It’s not clear why the sports media spends so much time debating which of the BCS conferences is the best. On paper, the answer is simple.
First of all, the BCS era only goes back to 1998. Second, college football is so cyclical that any attempt to crown an “all-time best” conference would truly be an exercise in futility.
If one strictly looks at the numbers throughout the first decade of the BCS, there is absolutely no question that the SEC has been the dominant conference. Any debate to the contrary would only be dismissed as emotional.
Now, keep in mind that the argument could easily be made that the Big Ten may have edged out the SEC in the first half of the last decade, but the SEC’s utter dominance over the past five years makes them the obvious top conference of the BCS era.
While the Big East barely squeaks past the SEC in the bowl game winning percentage, one should note that SEC teams have appeared in a bowl game about 30 more times than Big East teams since 1998.
In fact, the whopping 77 bowl appearances that SEC schools have made in the BCS era give them a commanding lead in this category. At a distant second is the Pac-10, with only 55 bowl appearances in the same time period.
But we can forget these and other facts—like that of the SEC holding more national titles, having more first round NFL draft picks, and finishing more teams in the Top 25 and Top 10 polls than any other conference since the inception of the BCS.
Because who cares about numbers, right?
With all the attention being placed on the stats, everyone seems to be leaving out the one true factor that keeps the SEC on top: the fans.
Did a light just go off in your head? If you close your eyes for a moment, you should see the image of John Belushi as “Joliet” Jake Blues standing in the back of the chapel with a ray of divine light shining on him and suddenly yelling out, “Elwood, the fans!”
Despite the fact that the Big Ten has some of the largest capacity stadiums in the nation, the SEC continues to shatter college football attendance records. In 2007, Alabama fans actually packed Bryant-Denny Stadium with 92,000 for the Spring Game!
79 comments Last one added 10 months ago — Leave a Comment
BabyTate 10 months ago
The West Coast is the hub of entertainment? Los Angeles? Man, they roll up the streets there at midnight. You want entertainment you go to New York City, now "That's Entertainment".
Regarding the body of this article it is one of the most outstanding pieces we've seen in the Bleacher Report. You can totally disagree with the conclusions but, it is a great article. Look for the Big10 to inform you otherwise and expect the Queen to be by soon to deliver her West Coast sting to you..............ouch !
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Brian Scott 10 months ago
Thanks BT, can't wait!
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Justin Goar 10 months ago
awesome piece!!!
"Then Lou Holtz comes on the screen and you immediately go back to what you were doing."
that was classic.
"By the way, here is normally where we would describe an SEC tailgate party, but that could be an article all on its own."
funny you should mention that.........................................
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Brian Scott 10 months ago
go for it dude - I'd be happy to co-write it with you if you want!
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Justin Goar 10 months ago
well i said that because it's almost in the can. maybe tomorrow or so.
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Brian Scott 10 months ago
Cool - I'll be sure to comment like a mofo! Thanks for the POTD BTW!
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Tiger Histalmos 10 months ago
I keep telling everyone that they should experience an SEC game. They just don't get no better experience out of a college football Saturday. Great article!
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Mitch at sportschatplace.com 10 months ago
Great Read! I love going to SEC games, while some peopel really know how to party everyone there cares about the game, the same can't be said everywhere. It's what makes college football what it is.
On an editing note and I know the Bleacher guys work their butts off, when they seperate every sentence or two into a pargraph you lose the writers style, it isn't CNN or the New York Times, its about the fans. If we/they wanted CNN we would go to CNN. I think correcting spelling and some puctuation is great but this trend makes for a choppy read that loses some of its personality and realness. Just my 2 cents.
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Brian Scott 10 months ago
Thanks! I agree about the editing - my personal writing style flows better when it's not chopped up. Having said that, I'm not the greatest editor so I'll leave that up to others and keep trying to assimilate my style to the format.
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Brian Scott 10 months ago
Thanks! I agree about the editing - my personal style flows better when it isn't chopped up. Having said that, I'm not the greatest editor so I'll leave that to others and keep trying to assimilate my writing to fit the format.
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Brian Hood 10 months ago
Great write, 15 days and 2 hours away. Can't wait.
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Justin Hokanson 10 months ago
Interesting article, thanks.
