SEC Football: Is The 2011 Bowl Season Proving That The SEC Is Overrated?
The SEC has long been thought of as the dominant conference in college football. They send the most talent into the NFL every single year. They usually have the biggest and fastest players in the country.
However, this year, even with all that talent, the conference as a whole has not been the same.
They have Auburn competing for the National Championship, but beyond that what team in the conference really scares you?
Every team in the SEC has a huge flaw and those flaws have really been coming to light this bowl season.
To this point, there have been three SEC teams that have played in bowl games and all have lost.
With seven SEC teams left to play this bowl season, we will find out how good and how much depth there really is in the conference.
Here is a look at what has happened to the SEC this bowl season so far and what will happen in the remaining games.
Music City Bowl: North Carolina Defeats Tennessee 30-27
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The Volunteers had the best chance to win out of any SEC team that has played a bowl so far. They were ahead with no time left on the clock, so naturally you would think that they would have won.
Unfortunately, the refs looked back at the replay and found that when North Carolina spiked the ball there was one second left on the clock. Of note, there was a penalty on the Tar Heels for having too many men on the field, which would have ended the game if they played by NFL rules.
North Carolina got a second chance and tied the game at the end of regulation. They went into two overtimes when Tennessee quarterback Tyler Bray threw an interception to North Carolina cornerback Quan Sturdivant, setting up the game-winning 23-yard field goal.
Liberty Bowl: UCF Defeats Georgia 10-6
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Georgia has been a disaster this year. They started the season ranked No. 23 in the AP preseason poll. They had one of the most talented players in the country, wide receiver AJ Green (though he was suspended for four games for selling a game-used jersey).
Everything fell apart very quickly for them in 2010. They lost four straight games after winning their season opener. They did put together a three-game winning streak after that, but they beat the SEC bottom feeders.
In the bowl game against UCF, the Bulldogs were a disaster. They had no real rhythm on offense and they failed to score a touchdown in the game. The defense should get some credit for holding UCF to 10 points, but as a whole they played very uninspired football.
Chick-Fil-A Bowl: Florida State Defeats South Carolina 26-17
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Steve Spurrier has done a nice job making South Carolina into a solid program in the SEC. They were able to play in their first SEC Championship game this year, though they were torched by Auburn 56-17.
Even with that, they were a four-loss team competing for an SEC Championship. That’s a very telling sign about where the conference is right now because usually the SEC title game will feature two teams that are in National Championship game contention.
South Carolina looked awful against Florida State in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl. They turned the ball over five times, including a turnover on their first three possessions. The Gamecocks have made some progress as a program, but they have a lot of work left to do.
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Outback Bowl: Florida Versus Penn State
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It’s hard to bash on Florida given that they were just in a BCS game last year, but they have fallen off in 2010. They lost Tim Tebow and that was always going to be a big loss, but watching the Gators this year they have been a disaster in a number of areas.
They have had issues between the center and quarterback, one of the most elementary things in all of football. They have lost five of their last eight games, including blowout losses to Florida State and South Carolina.
Urban Meyer is leaving Florida after the Outback Bowl to spend time with his family. It’s hard to begrudge a man who wants to be with his wife and kids. Incoming Gators coach Will Muschamp has his work cut out for him.
Capital One Bowl: Alabama Versus Michigan State
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Alabama has had a very good year, given that they were breaking in a number of new players on defense this year. They ranked fifth in the country in scoring defense.
The problem is that they struggled against the better teams that they have played. They have lost three games up to this point in the season but their losses came to South Carolina, LSU, and Auburn.
They proved that they could beat average teams but against above average teams or better they aren’t very effective. They can make a statement today against a very good Michigan State team, but don’t be surprised if they get beaten by double-digits.
Gator Bowl: Mississippi State Versus Michigan
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Mississippi State has the best chance to give the SEC a positive moment this bowl season. They are going up against a Michigan team that can’t stop anyone on defense. The Bulldogs have been building a very good program under Dan Mullen.
For all that the Bulldogs have been doing right, they are still only 8-4 and haven’t beaten any team that will end the year ranked in the Top 25. The Bulldogs are headed in the right direction, but they have a lot of work to do.
Sugar Bowl: Arkansas Versus Ohio State
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Arkansas has made their first ever BCS game, they will play Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl on January 4th.
They have one of the best quarterbacks in the country in Ryan Mallett, who will be a very high draft pick in April.
However, look at their schedule and the teams that they have beaten and it’s not an impressive list. They did get a good win over LSU at the end of the year to get into the Sugar Bowl. Besides that win, their victories aren’t very good.
Their best win is probably over South Carolina and that’s not saying a lot, especially after seeing the Gamecocks' performance against Florida State. If they can knock off Ohio State, all this talk will be quieted, but right now they haven’t inspired confidence in that happening.
Cotton Bowl: LSU Versus Texas A&M
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LSU has been a very unique team to watch in 2010. They have the talent to compete with anyone in the country. They lost two games this year by a combined 15 points but they easily could have (and probably should have) lost more than that.
They are one of the least impressive 10-win teams in the country this year. They did win their games and we can’t take that away from them but their performance has been far from impressive.
Compass Bowl: Kentucky Versus Pittsburgh
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How Kentucky gets a bowl game is beyond me. They finished 6-6 on the season, including 2-6 in the SEC. They scored an upset win over South Carolina back in October and that’s their only decent win.
The list of teams that the Wildcats beat this year include South Carolina, Louisville, Western Kentucky, Akron, Charleston Southern and Vanderbilt.
This team is pathetic and should not get a bowl game, but because the NCAA loves that sponsorship money that they get from these bowls they have to create more games so that everyone gets a chance.
National Championship Game: Auburn Versus Oregon
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No one can really bash on Auburn this year. They have exceeded all expectations, going 13-0 and winning the SEC handily this year. Cam Newton has had one of the great seasons in college football history and he won the Heisman Trophy in a landslide.
They aren’t a flawless team though. They have some holes on defense that Oregon can break through because they are so fast. The Tigers are the SEC’s best hope to completely restore the order and keep the National Championship in the conference.
Your Thoughts
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What are your thoughts on the subject?
Are we just overreacting to one bad year for the conference? Or is this a sign of things to come for the big, bad SEC?
Post your thoughts, feelings, ideas, etc. in the comment section. Tell me why I am crazy or why I am an idiot or why you agree with me.
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