Monday, September 21, 2009

The Official* Expats SEC Power Poll

* As only this scribe sees it ...

The good folks at SEC Rivals (see the link on the right) have asked the Expats to join in their SEC Power Poll, ranking the teams each week from 1 through 12. Here's my list, submitted on behalf of, but lacking actual conversation with, fellow Expats. (I heard from them soon enough.) It's based in large part on the answers to two questions: "Yeah, but who have you played?" and "Yeah, but who have you BEAT?" By that measure, Florida should probably be fourth, not third. Oversight on my part. -- R. Trentham Roberts

1. Alabama
2. LSU
3. Florida
4. Auburn
5. Georgia
6. Ole Miss
7. South Carolina
8. Arkansas
9. Kentucky
10. Tennessee
11. Mississippi State
12. Vanderbilt

6 comments:

Unknown said...

OK - Clemson fires underachieving coach but not until he goes 8-2 against USC of the "Big Bad SEC". USC shows up as #7 in the latest Power Poll for the BBSEC, thus noting that a middlin' ACC team of cow farmers who has gone 17 years without a conference championship is decidedly and routinely better than the average BBSEC team. I guess we can only assume then that following the top two of the BBSEC the other teams from this "Football" conference are just so much cow patties.

Anonymous said...

Couple of things, cap'n. #1 Tennessee is a team that will slowly rebound and return to dominance. By the way, Tennessee is a team that won a National Championship within the past 11 years.

Cow patties? The conference wins the BCS Championship about every season. You realize 3 of the Top-4 teams in the AP Top-25 are SEC teams Charles? Georgia is in a rebuilding season, yet over the past decade are one of the best teams year in and year out in the country, along with LSU and Florida. Alabama has recently become an excellent team. Therefore, obviously you miss the point. The powers of the SEC are routinely the best teams in the country. The powers of the ACC are routinely ranked 17th.

Observer Sports said...

Charles,

Could Clemson's success against South Carolina have anything to do with the fact that Clemson, how should I put this diplomatically, plays an ACC schedule and South Carolina does not?

Road trips to Tech and Miami are never pleasant, but this year USC is strapped on a conveyor belt and run through Georgia, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Florida and Alabama. (Not to mention that they've already gone on the road to physically dominate the ACC's trendy preseason pick).

Clemson should feel good about their success against Carolina. But by the time they play, they're just picking through feathers and bones.

Michael

Bud said...

Trentham, I admire your courage in picking the Gators # 3. Whether LSU and Bama are actually better, time will tell, but I'm convinced FL will lose at least one regular season SEC game this year and more than likely will not be in the national championship game. Which brings me to another theory I have on the Gators. Last Saturday we were treated to another Tebow Tirade on the sidelines complete with in-your-face yelling and major body language as he exhorted his teammates to score their first TD against the Vols. This tactic made sense when he used it in the half time locker room at last year's BCS championship game with the score tied 7-7, but why use it to help score a routine TD against the Vols? Human nature tells me that every Tebow Tirade is a little less effective than the one before. At this rate, this tactic should be completely impotent by year's end.

On the other hand, what is your ranking of Auburn # 4 based on? Must be their victory over unranked West VA but I don't get it.

Anonymous said...

Bigdawg, as you can probably tell, I put CONSIDERABLE time and effort into the rankings. (I think I overheard my blog-mates say something about "getting his out of the way.")

That said, I must have been thinking West Va. was a little more highly regarded. Turns out they gave up 20 to Liberty and ECU before the Auburn game. Oh, well -- opinions don't live forever in the blogosphere, do they?

-- RTR

Anonymous said...

To Bigdawg and Old Miss Guy - remember the questions posed. For Auburn, who have you played? No one, really, and that doesn't change this week by playing Ball State. Who have you beat? Everyone, and all 3 games Auburn blew the opponent out in the second half. Of course if they play like this against Georgia and 'Bama, they'll be 30 points down at halftime and the blowout second half will mean nothing. But for now, I think 4th in the conference sounds about right.