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Raj Kamruddin 10 months ago
Dont take this the wrong way Brian, Im not about to rip on you personaly. I have enjoyed reading your articles. But...The lovefest for ones conference especially the SEC is way out of control right now. Yes Im an ND Fan and were an idependent(save the you dont understand comments), I also live in the heart of Big 10 country. Regardless, there have been so many articles on bleacher report this summer about "how great our conference is". Not too many articles written on why someone thinks their team is the best, just alot on how "our conference is better than yours", etc, etc.
Who really cares? What does it prove if one confence has won more bowl games over the years, or that attendance is better in a particular conference? What does that actually mean? Nothing is constant in college football each year so its like comparing apples and oranges. You can make a case if your taking about end of the season rankings. But after that, whats the point of the debating on conferences? ID rather read some article on which team in the SEC is better.
Just my opinion, not ripping on you or your writting. Just tired of the topic. Interested in knowing how fans outside of SEC feel on the debate of "my conference is better than yours". Also interested in knowing how SEC Fans compare their own team to others in conference.
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Will Shelton 10 months ago
I think there's a vicious cycle that goes on with this - generally I think SEC fans are pretty confident in their status as the best conference, so we don't have to go around talking about it or making an argument for it. But I've seen tons of articles on "Why __________ is better than the SEC"...which, in turn, takes the passion of SEC fans mentioned in this article and turns it on the conference debate with full force. But even as an SEC fan, the topic can get tiring.
However, this is all very well said in this article.
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David Weller 10 months ago
The conference is important. The SEC over the years gets dogged by the sports media. The BCS makes it difficult due to having "schedule strength" as criteria but counting all conferences equal. LSU playing another SEC team such as Georgia, Florida, Auburn, Tenn., ... is not the same as USC playing inside their conference but USC gets the same credit.
The SEC has BCS wins and stays up in the poles even after beating each other up Saturday upon Saturday without much chance for a rest.
"Schedule Strength" is measured by playing out of conference. Since USC or Ohio State can have an easy time playing within the conference, they can afford to play tougher out of conference games. The SEC teams need an easy out of conference game just for a break and rehab to get ready for another SEC team.
So conference is important but not as important as the team.
David
LSU Tiger
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lsuornuthin shaw 10 months ago
who cares is the people in the conference collge football is about tradition. much like the olddddddddddddddddddddddd fighting irish rocket ishmail irish now they just a team on tv to much and makes alot of money and is not a very good team. and its not just the end of season rankings or stats its a period of time like in the last 9yrs sec has 5national title winners and there difrnt. minus lsu and we have had half our conference win a title or play in won. thats a sign of a great conference. people play the sec to measure how good they are!!!!
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Chase Davis 10 months ago
"I'm from Ohio, but if I'd known when I was two what it was like down South, I would have crawled here on my hands and knees."
-Frank Sinkwich, University of Georgia
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Ryan J. 10 months ago
William Sherman, also an Ohioan, seemed to enjoy his time in Georgia, too.
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Justin Goar 10 months ago
ryan,
ouch.....and touche'.
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D Parker 10 months ago
ryan,
Is that kind of like how SEC defenses seem to enjoy their time in OSU's backfield?
Maybe Ohio should get burned in half and it will be as nice a place as Georgia in the future...maybe?
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Mike Woolright 10 months ago
Ryan,
First, Sherman was a coward and a war criminal. Your type of rhetoric is why Southerners in general don't give a crap what condescending Yankees think about generally anything now or 150 years ago. The South wasn't the one sending innocent kids fresh off the boat from Ireland/Germany/Italy 1000 miles south to instigate a war because they wanted to remain associated with the North.
Second, Southerners are the most regionally prideful people in the country. It's a big part of the reason that the SEC sticks together and it's just now getting the recognition it feels it has deserved for 75 years. No other conference has the sheer number of teams that are top programs historically. And relax, SEC fans know OSU is good, we just don't have confidence in a lot of the remainder of that conference.
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Ryan J. 10 months ago
D and Mike (and others),
I apologize for my comment, I was trying to make a joke, but admittedly it was in bad taste.
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SEC Idiots .com 10 months ago
Almost gameday - Great read Brian!
My favorite line: "He’s got an exciting day of yard work ahead of him."
Or golf. We schedule the biggest golf tournaments in July and Aug when the temp is 100 with 110 heat index. There are much more important things to do when the weather gets better.
