Sports Crossfire » SEC http://sportscrossfire.com/blog If it didn't matter, we wouldn't keep score! Wed, 01 Oct 2008 23:54:01 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 SEC Competitive Bottom to Top http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/269/sec-competitive-bottom-to-top/ http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/269/sec-competitive-bottom-to-top/#comments Wed, 01 Oct 2008 23:54:01 +0000 Ricky http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/?p=269 Six SEC teams are ranked in the top 25 of this week’s Associated Press, and all twelve teams have received poll votes this season. More importantly, the average point spread in this season’s 11 SEC match-ups is 9.91 points with 8 games decided by less than 10 points. Road teams are 8 and 3. The SEC is 26-5 in non-conference games. Filling 98.7% of total stadium capacity, 2,564,184 fans have attended SEC games this season. more…

]]> http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/269/sec-competitive-bottom-to-top/feed/ 0 Classic Game Withdrawal http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/216/classic-game-withdrawal/ http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/216/classic-game-withdrawal/#comments Wed, 05 Dec 2007 20:36:12 +0000 Dwayne http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/216/classic-game-withdrawal/ Resending our note to college presidents from a year ago

College Presidents,

With all but a few games between this season and the bowls, it is time to preview the morsels available for the college football fan to satisfy his/her hunger before the New Year’s Day Games. The best team in the land according to all polls will continue their hibernation another 32 days before reappearing next year to show the world they deserve the ranking. Give them a bye week for sure, maybe two for good measure, but 6 weeks off. Don’t we want teams playing at their best? Don’t we want to see the best teams play?

Let’s have an eight team playoff using the bowls for the final, semi-finals and those losing out in the first round. The games will make money. And if you are really worried about student athletes not getting to class, get rid of the mid week games. Oh, you can do that for basketball and baseball, too.  I forget, their tournaments don’t get in the way of any real school work.

Back to the playoff system. Wouldn’t it be great if every week, we could look forward to a couple of top 10 teams squaring off to determine who gets to the title game. All are guaranteed a first round game and a bowl game. The last two standing play in a third game to take home the crystal. Why is this so hard?

SportsCrossfire

]]> http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/216/classic-game-withdrawal/feed/ 1 Will the best 2 teams please stand up? http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/261/will-the-best-2-teams-please-stand-up/ http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/261/will-the-best-2-teams-please-stand-up/#comments Mon, 19 Nov 2007 03:26:41 +0000 Dwayne http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/261/will-the-best-2-teams-please-stand-up/ Texas Tech derails sooner National Championship plans and helps the Big East and Big-Ten in the process. Graham Harrel’s seventy-two pass attempts and 420 yards were too much for an OU team without NCAA passing efficiency leader Sam Bradford. In the process the Red Raiders threw a wrench into the Big 12 Conference Championship being a play-in for the NCAA Championship game. The winner of next week’s Kansas – Missouri contest will need to beat OU in order to represent the Big-12 in the title game. Otherwise, West Virginia with one loss or Ohio State if WV loses to Connecticut or Pittsburgh will make it to the show.   Arizona State could also get there and some think they will be ahead of West Virginia.  I don’t see them getting ahead of Ohio State in the polls, even with a Thanksgiving win over USC.
I don’t see a Kansas team able to slip into the title game should they lose the Big-12 Championship Game, like OU did several years ago. It certainly is quite a feat to be the only BCS conference team to go undefeated through the regular season. But a loss late in the season will see the polls drop them behind Ohio State, LSU and West Virginia if the latter two can finish with only one loss. Should Missouri win out, they will be in the show and with back to back wins over Kansas and OU, they certainly deserve it. Will OU play Big 12 spoiler, first by dropping two to Colorado and Texas Tech and then by winning the conference title over the Number 2 team in the country?

And if LSU falters is the SEC Championship game, could we see Ohio State and Virginia Tech play for the national championship?

