Read the debate intro and Loyal Homer’s argument that the SEC is college football’s best power conference.
Continuing with the theme of football week here at The Sports Debates, we bring another compelling topic to the America’s collective football fan conscience – college football power conference supremacy. This is an argument heard all around the country, from noisy drunks in your backyard to the casual conversation between friends over email… “MY team’s conference is BETTER than YOUR team’s conference.” Instead of ending another battle royale in fisticuffs or worse – Tom Cable style – we shall settle the matter more humanely. We hope.
What makes the Big XII the best conference for the upcoming, here-before-you-know-it 2009 college football season is that it does not even need both divisions of the conference to be the best conference in college football. The Big XII South is loaded top to bottom, with two national title contenders in Texas and Oklahoma expected to battle for the division championship along with a perpetually dangerous Texas Tech and sleeper du jour Oklahoma State waiting to break through to the conference championship. A down but occasionally dangerous Texas A&M, followed by an offensively explosive Baylor team, round out the division.
Consider the Big XII North a sleeping giant. Missouri won the division last year on the strength of an excellent quarterback in Chase Daniel. However, the quarterback waiting to take the reins at Missouri is former Parkway West High School’s signal caller, Blaine Gabbert. Gabbert was widely believed to be the best quarterback recruit in the country two years ago… if not for that Terrelle Pryor fellow. An always dangerous Kansas team returns ANOTHER senior quarterback to the conference in Todd Reesing, and Nebraska is beginning to regain their storied form under now second year head coach Bo Pelini. (We do not have to pretend that Iowa State or Kansas State are any good.)
The Big XII is stacked as a conference in both divisions, from top to bottom. But, the SEC is a good conference, too. Why is he Big XII better? It comes down to coaching, recent history, and star power.
Coaching
Texas coach Mack Brown and Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops are national brands. All college football fans know their names and their reputations (somewhere Mack Brown is pointlessly clapping on the sidelines). However, it is important to acknowledge the other minds and up and coming coaching talent in this very competitive conference. Texas Tech coach Mike Leach, the mad scientist, is one of the more innovative minds in coaching today, and perfect for the Red Raiders. Likewise, Bo Pelini is ideal for the Cornhuskers to again instill the confidence and toughness Tom Osborne Nebraska teams used to have. Perhaps the fastest rising star in the Big XII coaching ranks is Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy. Known mostly for a tirade designed to protect a player, he is also the offensive coordinator and has recruited well enough to position his offense as one of the best in the country every season. Despite the recent dominance of the Oklahoma Sooners in conference play, they are never a sure bet to win Bedlam with Gundy stalking the opposite sideline.
Recent History (2008)
The top three teams in the strongest division in the SEC, the SEC East, lost a combined 10 games last season. The Big XII’s strongest division, the Big XII South, had only five total losses in their top three teams. The SEC had just three teams with 10 plus win seasons, while the Big XII had four… and another two teams that won nine games.
Sure, I get that 2008 is not 2009. But, while the SEC has seen a lot of turnover in the conference’s star power (the NFL’s number overall draft pick in Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford, for one of many possible examples), the Big XII returns their best players.
Star Power
While Tim Tebow is the SEC’s undisputed best player (it is not even close), the Big XII boasts last year’s Heisman Trophy winner AND runner up. Sleeper Heisman candidate, wide receiver Dez Bryant, also plays in the Big XII at Oklahoma State. While the Big XII is primarily known for their offense – and it should be – it has excellent defensive stars, too. Baylor middle linebacker Joe Pawelek was in the top 10 in the country in tackles (he had 128 total) and interceptions (he grabbed six). Nebraska’s massive defense tackle, Ndamukong Suh, plays in a four point stance and wreaks havoc on opposing centers, drawing many double teams and still managing to pressure and sack the quarterback. Oh, and the dynamic Suh also returned two interceptions for touchdowns in 2008… and caught one as a fullback in the goal line package.
Traditionally college football conferences, if they have one good team, are top heavy. That is, they have one excellent team that dominates the conference competition, and the remaining teams accept the beat down (and the payday). The Big XII is an exception. The Big XII South ALONE is an exception.
The interesting thing to consider about these conferences is that they are largely different. While the SEC has historically built teams based on superlative defense, the Big XII dominates with unmatched offensive capabilities. While the Big XII is closing the gap on defense with standouts like Pawelek and Suh, the SEC’s collective offense is stuck in neutral (even with the great Tim Tebow… I mean, did Auburn even score an offensive touchdown last season?).