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Ryan Russell 10 months ago
Mike, you're right however remember that the Big 12 has 3 top teams that come to mind: Oklahoma, Nebraska, Texas. Besides Alabama, these 3 Big 12 teams have more national championships than all of the other SEC teams combined. Look it up . BOOMER SOONER! OU against SEC teams: 19-9-3
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Gray Ghost 10 months ago
Brian, In my book this article is a Bleacher Report Classic. Yes, I agree with everything you said about the SEC, and don't expect those who have not experienced its passion to relate. But this was more than an article on a football conference, you painted a picture of the culture that I grew up in. I am a Georgia boy who lives in Idaho now, and man! -- your article took me back home for just a little while. You are so right, it is more than sport, it is a way of life. Thanks for letting me see "the mossy oaks of a southern college campus" and remember that there "ain't" nothing in the world quite like college football season in my beloved Southland. Absolutely awesome article!
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Justin Goar 10 months ago
congrats on POTD!!
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12 10 months ago
My POD as well. Congrats.
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Timothy Croley 10 months ago
Without a doubt an Instant Classic! Keep it up. I enjoyed it very much!!
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Brian Scott 10 months ago
Thanks Tim-
I figured the yellow hammers would appreciate the srping game attendance plug!
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Matt B 10 months ago
Brian: I know you chose to leave the numbers aside and write mainly on SEC fans, but I must comment on one thing. You say "While the Big East barely squeaks past the SEC in the bowl game winning percentage, one should note that SEC teams have appeared in a bowl game about 30 more times than Big East teams since 1998." You go on to note the SEC's total number of bowl appearances vs the Pac-10...
But it's quite misleading to compare number of bowl appearances per conference in these cases because the SEC has more teams than the Big East (12 vs. 8 !), and the Pac-10 (12 vs. 10). It's unsurprising that they'll have more bowl appearances, given that they have more teams that can garner bowl-eligible records. Plus, we all know that whether a school gets invited to a bowl often has to do with bowl tie-ins more than anything else. The SEC has lots of bowl tie-ins, so sometimes its 7-5 or 6-6 teams can go, even though teams with similar records in other conferences can be left out of the bowl picture. (I recognize, however, that having bowl tie-ins is related to fan following and ticket sales for the bowls, which is obviously relevant to your piece on how great SEC fans are.)
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Brian Scott 10 months ago
I try not to be a homer but sometimes it leaks out. A lot of people got the sentiment of this article, which was to to poke fun at the multitude of articles that blast the SEC. In my opinion, the hate is just disguised as jealousy. I understand your point and don't think for a minute that I wasn't portraying some of the stats in a way that puts lipstick on the pig.
I was really trying to fire people up before they got into the softer image I wanted to paint about college football in the South. As you know, there are many southern teams that aren't in the SEC, but probably can still relate. Thanks for reading my first POTD on the B/R!!!
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Michael Shibley 10 months ago
From Baton Rouge, to Knoxville, to Gainesville and all points in between you cannot top the SEC on gameday! My POTD!
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Ryan J. 10 months ago
Maybe, MAYBE, the SEC schools from top to bottom have the best fans in the country. I don't know, so I won't argue on that point. But I can guarantee you that game day in State College, PA, Ann Arbor, MI, South Bend, IN and Columbus, OH all rival anything found anywhere else in the country.
But then again, fans don't win football games, a championship in Baton Rouge, LA doesn't mean a parade for Athens, GA, and the Civil War ended 143 years ago, so it's time to move on.
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Brian Scott 10 months ago
Ryan-
Jut so you know, there has never been a civil war on this continent. There have, however, been several wars between people of different nations. I think the war you are referring to is the War of Northern Agression, or the War Between the States, fought between two soveriegn nations - the USA and the CSA between 1861 and 1865.
Just wanted to make sure you had your history right. Also, I'm well aware of the rivalries and traditions in the Big 10, and this article doesn't take away from them in my opinion. But I fail to see how the time elapsed since the war is relevant to the conversation?
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Ryan J. 10 months ago
Brian,
You can believe whatever you choose to believe about the Civil War. But my point in mentioning it is that it seems that Southerners' (particularly SEC fans) strange tendency to almost place the conference above the individual school is derived from a historical (non-sporting event) that happened in the 19th century.