]]> http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/261/will-the-best-2-teams-please-stand-up/feed/ 0 Big 12 in drivers seat http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/260/big-12-in-drivers-seat/ http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/260/big-12-in-drivers-seat/#comments Fri, 16 Nov 2007 23:39:13 +0000 Dwayne http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/260/big-12-in-drivers-seat/ With 3 teams vying for one of the two slots in New Orleans to decide the NCAA National Football Champion, the Big-12 conference is in an ideal position.  It is surprising considering where they conference ranked going into the season, but we all now know the pre-season polls are for the birds, especially of the jay hawk variety.  With Arizona’s upset of number 2 Oregon last nite, the field seem to have been narrowed to 5 teams, LSU, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Ohio State.  Hawaii and Kansas are the only two able to end the season with an unblemished record and the Rainbow State crowd will have to be content with a BCS game outside the Big Easy.

That leaves the lowly Big-12 and Big Ten looking at a possible pairing in the title game should the Tigers of LSU fall in one of the next three games.  An unlikely scenario, but this is an unlikely year.  I picked LSU and Oklahoma earlier this season and that seems to be as good a guess as any right now.  Oklahoma would be aided by beating and undefeated team in the conference final and does not want a rematch with Missouri, so they will be pulling for the Jayhawks to win two more before coming down from the clouds.  If that occurs and Texas and Missouri end with 10 wins, the computers will favor the Sooners and I suspect the human element will also.

In any event, all five need to watch their backs.  Is an upset awaiting LSU in Oxford??

]]> http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/260/big-12-in-drivers-seat/feed/ 0 BCS Big-12 Update http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/259/bcs-big-12-update/ http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/259/bcs-big-12-update/#comments Thu, 08 Nov 2007 18:03:09 +0000 Ricky http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/259/bcs-big-12-update/ With Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri sitting at 4, 5 and 6 in the BCS, the Big-12 is looking stronger across the board than it has in quite some time. In fact, if these teams can max out (Missouri and Kansas square off with the winner facing Oklahoma in the Big-12 Title Game) then the Big-12 has an excellent chance of sending a team to New Orleans. If Kansas enters that game undefeated against a one-loss Oklahoma team, then the winner will go to New Orleans. If two one loss teams battle that day, the victor will loose out to a one loss LSU and could find themselves missing out to Oregon with only one loss.
Of course, a lot of this depends on how well the rest of the conference holds up compared to the SEC and Pac Ten teams. Oklahoma needs Texas to win out and would likely do best by being the only team to defeat Kansas vs. beating a two loss Missouri team twice.
And it all starts this Saturday as Kansas continues to get deeper into the conference schedule. Oklahoma State shook Texas up and Kansas better bring their A game to keep the Nov. 24th showdown with Mizzou in tact.

]]> http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/259/bcs-big-12-update/feed/ 0 LSU – For real??? http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/257/lsu-for-real/ http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/257/lsu-for-real/#comments Mon, 22 Oct 2007 04:37:43 +0000 Ricky http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/257/lsu-for-real/ Are the Tigers for real? Was their early season dominating defense courtesy of weak offense or the real deal. After three straight weeks of down to the wire games and squeaking two out of three in the powerful SEC, it is definitely a question worthy of an answer. Although that answer will have to wait at least two weeks and perhaps all the way to December in Atlanta. We think they wil answer those bells and the biggest of all in early January. Ohio State, Oklahoma, or whoever they face better be thinking the same thing.

]]> http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/257/lsu-for-real/feed/ 0 Upset Weekend 2007 http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/254/upset-weekend-2007/ http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/254/upset-weekend-2007/#comments Mon, 01 Oct 2007 23:39:24 +0000 Dwayne http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/254/upset-weekend-2007/ With 6 of the top 13 teams being upset, this weekend will go down as the underdog weekend of the year. Starting Friday night as Souther Florida took care of West Virginia the Big 12 North took care of the Big 12 South as Colorado and Kansas State take down Oklahoma and Texas. Auburn kicks a last second field goal twice to beat the Gators as Maryland tops Rutgers and Georgia Tech beats Clemson. The Oregon Ducks join these top ranked teams in defeat at the hands of the 6th ranked California Golden Bears.

