SEC Now discussion on portal disadvantage when making Natl Championship?

Just working backwards

2025 champs - LSU - bad, missed post season
2025 runner up - Coastal - good, rare combo of returning a ton and being in a lower level conference. Still not great overall at 36-20.

2024 champs - Tenn - down, traveled for super regional
2024 runner up - A&M - down, missed post season

2023 champs - LSU - down, traveled for regional
2023 runner up - UF - down, one of the last teams in, traveled for regional and were carried by one player to Omaha

2022 champs - OM - bad, missed post season
2022 runner up - OU - down, traveled for regional

2021 champs - MSU - bad, missed regional
2021 runner up - Vandy - down, traveled for regional

So, the only team in the finals that returned to Omaha is UF, and that was a really fluky run. Otherwise, every other team got worse the next year. That's a combination of both losing obvious talent that got you there, and being disadvantaged in the portal.

Here is a post I had about the calendar and timing:

quote:

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The calendar needs to be fixed.

The portal opened on June 2.

LSU was playing games until June 23, with 10 of those days (June 10-June 23) being in Omaha.

The Draft Combine is June 13-17.

Then the draft is July 13-15. It's not like football where you can host guys for weeks and weeks while still playing in the post season. Guys you want are likely playing the first weekend. That leaves you with about 5 days to really talk to guys between game/travel schedule prior to Omaha.

Then imagine if you're looking at a guy playing on the second weekend (16 teams). You get what, a day with them before Omaha? If everything lines up perfectly?

Teams that sit at home should not get a 10 day head start to recruit players because they faltered. It was ridiculous that Tony was doing in-home's with Landon Mack last year while Jay was stuffing DVH in a locker 1000 miles away.

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Teams making all the way definitely have a late start on everyone else in recruiting the portal.