Anyways, I should clarify that my comment wasn't a direct response to your article, but more of a general comment responding to some of the other comments found here. I'm simply sick of this SEC braggadocio. Sure, game day in Lexington, KY is probably better than game day in Bloomington, IN. But that doesn't mean that it comes close to comparing to the scene on a Saturday in State College, PA, just as an example.
What I'm saying is that there's a lot of coattail-riding coming from fans of SEC schools. The conference, as a whole, isn't as great as it's made out to be, whether we're talking about fans, sports, or whatever. It's still a collection of INDIVIDUAL schools, some better than others, and no general rule is applicable. There is no one school in the SEC that can, by itself, say definitively that its fans or Saturday football environment is superior to that of Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn State, or Ohio State.
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Casey Newman 10 months ago
As far as fan bases go, I'd have to side with Ryan on this matter. I've lived in the south since the age of 3, experienced SEC football, and I'd have to say that fans of SEC teams are no different than fans of other Div 1-A teams of the BCS conferences. Going along with Ryan's example, take a look at the white out that Penn State fans do. Here's a video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvLKszZAx4Y
Also, "America's Civil War," by Brooks D. Simpson takes an unbiased look upon the "war of northern aggression," or "the war of the rebellion." You should take a look at it, it seems as though you could use a history lesson. Just thought I'd put my two cents in on that as well.
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Brian Scott 10 months ago
Casey-
One of my degrees is in History, so no lesson is needed - but thanks.
You should go back and read the article then read the comments again - some people get it, some don't. Your comment tells me that you're one of the "don'ts".
And why is it that non-smart people always think that reading one book will change your life? I've read hundreds of books about hundreds of subjects where the authors took hundreds of angles. The only book that ever changed my life was the Bible.
B
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Matt Rolfing 10 months ago
From top to bottom there's no comparing the SEC to any conference. Do you think the fans at Purdue or Indiana can even hold a candle to the pageantry and passion found on a game day at Ole Miss? Or even South Carolina for that matter?
I've lived in Florida and Tennessee for a total of 31 years, lived in Illinois and Iowa for a total of 7 years and the Mid-Atlantic region for 2 years. I've also been to the majority of stadiums on gameday in both the SEC and the Big-10.
I can say, with no equivocation, the passion and identification felt by SEC fans with their teams is unparalleled from top to bottom vs. ANY other conference. The closest any conference can come is the Big-10 but they're carried by the top three or four teams.
You're an OSU fan and you guys give it all on Fall Saturdays. I've seen it and it's a pretty cool deal. But places like Northwestern, Indiana, Purdue, Illinois are just brutal gameday atmospheres. Iowa is has a pulse but not much more and Michigan State is mediocre. And the passion for those teams follows pretty closely with what you see on Saturdays on those campuses.
You just don't get it and never will without taking those road trips and then formulating your conclusion.
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Ryan J. 10 months ago
Matt, I get what you're saying entirely. And perhaps one day I'll make it to some of those SEC stadiums on game day. But there are at least a handful that I'm not even going to bother with unless my Buckeyes are playing that particular team. No matter how great the atmosphere at Florida may be, it doesn't mean that I or anyone else is going to be impressed with a trip to Vanderbilt. I'm sorry, but my point remains, those places don't get to come along for the ride of having "great fans" because they're associated with the SEC.
Furthermore, I think there are a number of individual schools in the mid-level of the Big Ten (in terms of "fandom") that have great atmospheres that compare well with the mid-level schools in the SEC. I think it's a mistake to overlook that point.
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lsuornuthin shaw 10 months ago
duhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh yall have larger staduims u got a staduim like the damn golden golphers or penn state who got boocooo people. heres the point game. set. match. WE ARE THE BEST THERES US AND THEN THE REST!!!!! NO OTHER CONFERENCE HAS OUR DEPTH AS A HOLE. KENTUCKY LAST YR WOULD OF NEVER LOST IN THE BIG 10 EITHER WOULD FL. MATTER FACT LETS PUT VANDY IN THERE AND THEY WIN AT LEAST 7
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bowlbasaur golden bears 10 months ago
I love how SEC fans think that they and their teams are god's gift to college football... get over yourselves!
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Lauren Green 10 months ago
Oh, I LOVED this article! Mainly because I'm an SEC fan and your article brought back fond memories of when I still lived in the South. I now live in Idaho, and no offense to the Bronco fans, but football here does not even come close to comparing to football in the South. I mean, from pee-wee football to high school to college, it's just better in the South. There's a passion that is so awesome there, and football season really is the most wonderful time of the year.
