quote:
“I don’t know, I can’t figure out what it is. I just think they have a more competitive conference,” Smart said, via On3. “At the top of their conference, there’s more good teams. It used to be Ohio State was good. Well, Michigan was really good with (Jim) Harbaugh, had a great team. Indiana’s good. Like, now they’ve got Oregon. They’ve got a draw. They have the ability to attract good players.”
....

“Now NIL has a factor too, for sure, but so does Miami. So does Florida. I mean, people have money. More people have money,” Smart explained. “So I think the talent is spread out thin, whereas before in the SEC, it was a magnet to talent. The disparity was so great that it was like you couldn’t mess it up. You’d win regardless. And now it’s like, OK. It’s more even. And it’s just been three in a row, they did it.”
...

“A lot of SEC coaches say this in my meetings, they say, ‘They don’t have the grind we do. There’s no way. They play three of their nine games are hard. Their bottom four games are not our bottom four games. I’m going to play at Starkville and Vanderbilt in my bottom four and I’m holding onto my butt to be able to play at noon on Saturday in Starkville, who beat Arizona State, who goes and plays these other teams.’ So there is a theory that we’re beating each other up and it’s like the intensity and it wears you down.”

(The Spun)

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Originally published on SECRant.com

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GeauxLSUBengalTigers•2 days

Headline, "Kirby has theory on why Big 10 has surpassed the SEC".

Kirby's comment: "I don't know, I can't figure out what it is"

roll to victory•2 days

A dimwit from Bainbridge, Ga...he lucked up with the last name, lol

weagle1999•1 day

Lol

Bige11•2 days

The sec is finally feeling the effect of not having the genius playing calling and recruiting tactics of Les Miles.

olgoi khorkhoi•2 days

According to him, "it's the grind" meaning there's more talent throughout the SEC top to bottom. Also according to him, when the SEC dominated, the talent was more concentrated in the SEC but now it's spread out.
He's talking in circles.

SulphursFinest•1 day

Looking just at draft numbers, he would’ve correct

Timeoday•3 days

Of course it has always been about the grind in the SEC. One only has to watch an SEC non-conference opponent game to quickly notice the number of injuries sustained by that non-conference opponent after playing an SEC team.

Would love to have a Big 10, 12 or ACC schedule.

Drydock•2 days

Money.

What was the question again ?

SOL2•2 days

I have figured it out. For the most part, the south produced the best players with 1 or 2 exceptions. They stayed close to home to play. Now, with NIL, they go where the money is. They don't stay home. Mendoza didn't stay home, and many more. The SEC no longer has that I-20/I-10 advantage. It's a new world and $$$ is the new geography. We're fortunate in that Lane seems to understand this and is good at this. I don't think 10% of the OM roster was from Mississippi. Bama and UGA have lost their magic a little. Kirby even admits he hasn't figured it out(not Smart), but he knows something is different. Indiana - are you kidding me!

El Jefe de Tu Mama•2 days

Better coaches.

SOL2•2 days

RBTiger•2 days

Big 10 has 18 teams ; SEC only 16
Sure helps!

friendlyobservation•2 days

Wah wah SEC has been terrible and had their opportunities in the playoffs. Let's see "checks list of injuries" I didn't see all these SEC teams over the years complaining about injuries in the playoffs. Their injury lists were no worse than the teams they played and still lost.

He said what it was. Disparity. Now everything is more even because everyone spends. It's that simple. I do think SEC schedules are more competitive compared to Big Ten but I think that's overblown come playoff time if you look at SEC injury lists.

RunningJacket•2 days

The SEC has built this myth of their bottom teams being harder. Give me a break. Ain’t no decent team worried about playing in Starkville, or Fayetteville, or either Columbia, or Auburn. It’s all a myth. FSU beat Bama at full strength in game 1. The SEC needs to stop making excuses and start winning playoff games.

Jabontik•2 days

It's not just playing them one time and go back to beating up northwestern. It's having to go play in front of 70,000 screaming fans with cowbells every. single. week. The B1G can rest players in the second half against the bottom feeders, the SEC has no such luxury

RunningJacket•1 day

So how did FSU beat Bama in game 1? Maybe Bama was so beat up up by their practices against themselves.