) July 17, 2015
Even the oddsmakers in Vegas felt the Razorbacks had a good shot. Football Perspective published the ratings as it compared to the odds on winning. Three weeks into the season, Arkansas is 1-2 losing to Mid American Conference member Toledo. There is a real possibility the Razorbacks will finish at the bottom of the SEC West.
Auburn Tigers
The preseason number six Tigers have not been impressive in any game this year. They barely beat a now 0-3 Louisville Cardinal team to open the season. The next week Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) member Jacksonville State Gamecocks imploded in the final two minutes to hand Auburn the win. Finally, LSU whipped Gus Malzahn’s team 45-21 this week.
Missouri Tigers
The defending SEC East champions are currently number 22 in the nation. That is most likely to change when the next poll is released. After beating FCS Southeast Missouri State, the Tigers dodged a bullet against the Sun Belt’s Arkansas State Red Wolves. Saturday, they played one of last year’s worst teams in the nation, the Connecticut Huskies. The Huskies were 2-0 but against weak opposition. Missouri escaped Columbia with a 9-6 win thanks to a fake field goal attempt gone bad.
Other teams struggling in the SEC include the South Carolina Gamecocks, Florida Gators, Vanderbilt Commodores, and Kentucky Wildcats. That is half of the league. Couple the first two weeks with last year’s bowl performance provided by Cleveland.com, it is easy to understand how most people feel the power can be shifting in college football. SEC teams may not be scary anymore? Do you agree or disagree?
[Photo by SEC]