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Matt Galka 10 months ago
A quote you would hear from a non-SEC fan "The game is on....but I have work."
A quote you would hear from an SEC fan "I have work.....BUT THE GAME IS ON, THE BOSS'LL UNDERSTAND!"
I'm not from the south, nor do I claim to be, but I understand the SEC fanaticism. good article
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Brian Hood 10 months ago
One of the best sayings I've ever heard: In the south, 2+ 2 equals 3rd and 6.
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Bill Pilgrim 10 months ago
Hey Ryan and all other Ohio Staters, I met a lot of your fans in NO before the BSC game and you guys belong in the SEC. Great passion for your school, you GET IT! The rest of the Big 10 is a bunch of old ladies who would rather do yard work than scream their lungs out on Saturday night.
When Les Miles was rumored going to Michigan I had a simple solution, cut his pay in half, have all the LSU fans dress in preppy clothes, drink appletinis at a catered tailgate party, golf clap when the team comes out and then leave at halftime. Les would think he was already at Michigan.
The article is right, the SEC is better simply because of the commitment of the fans. More fans, more money, better programs.
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Justin Goar 10 months ago
bill,
i agree 100%, i enjoyed my interactions with Ohis state fans before the BCS NC.
some of the best fans i have ever met and i hear penn st fans are similar.
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Ryan J. 10 months ago
Ha, Bill, good stuff. Though Michigan has its share of those types of fans, they also have a lot of good, true football fans. Part of the problem is that the Big House is designed a bit strange so that while it holds over 100k, it doesn't get very loud.
As for the rest of the Big Ten, you may be mostly right, but I think you're kind of selling Wisconsin and Penn State fans a bit short. They can get pretty nuts, especially for night games.
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12 10 months ago
Ryan, if you really believe the SEC fans put the conference before the individual schools, you need to visit sime of the message boards of the SEC. One in particular, the SEC Blitz, will make you think Alabama, Auburn, LSU and Tennessee are literally going to have another "War Between the States" among themselves. These teams genuinely hate each other.
However, when it comes down to supporting the SEC, a lot of that stems from the other regions through the years looking down on the southern teams and considering them second class teams, not the calibur of the teams of the north or the west. Maybe that was true many years ago, but it no longer is a valid arguement. I hope that speaks to your curiosity as to why SEC fans get their back up when other conferences try and disrespect them.
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B GOBUX 10 months ago
I agree there is a certain amount of defensiveness when it comes to the SEC and Northerners. I live in Ohio and also a huge Buckeye fan but I spend one week every month in the Southeast for work.
Without question, the thing that comes up with everyone I meet is the war Lincoln won and SEC football. There has got to more to the South than that.
BTW I love SEC fans they are passionate as are we, HS and College football dominates in Ohio and in the South. You gotta love this time of year.
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Ryan J. 10 months ago
12, thanks for enlightening me. I can respect that "us against the world" type of mentality.
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12 10 months ago
B,
Wow! You must work with people who live in a cave, because I have never heard anyone speak of "The war Lincoln won"...that's the first time i have ever heard that phrase, and I'm in my late 50's. I rarely hear anyone talk about the dislike between northerners and southerners, unless it is in reference to football. But when it comes to football, or any sport for that matter, we enjoy a win over a team from another region any time we can get it. I guess it's just good ol' southern pride.
Ryan, you will never be "enlightened" because you have this hatred that shows in your posts toward the south, so I guess it is what it is.
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Ryan J. 10 months ago
12, I have no hatred for the South. I just get tired of this sense of conference that seems to trump school, this sense of regionalism that seems to trump country. I can respect your mentality to some extent, but a lot of times you guys go way over the line. The fact that I speak up about the situation doesn't mean that I hate the South.
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12 10 months ago
I guess we'll have to agree to disagree. I don't have a sense of conference trumping school, and I definately have no sense of region trumping country. That's exactly the opposite of what I said in my original post. I won't repost it here, but you need to go back and read what I said.
My comment about you hating the south comes from your William Sherman comment. I know you apologized, but just the fact that you posted it in the first place bothers me.