Were the Sooners and Longhorns looking to next weeks showdown in Dallas, while Florida and a slow starting LSU Tigers looking to their meeting in Baton Rouge? Or does this show the continuing parity in college football? Perhaps a little of both. With USC sqeaking out a win in Seattle, we could have a season with no major conference teams running the table.

]]> http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/254/upset-weekend-2007/feed/ 0 Game of the week http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/255/game-of-the-week-5/ http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/255/game-of-the-week-5/#comments Sun, 30 Sep 2007 18:14:45 +0000 Dwayne http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/255/game-of-the-week-5/ Oh what a difference a week makes.  We could be looking at two games featuring undefeated top 10 teams this week, but Colorado, Kansas State and Auburn took three of these four teams down last week.  With all three looking for redemption the stakes are possibly even higher for all.  We will pick the SEC showdown in Baton Rouge as the #2 Tigers take on Florida in what has to be a must win game for the Gators to keep a slim chance at defending their national championship.  LSU can take a commanding lead in the SEC title hunt by whipping the Gators and go a long way to avoiding having to beat them again for the SEC title.  LSU’s defense frustrates the Gators with a 9 point win.
Don’t dismiss the Dallas beat down.  One of these teams will keep BCS hopes alive while the other will have to look toward other incentives to call this season a success.  We pick OU bouncing back and winning by 4.

]]> http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/255/game-of-the-week-5/feed/ 0 LSU hosts Virginia Tech for the Game of the Week http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/253/lsu-hosts-virginia-tech-for-the-game-of-the-week/ http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/253/lsu-hosts-virginia-tech-for-the-game-of-the-week/#comments Wed, 05 Sep 2007 22:10:45 +0000 Dwayne http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/253/lsu-hosts-virginia-tech-for-the-game-of-the-week/ The Hokies come into Tiger Stadium ranked 9th in the AP poll and sporting one of the best defenses in the country.   They hope the second ranked Tigers’ offense starts as lackluster as they did last week against Miss. State.  LSU’s shutout and 6 interceptions showed they know how to defend the endzone.  We pick LSU at home 13 to 6.

]]> http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/253/lsu-hosts-virginia-tech-for-the-game-of-the-week/feed/ 0 Week 1 Roundup http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/252/week-1-roundup/ http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/252/week-1-roundup/#comments Mon, 03 Sep 2007 19:36:19 +0000 Dwayne http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/252/week-1-roundup/ Twenty-two of the Sportscrossfile.com Top 25 take care of business. Appalachia State carried the 1AA title into Ann Arbor, and stunned Michigan allowing critics to suggest the Big Ten would have trouble competing in that division. Our hats are off to the football players and coaches of Appalachian State University.

Clemson welcomed Florida State into Death Valley for Bowden Bowl 9 and stunned Dad and company through the beginning of the third period.  By the time the Seminoles realized this was a real game, the time remaining was too little to complete the comeback.  They join Michigan outside this week’s top 25.

Tennessee, the other top 25 to begin 0-1, put up 31 on California yet gave up 45 points including a punt return for a TD in the loss. Auburn survives a scare from Kansas State scoring with 2:01 left in the 4th quarter to take the lead. The remainder of the Top 25 took care of business mostly with lopsided scores. Here are some notables or should we say embarassments for both the losers and those setting the schedules:

Penn State 59 – Florida International 0
Oklahoma 79 – North Texas 10
Nebraska 52 – Nevada 10
Hawaii 63 – Northern Colorado 6

]]> http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/252/week-1-roundup/feed/ 0 Florida and LSU meet for the SEC Title http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/248/florida-and-lsu-meet-for-the-sec-title/ http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/248/florida-and-lsu-meet-for-the-sec-title/#comments Mon, 20 Aug 2007 00:51:08 +0000 Ricky http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/248/florida-and-lsu-meet-for-the-sec-title/ With a favorable home conference schedule, LSU, sporting the best defense in the country, will win the SEC title game on it’s way to New Orleans for the NCAA National Championship Football game.

