If you believe the preseason Amway Coaches Poll, the Big Ten has surpassed the SEC as the supreme conference in football.
While the SEC boasts the nation’s No. 1 team in Alabama, the coaches have put four Big Ten teams in the top 10 to start the season. ’Bama is the only SEC team in the top 10.
But before we get too carried away, let’s remember preseason polls mean nothing. I am not sure what the coaches see to give these Big Ten teams the benefit of the doubt.
I do believe the SEC isn’t what is used to be in the college football landscape. Teams and conferences are no doubt catching up and will pass the SEC if a couple of teams don’t rise up and compete with powerhouse Alabama.
But slow your roll on the Big Ten being better.
The conference went 3-7 in last season’s bowl season and hasn’t scored a single point in two consecutive appearances in the College Football Playoff. And don’t forget in the last two seasons, the league has a 20-24 record against the other Power Five leagues.
I am very skeptical of Michigan at No. 9. That’s more about the Jim Harbaugh hype than anything else. The facts are the Wolverines lost 18 starters. That’s difficult for me to get around.
It’s also difficult to get around Michigan’s schedule, which features Florida on a neutral field, Penn State on the road at night and Ohio State at home.
After the Crimson Tide, LSU is the next-highest-ranked at 12th, followed by Auburn at 13, Georgia at 15 and Florida 16. Tennessee is at No. 24.
Are you kidding? I am sick of hearing about Tennessee every preseason only to watch Butch Jones’ team fold up in the clutch like a cheap suit.
It’s been so long since the Volunteers have been relevant — 10 years to be exact.
The Vols have won 10 games in a season or captured the SEC Eastern Division crown in 10 years. But if Vol faithful are looking for something positive, here you go: odd-numbered years have traditionally been good for their team. Years ending in "7" have been especially good recently.
UT's last SEC East title came in 2007. In 1997, the Vols won the SEC championship. In 1987, they went 10-2-1. The 1977 season, Majors' first, was a rebuilding year. In 1967, Tennessee won the SEC championship.
While on the subject over overated, LSU has been the worst in recent years. The Tigers are always an SEC West giant in the preseason.
But since 2012, LSU has never exceeded its preseason expectation in the West, only matched it once (third place in 2013) and cratered with a fifth-place finish in 2015 after being tabbed third by the media.
In the previous three seasons, LSU hasn’t come close to living up to where it started in the top 25 poll. Last year, it began at No. 5 and finished 13th. In 2014, the Tigers were No. 13 in the preseason but where nowhere to be find by season’s end.
We are 20 days to opening weekend, so the good news is it won’t be much longer before the action on the field will tell us he is overhyped.
nContact Bill Burrus at 581-7237 or bburrus@gwcommonwealth.com.