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Greg _ 10 months ago
Good write brua
The feeling of leaving the house with the car loaded up is very much like a kid on Christmas Eve. Usually the first call of the day that I make is to people who might be at the tailgate earlier than me to find out if any spots are left (I am driving from Texas to BR so yes I did get up at 6:00am for a 7:00pm kickoff). When our parking lot, that is over a mile away from the stadium, is jammed tight at 10:30 for a 7:00 kickoff, you know you are in for quiet a day.
By the way, real tailgaters use excel based checklists to ensure they brought everything. My list is too large to keep in my head. (Insert accounting/CPA joke here)
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Justin Goar 10 months ago
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/47446-a-love-for-college-tailgating-an-interactive-article
here ya go, Bri.
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Brian Scott 10 months ago
got it! my potd!
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Michael Bergman 10 months ago
oye vay! I need this like I need another hole in my head. What else is the SEC better than the world at? Do their men have larger penises and their women are more fertile? When will it end?
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Brian Scott 10 months ago
If you're going to complain in Yiddish, at least spell it right! Also, if you search the B/R you will find 10 times more anti-SEC articles. This one is really poking fun at them without most of them knowing it. The rest is just desgned to get college football fans in the mood!
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Mitch Rowe 10 months ago
We are not worthy!!!!
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Joseph Morgan 10 months ago
Great article! I would make it my POTD, but it looks like many others have enjoyed it enough to already give it the honor. Extremely well-written piece. Man, I love the SEC!
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GeorgiaDawg 10 months ago
Great article... My tickets are in hand.. can I leave now?
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Jerri Warren 10 months ago
Brian, Great article. Only one thing wrong that I can see...the wife would be right beside her husband tailgating...not left behind. I have attended every UF football game with my husband, even while pregnant!
You almost made it sound like the wife didn't care about the game or going to the game. Au Contrair (sp). Even if, for whatever reason, the wife can't go, you should mention that she would still be decked out in their college gear and would have every intention to watch the game on TIVO after their kid's soccer match or whatever it is that is keeping her from being there.
Just saying...
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Brian Scott 10 months ago
Jerri-
You caught me! I was using my craft to unload my own dirty laundry. My wife doesn't like to go to games with me. Maybe my second wife will! ;) (kidding honey)
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Justin Goar 10 months ago
well brian, everyone needs a starter marriage.
but my wife while she's not a football fanatic understands my obsession and is supportive in my fandom and tailgating (b/c she gets to enjoy the tailgaiting but only makes it to one or two games a year). that's pretty much all you can ask for in life.
she has my complete undivided attention 8 mos out of the year.
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Brian Scott 10 months ago
That's what I get for marrying a ULL girl. She hates being a football widow. The only bright side is that she loves going to Saints games; but not LSU games. I must have been drunk when I proposed!
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Jerri Warren 10 months ago
Brian,
Great article. Only one problem with it...the wife would be going to the game as well. If for some strange reason she couldn't, she'd still be decked out in their college gameday clothes and the TIVO would be recording the game for later viewing with the husband after he gets home.
You made it sound like the wife didn't care it was a gameday!
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Jerri Warren 10 months ago
Sorry, wouldn't have written the second comment if I'd known the first had gone thru...
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Ben White 10 months ago
Great read. Congrats on the POTD.
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Michael 10 months ago
South Carolina fans pay attention when Lou Holtz speaks - probably because he's the only one stubborn enough to pick us (and arkansas, notre dame, and minnesota).
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Lisa Horne 10 months ago
Loved it. You nailed it. You crazy Southerner! Congrats on POTD. Well-deserved.
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Brian Scott 10 months ago
I was wondering where you were oh lady of the left coast! You worried me, I was checking car trunks in Birmingham!
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Mark Scalf 10 months ago
All of this, truly, is great reading. I have been greatly blessed in my life to have been afforded the opportunity to attend college football games at home schools in each conference. Thank you, Lord. Being a southerner not only leads my allegiance to the field between the hedges and the SEC, it more so drives my point of view regarding the character of the fan.
One thing that can, without a doubt, be said about all southern schools and their fans is their graciousness. All southern schools. From West Texas to the Outer Banks. In no other conferences, outside of which the southern teams belong, will you find the welcome mat laid for teams that visit from outside of their conference. I have seen it and experienced it.
