re: SI's Mandel is a smug prick.

I think that at least 75% of posters in this thread did not even read the article.

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Bama has played 2 solid teams this entire season, got substantially outgained both times, went 1-1, and is in prime position to play in the National Championship.

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This is correct and has no equity so he is correct.

How dumb can some of y'all be. If you read the entire article and think about what he is saying, he is making a great point while AGREEING with the SEC. All he is saying is that SEC makes a smart move scheduling conference games earlier in the season.

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Many in other parts of the country will lambast those SEC schools for scheduling nonconference lightweights in November. On the contrary, they should be commended for their genius.

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Please read this quote and explain how he is bashing our conference?

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I think that at least 75% of posters in this thread did not even read the article.

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He did exactly what he set out to do. Bash the SEC without bashing the SEC. Put in just enough counterargument to justify it.

He jumped on the Rick Neuhiesel train. Rick brings it up everyday on Sirius 91. The argument has changed over the years to rationalize the SEC's success. Now the argument is that the SEC is "pure genius" by scheduling cupcakes late in the year. It's as though Slive played a part in Kansas State's defense getting shredded by Baylor.

"Many in other parts of the country will lambast those SEC schools for scheduling nonconference lightweights in November. On the contrary they should be commended for their genius."

In other words, its not that the SEC is actually earning their success on the field so much as it is their scheming to gain an advantage over everybody else.

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In other words, its not that the SEC is actually earning their success on the field so much as it is their scheming to gain an advantage over everybody else

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The SEC has earned their success on the field the past 7 or 8 years and it's that reputation along with convenient scheduling that's gotten the SEC teams their current rankings. Think about it, this year what are the SEC's best OOC wins? LSU over Washington and Bama over Michigan? Good wins but hardly statements of conference superiority in and of themselves. In addition, due to a combination of luck and late season scheduling of cupcakes the only SEC games between the power six teams in the last 3 weeks of the season was AM-Bama. Now there are two big OOC games, USCe vs Clemson and Florida vs FSU. I'd be prepared to get mad after those two games as I think there's a decent chance both SEC teams lose and then you might some actual articles questioning the SEC. But this article isn't one of them

Navy, Miami, Pittsburgh, Boston College, Wake Forest, Purdue. There's half of the 2012 schedule of the team touted by most pundits as having a "truly difficult schedule." Mandel's a moron.

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In other words, its not that the SEC is actually earning their success on the field so much as it is their scheming to gain an advantage over everybody else.

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There would be a valid point in there f the SEC BCSCG representative wasn't beating every team they've faced. Just because you get to the BCSCG by whatever means, easy scheduling, etc..., doesn't mean you're going to actually WIN the game.

These talking heads would have a point if the SEC sent a team and LOST every year. Otherwise they're just finding whatever they can to cut down on the SEC, and shite is getting weak.

Is there a single SEC team that made it to the BCSCG that didn't deserve to be there? No, they've proven they belong by winning - every time.

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tigerfan88

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In general I agree with you, but that is not how others around the country will perceive that article. From oversigning to scheduling, there MUST be a way to rationalize the SEC's unprecedented success, and this article provides that.

What you say about the SEC's schedule is correct regarding the sporadic marquee games, however it is no different than any other conference - and the fact that those sprinkling of marquee games are versus typically the top 3 - 5 teams in the country is why SEC schedules are actually tougher.

For example, someone said earlier that Bama will be going 1-1 versus the only decent teams they've played this year and have a shot at the NCG. Well, you could say the same about Oregon, and that's including what could end up being a 4 loss USC team. They played nobody up until that game. frick Bama BTW I hope they lose to Notre Dame, but Bama will have played Michigan, LSU at LSU, A&M, and Georgia in the SECCG. That's better than both Oregon's and Kansas State's schedules as a whole.


So the timing of a cupcake game is what tips the scales in the SEC's favor? Hardly.

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Then bash the op! Not posters who believed him. It's Monday of a holiday week. Most of us are busier than busy and u expect us to read every link?
frick that. Ban the op. It's sounds as if he didn't read it before posting.

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It's one of those fence-riding, back-handed compliment articles. You could take it either way. The majority of people around the country will read it as the SEC setting themselves up to be in position at the end of the year due to the scheduling of one cupcake game in November. That might have contributed to the SEC's run, but that contribution was about 1/100.

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He's a smug prick because you disagree with him? Dudes just doing his job.

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Not only that, but the article is a giant tip of the hat to the SEC without any sarcasm that I can see.

Some people like to be offended apparently.