]]> http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/248/florida-and-lsu-meet-for-the-sec-title/feed/ 0 BCS At Large Bids http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/251/bcs-at-large-bids/ http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/251/bcs-at-large-bids/#comments Sat, 18 Aug 2007 02:04:59 +0000 Ricky http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/251/bcs-at-large-bids/ In the second year of the five BCS game format, the six conference winners will be joined by six at-large additions. This will include Florida, Texas, Wisconsin and California.

]]> http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/251/bcs-at-large-bids/feed/ 0 Coaches agree USC the best http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/244/coaches-agree-usc-the-best/ http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/244/coaches-agree-usc-the-best/#comments Tue, 14 Aug 2007 23:58:18 +0000 Ricky http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/244/coaches-agree-usc-the-best/ The latest coaches poll have Pete Carroll‘s USC Trojans in the number 1 spot with the LSU Tigers second. They added Ohio State in place of Louisville and shuffled a few others with their top ten looking this way.
1 Southern California
2 LSU
3 Florida
4 Texas
5 Michigan
6 West Virginia
7 Wisconsin
8 Oklahoma
9 Virginia Tech
10 Ohio State

]]> http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/244/coaches-agree-usc-the-best/feed/ 0 The AP poll is out lead by USC http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/243/the-ap-poll-is-out-headed-by-usc/ http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/243/the-ap-poll-is-out-headed-by-usc/#comments Mon, 13 Aug 2007 23:49:05 +0000 Ricky http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/243/the-ap-poll-is-out-headed-by-usc/ The pre-season AP poll and every other poll we have seen picks the USC Trojans as the number one team in the country. The rest of the top 10 are:
2 LSU
3 West Virginia
4 Texas
5 Michigan
6 Florida
7 Wisconsin
8 Oklahoma
9 Virginia Tech
10 Louisville

]]> http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/243/the-ap-poll-is-out-headed-by-usc/feed/ 0 Florida wins recruiting championship http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/241/florida-wins-recruiting-championship/ http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/241/florida-wins-recruiting-championship/#comments Thu, 08 Feb 2007 18:16:28 +0000 Dwayne http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/241/florida-wins-recruiting-championship/ Holding off a late surge by USC and overcoming two last minute changes to Florida State and Miami, the University of Florida adds the National Football Recruiting Championship to their NCAA Football and Basketball titles. This is according to Rivals.com’s recruiting report.

The SEC took 7 of the top 10 spots in this year’s ranking. The ranking from rivals.com:

  1. Florida
  2. USC
  3. Tennessee
  4. LSU
  5. Texas
  6. South Carolina
  7. Auburn
  8. Notre Dame
  9. Georgia
  10. Alabama
]]> http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/241/florida-wins-recruiting-championship/feed/ 0 SEC determined to beat each other up again as Auburn stuns Bama http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/238/sec-determined-to-beat-each-other-up-again-as-auburn-stuns-bama/ http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/238/sec-determined-to-beat-each-other-up-again-as-auburn-stuns-bama/#comments Thu, 25 Jan 2007 17:14:57 +0000 Dwayne http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/238/sec-determined-to-beat-each-other-up-again-as-auburn-stuns-bama/ The SEC will once again beat each other into submission before tournament time rolls around.  After Florida the middle of the league, on the court if not on paper, shows to be balanced with any team able to dominate another on a given night.  Take the recent beat down Auburn handed the Tide after the tigers lost 7 straight. Come Tourney time this may leave a few SEC tournament hopefuls looking to the NIT.

]]> http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/238/sec-determined-to-beat-each-other-up-again-as-auburn-stuns-bama/feed/ 0 NCAA Football Championship – Florida Over Ohio State Big http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/234/florida-over-ohio-state-big/ http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/234/florida-over-ohio-state-big/#comments Tue, 09 Jan 2007 05:03:08 +0000 Dwayne http://sportscrossfire.com/blog/234/florida-over-ohio-state-big/ After Ohio State returned the opening kickoff (sans a holding call) for a touchdown, the Florida Gators’ defense took control holding the usually high powered Buckeye offense to one additional touchdown. Meanwhile, the Florida offense scored on 6 of 7 first half possessions and put up 41 on the Big Ten’s top ranked defense.

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