In Columbus, Ohio I witnessed words and objects thrown at vehicles and people visiting from a southern school in Austin, Texas. Just one year prior to that, the same Ohio school visited the school in Austin and they were greeted with heart felt welcome. Anything from a warm handshake and a cold beverage, to a seat next to them sitting by the smoker that was filled with the beef brisket that would soon be served them as a gesture of welcome and friendship.
You won't find that north of the Mason Dixon. There you will find scouls, obscenities and often damaged property. I have yet to understand the mentality that spawns the burning of vehicles, the senseless beatings and the overall disregard for humanity as a way of celebrating a win.
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Ryan J. 10 months ago
Right, I'm sure that all Southern fanbases exhibit the type of passion described in this article without occasionally having moronic fans misbehaving.
By the way, Ohio State hosted Texas in the first games of the series, not the other way around. And I was at that game and I didn't witness any of the things that you and a few other Texas fans described.
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Casey Newman 10 months ago
Mark,
Can you yourself really sum up every OSU fan's experience in Texas? That's a very bold statement, as is your statement that all southern schools exhibit this graciousness and welcoming of other teams. In fact the worst stories I've heard of fans are from a SEC school (I'm not going to name the school). I've heard everything from thrown beer bottles to lit grills flung at fans from the opposing school (seriously). The truth is there are going to be fans like that everywhere, and it's never representative of the majority of the fans. It's not something exclusive to those north of the Mason Dixon.
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Dan Boss 10 months ago
I will admit the force behind the SEC is the fans. No matter which team, they root on the SEC, even if that means loving your rival. One thing you won't read about is "The Force Behind Florida" or "The Force Behind Georgia." The fans care about their conference more than their team. I want to go to an SEC game merely to find out what the fans cheer when they can't chant "SEC" seeing how it would be completely meaningless. When it comes to hearing the sound of an SEC team chant, my ears are virgins. I mean what is so special about rooting for your team in a rivalry game if when you lose your going to root that team on in the bowl game you lost out on. You can't be a frontrunner and cheer for whoever is best in your conference. You don't hear NFL fans cheering for their conference.
Article was definately well written and everything but I am tired of hearing about the SEC being superior, no matter if its stats or any other conclusions. It's getting out of hand. Everyone knows its the best conference right now. But when another conference is best, are SEC fans going to chant "Big Ten" or "ACC" or are they going to chant about their own team. I personally am glad my beloved OSU fans don't chant "Big-10" because we don't have to make any difficult decisions right now while the conference is down. We can just chant the normal "O-H" and "I-O" and be happy with it. We concentrate our passion for the game on one team and refuse to root for the other teams in our conference.
P.S. I'm a die hard Ohio State fan and I'm admitting to everyone that the SEC is the best conference right now. Can we move on now and write about something new, something fresh. Something not SEC.
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Ryan J. 10 months ago
Great points there. Reminds me of that "bring back the hate" article written a few weeks back that really nailed this topic.
I would never, EVER, under any circumstance root for Michigan to win a national title. Even if they were playing Florida, LSU, USC, the SEC All-Stars, whomever, it wouldn't matter. Because here's the thing, if Michigan were to win, you better darn well believe that UM fans' gloating would not be focused on SEC fans, or USC fans. No, Michigan fans would be gloating to the fans of other schools in the Big Ten, and in particular Ohio State fans. That's the sign of a healthy rivalry, something that, at least on the surface, seems to be lacking a bit in the SEC as of late. Now someone should write on article on that!
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Evan Wiley 10 months ago
I agree...this time of year is wayyyyy better n' Christmas
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Marcus Eagle 10 months ago
Me being a dawg fan, this was one of the best articles I have ever read on bleacher report. This is going to be my POTS (Pick Of The Season)
You just got me extremely excited and I cannot wait for that opening weekend.
Go Dawgs!!!
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Michael Felder 10 months ago
I love the article Brian, as the oxymoron of fandom - an ACC football guy - I have grown to truly appreciate going to Knoxville, Athens and Columbia to get into a real football atmosphere, the only thing we have is Clemson, but they do it right.
My only problem with this article is everytime I've been to an SEC school we watch College Football Gameday as we're getting into a couple bourbon and gingers at the tailgate, not walking out of the house. While our coaching and teams may be slowly rising in the ACC our fanhood is pathetically apathetic, especially compared to our SEC neighbors.
Love it Big Man
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