The Big XII has better teams, more depth, great coaches, the momentum of recent success, and tremendous personnel. It is clear that the best conference in college football for this season is the Big XII.
To the author of this article. This is quite possibly the dumbest thing I have ever read.
The Big XII is the best conference because all the returning stars on offense and the numbers those offenses put up last year!? This is flawed rationale to start with. The Big XII has Heisman candidates and offenses that put up video game type of stats only because NOBODY PLAYS DEFENSE IN THE BIGXII!
Sam Bradford is supposed to be the best QB in the country yet he never does any thinking for himself. He lines up and the coach reads the defense and tells him who to give the ball to. What happened when that same vaunted, 60 point a game offense came up against Florida’s SEC Defense? 14 points. Wooohoo. Give that guy another trophy!
You claim that the SEC offenses aren’t as good as Big XII offenses because their stats are lower. Obviously. They face good defenses every week!
Do they pay you to write this garbage? If so I need to move out west where the standards for everything are apparently lower.
Thanks for being quite obviously a first time visitor to the website. Just so you understand how TSD works, we encourage rational feedback on our articles; however, we do not permit personal attacks. Consider this a warning.
You make some interesting points. While I realize that the SEC is known for defense, the Big XII certainly plays defense. Not a well known stat, but Defensive Team Performance Ratio (which factors in elements like red zone and third down efficiency, points per game, rushing yards per attempt and per game, and passing yards per attempt and per game) last season listed Texas third in defensive average and Oklahoma tenth. It is true that the Big XII does not have any top 10 defenses in a more widely published stat, yards per game allowed, from last year. But, similar to your logic, that is because they have such great offenses. I judge from your hate-filled diatribe that you value defense over offense. Not everyone does.
You may have noticed that I also included coaching, momentum and depth in my article, not just quarterbacks and stats. I agree that would have oversimplified things.
Remember we’re comparing the conferences as a whole, not Florida versus the Big XII.
I feel your criticism of Sam Bradford is partly warranted. Some quarterbacks work in systems that rely equally on physical and mental ability. Bradford does not. However, other quarterbacks in the league, such as Kansas’ Todd Reesing and Texas’ Colt McCoy, do.
As I mentioned in my piece, I am not disputing the quality of Florida’s team. Rather, I am disputing the depth of the SEC as a conference… or, more to the point, highlighting the impressive depth in the Big XII. Florida is certainly a top dog and a national title contender. However, the SEC has one team that meets that criterion for 2009. The Big XII has two.
Thanks for reading!
Geez, so much for the sophisticated fan!
Sorry Boss still not buyin’.
I don’t hate the big XII or you as a writer…I am merely tired of reading the same thing about how great it is. It is just as frustrating hearing about the great offenses in the Big XII as it is reading about USC being expected to with the PAC 10 and Ohio State being expected to win the Big 10. USC plays 3 tough games a year (including the Rose bowl). Ohio State plays maybe 3…depending on the season. Neither plays a conference championship game and thus have an easier trip to a BCS game. It is unlucky that the 2 best teams in the Big XII play in the same division of the league. But that doesn’t make the Big XII a better conference. I’d say it is more like the SEC East with Florida and Georgia lately…but that is only because Tennessee is down right now. The SEC though has the SEC West with LSU, Alabama and Ole Miss (for a change). My contention is that Middle of the road SEC teams would be in the hunt for the Big XII championship every year. Arkansas, South Carolina, and Kentucky would give OU and Texas a run for supremacy out there. Remember a few years ago when Wake Forest played for the ACC championship? Same deal in the Big XII. If everyone else is bad, you don’t have to be that good to win the conference! Naming 3 players that are good defenders in no way proves that the Big XII play good defense. There are Freshmen an the SEC waiting their turn that are better than those guys.
I have been reading our local blogs that have been inundated with OSU fans talking up their team and about how UGA won’t be able to run with their horses because they are from the mighty Big XII…and honestly I am tired of hearing about it. Sorry pal you just touched a nerve.
We’ll see what happens on Saturday–I can’t wait. Good luck to every team…stay healthy!
In fairness, imagine being a Big XII, Pac-10, or Big Ten fan (such as me) and how tired WE all are of hearing about how great Tim Tebow is, and how great Florida is!!!
I agree (as you can see by my verdict) that the SEC is the best in the country right now, but that doesn’t make me happy!
So, three weeks in, how’s this looking? What was Big XII vs. SEC record last year?