Such an overused cleche... The SEC and "fast" schools have not faired well against the Big Ten and some other conferences because of "speed"...they normally are just flat out better teams top to bottom. Wisconsin vs Miami- The 'U' is a Florida school and everyone believes they are much faster than Wisconsin and maybe they were but obviously exection came into play. NorthWestern vs Auburn- If you watched this game you saw Northwestern dominate Auburn but a 100 int return and some very bad kicking was the difference in the game. NW had over 600 yards of total offense. Penn State vs LSU- Game really wasnt as close as score indicated although LSU made a nice late run. Ohio State vs Oregon- The Buckeye defense slowed down one of the best offenses in the country with good disciplined defense. The SEC had a down year but is probobly still the best all around conference in football, but the reality is its NOT because they are so fast. Who had better athletes UCONN or SC? We know the answer to that question, Ole Miss and Arkansas won their games with good physical defense and good execution. Florida? Well they have a rare combination of being faster and executing better than almost anyone. But how did Bama beat them? With an offense that executed and a very good defense.
While I tend to side with you in general in regards to this argument, I just don't think the LSU/PSU is a good example because the field made it impossible for speed to play a factor i n the game.
I agree that the speed factor has been overstated.All top teams have great athletes with speed.The difference is how you use that speed . The Big Ten got a little redemption this Bowl season . The Big 12 however has not done well against the SEC so far .The clincher will be the BCS championship game.IMO the SEC defenses are better . The SEC had a bit of a down year but its still the best overall conference IMO.
I understand, but the conditions wouldnt have made the outcome any different IMO....Jordan Jefferson wasnt gonna play any better no matter where he was. That was just one analogy, the speed talk is just a perception I think. Florida didnt beat Ohio State to a pulp because they were so much faster....they beat our *** because their DL was unblockable and I have to this day never seen a team look so "hungry" to play. I mean on the opening kickoff all that speed was disappearing out of the TV screen as Ginn flew by them. LSU didnt beat Ohio State because of "speed" they were just a much better team.
Yea I like Bama to win by 10 or more.... Not because they are "faster" becasue they are that much better.
Also in a historical sense, when it gets cold Miami teams fail. So I'm not sure I count that either. Though Wisconsin did outplay us (and I called before the game that I thought they could win)
I disagree, slightly. While I do not believe speed is the #1 factor in regards to the SEC's dominance over the Big 10 in recent years, it's hard to overlook the fact that... well, the SEC has alot more speed than the Big 10 from top to bottom. The Florida vs. OSU game in the NC a couple years ago made this perception you speak of grow, mainly because UF ran circles around the Buckeyes. You COULD see the difference in speed in that game. Now, was that the reason UF won? Probably not. OSU was terribly overrated that entire year and because there were so many good teams in the SEC that season UF didn't stand out. I think it has merit, but not to the degree that we see in the media. Unfortunately for the Big 10, they haven't done much to prove this wrong.
Their DL abused our OL and made our offense putrid....the longest play of the game was by Ted Ginn who ran by about 4 blue jerseys including all american Regie Nelson. Easy to say that team was overatted since they lost but FACT is they beat two teams that were ranked #2 at the time, they just laid an egg in that game, one team played with fire and emotion and one team played like they were already crowned. But if you think that Florida team was very much better than your sadly mistaken. I fully recognize that the Miami team we beat in 02 would have likely beat us 8 out of ten times, on the same note I dont believe that Florida team beats Ohio State more often than not....some times teams dont show up and thats a BAD combo when your playing a very determined team. I mean was the Michigan team that beat UF the next year faster than OSU? No. Infact they werent even better but that doesnt always tell the tale.
Extremely poor field conditions in a ton of these games. I'm not making an excuse for out coached, out hustled, and simply out played Miami, but they were slipping and sliding all over the place up in Orlando. The same can be said for LSU as I watched that entire game.
Not hard to run by a guy that was held. Florida's speed was a factor but the Dline was what made it so amazing!
Indeed. To this day I have never seen a DL dominate another top program like Florida did that night...Derrick Harvey looked like Michael Strahan. That and it was obvious wich coach had his team ready, Ohio State has never looked so unprepared. And its been awhile since I saw the replay so I cant argue anyone was held, either way Ted Ginn was flying right by them.
Don't forget Jarvis Moss and Ray McDonald who are both in the NFL too. Yeah it was really a great effort by our front 7. LB's played really well too. He was held and he might have got to Ginn, But it doesn't matter. You guys got the best 7 seconds and well we got the rest.
What a copout, of course UF was the much better team then, OSU simply got their *** beaten by a superior team.
Ofcourse thats what you want to believe, you guys won the game so i guess you can make offbase statements like that. Congrats, Go Bama
Its called realism. If you think you got even close to Ohio States best then your mistaken, now the play of the DL had alot to do with that, but that was as unmotivated of a team I have ever seen take a field. Both teams with a fire under their *** and ready to play?? Guess we will never know because troy Smith and his extra 10 pounds of fat couldnt escape the bullrush of the motivated Gators. Those two teams play ten times its close to even, but hey dont let me ruin your fantasy.
haha that is way too funny. Your actually serious!!!!! Gators defense dominated from start to finish. We played 10 times Ohio state may have won once don't fool yourself. Coaching also had something to do with it. I am not going to argue about this anymore cause there is no point. We will never find out but the truth of the matter is that both teams knew everything was on the line. One team dominated the other and thats the only thing anyone will remember.
The reason the SEC is so dominant is because the SEC is the only conference where teams are both fast and physical. The Big 12 is fast, but there isn't a physical team in the conference. Nebraska is close to being a physical team. The Pac 10 is fast but not physical. The Big 10 is physical but not fast. The ACC and Big East are neither with the exception of a couple of teams. If you question the SEC's dominance though, realize that the last four titles have been won by SEC teams, and 5 of the last 6 titles have gone to SEC teams.
I said earlier they are the best conference in football, thats obvious. But the speed concept is just the popular thiing to say...Ohio State is fast, USC is fast, Bama and Florida is fast.....its selling the coaches and the OVERALL talent of these programs short by suggesting "speed" is the reason for teams success. That Ohio State team that lost to Florida on offense had 4 Wr's taken in the first 3 rounds, a first round RB, a Heisman trophy QB they didnt bring their 'A' game and it showed. They were outschemed and out-willed but Im 100% sure they were not out manned.
Georgia, Tennessee, and LSU are fast as well. Its all about recruiting the best athletes in the country and having good coaches to mold that speed and talent. No conference comes even close when you talk about High quality coaches. Also the SEC recruits so well its crazy.
Well the South usally keeps their speedsters in conference....honestly If I had my choice and I wasnt a Buckeye fan i would perefer a warm climate. The coaches are MUCH better no question but that is sort of my point. the SEC is succesfull for many reasons that may include speed..but they also like you said have great coaches and schemes. But I just cant agree that UF when they MURDERED Ohio State did it because they had better athletes...they were better in the trenches and pressured the hell out of Smith. The SEC is a great conference but its not because of "speed"
The SEC is a great conference, But its not just speed alone. If you look at the top team than there athletes are usually better than most teams. However speed is just one of many factors in a game. Speed is something you cant teach and it can change or take over a game.
