Tuesday, September 28, 2010

The SEC East has turned upside down

In the Southeast Conference, each team's goal is to win its division. You got to do that to make it to the conference championship game. And, if you win that, you are pretty much guaranteed a spot in the faux National Championship game.

When the college football season starts, every team (theoretically) controls its own destiny. Essentially, as long as you win your games, you'll play in the conference championship game.

When the season started, all six teams in the SEC East controlled their destiny. Now, after four weeks of play, that number is down to three.

My team, the University of Georgia, isn't one of those three. If UGA wins out, they still aren't guaranteed the SEC East title. Tennessee is in the same boat. If Tennessee wins out, they could still be left out, if, for instance, Florida also wins out.

Kentucky, too, can win out and still not take the SEC East.

So, guess what three teams in the SEC East are in the situation of controlling their own destiny?

Well, one is the University of Florida. If the Gators win the rest of their games, they'll be the only unbeaten team in the SEC East, and win the division.

South Carolina is another team that would win the East if they win out. They have a conference loss, but if the Gamecocks win out, the worst they could do would be tied with Florida, but would win the tie-breaker because they would have beaten the Gators.

The last of the Final Three? Vanderbilt.

Yes, Vanderbilt University would win the SEC East if they win out. They have one conference loss, but if the Commodores win out, the worst they could do would be tie Florida, and would win the head-to-head tiebreaker.

If I had told you before the season started that, going into Week Five, Florida, South Carolina, and Vanderbilt would be the only teams that control their own destiny, you'd think I was nuts.

Turns out that 2010 college football is nuts, instead.

Gonna be an interesting rest of the season.

14 comments:

  1. Basil, my beloved LSU Tigers control our destiny, too. All we have to do is beat the Urng, Osburn, Flarda, 'Bama, the stinkin' Hawgs, and The Klan. Then we might get a chance to win the conference in the title game against Vandy.

    But on to more serious business. Blogger's spam filter sucks! I don't usually complain about such things, but since you run the show I figured I'd go ahead on and get you to do something about it.

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  2. Yes, LSU controls their destiny in the SEC West. Along with Alabama and Auburn. They are the only three in the West like that. As for Mississippi State, Mississippi, and Arkansas, if any of them win out, they aren't guaranteed a spot in the title game.

    If I'd have told you at the start of the season, that those 3 would control their destiny after 4 weeks, you'd have agreed.

    Not so with Vandy. You get that, Andy, but in case anyone else doesn't, I'm focusing on the East, because it's so screwed up right now.

    Oh, about the spam filter, all I can say is it works just fine for me. It missed one so far, and hasn't caught anything that it should let through.

    And, as long as it works for me, everything is fine. Just what kind of screwy stuff do you get? Or do I not really want to know?

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  3. I think that we can all agree that there is NO CHANCE for Vandy to win out. Come on, it's VANDY!!!

    And let's agree, UGA is stinking up the East.

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  4. Oh, I don't think Vandy will win out. But it's odd that they are one of only three in the East that could and make it to the title game.

    That's funny. Funnier than still cheering for the Bulldogs.

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  5. Basil, I was just jerkin' your bulldog chain about the spam filter. Seems I remember some jackass that had you pegged for the guy in charge of it, so I thought it might be somewhat funny.

    Sigh...

    Naw, the spam filter is just fine. I did have one slip through this morning...we're up to 102-1, and I can live with that.

    I also did actually realize that you were focusing on The East. But, being the smartass I am, I figured I'd throw in my beloved Westside Tigers as one of 'em. But, it ain't gonna happen.

    It's over. 'Bama is your/our champs. We will likely beat The Klan by 40, lose to Flarda by 2, and to the stinkin' Hawgz by 10. When it comes to the other 'Bama skool, we will probably win, but only because they suck even worser than we do.

    One thing you are right about is that the SEC is turned upside down (at least in my looking at it). I think we got the Urng on Saturday, and I don't even know if we are home, or away. I'm pretty upside down, and screwed up myself right now.

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  6. I didn't know if you might've really had some problems with the spam filter thing and used it as a chance to reference that Bozo from the other day. I should've realize the whole thing was a yank.

    About the football, this is the SEC. And, right now, the West is the class of the conference. The East is only 40% better than every other conference. The West is 80% better.

    And, in the West, anything can happen. Although, like you, I do expect that Herd of Elephants to run away with it. But, either of the Big Cats in the West could take it.

    This week's game in the Alachua County Swamp will tell if the team from Baton Rouge are Big Cats or Pussycats. The Giant Water Lizards should prevail, but it'll be a tough one. Leonard's Loser: LSU.

    Sorry, got carried away there.

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  7. Street Kirkherb picked The Barn's War Eagle to walk away with it and who is atop the West?

    College Gameday!!!

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  8. Yeah, it could be that Chizik was a good choice after all. I'd never have figured. Looks like I was wrong.

    The East Alabama Cow College has an open date this week against LAMO. Next week's cat fight in Lexington might be fun. Although the Kentucky Kitties should be able to hit the showers by half-time. Leonard's Loser: Kentucky.

    Gosh, I miss ol' Leonard.

    All the fun in the SEC this year is in the West.

    Except for Vandy. And their fun should end on October 23 in Columbia.

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  9. Basil, I thought that I was the only person left in the world that missed Leonard's Losers.

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  10. All true college football fans that are old enough to have heard Leonard miss Leonard.

    It used to be my job at the radio station (back in the 1970s) to make sure his reel-to-reel tapes were dubbed to cart for broadcast, and sent back in time. I enjoyed that, because I got to listen to Leonard 2 days before everybody else.

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  11. I had no clue he was a Georgia alum, no wonder you liked him.

    Check it.

    http://www.facebook.com/pages/Leonards-Losers/135475503152644?v=desc

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  12. I used to listen to him before I worked at the radio station, and loved it. And when I went to work there in high school, it was great.

    I didn't know he was from Georgia before I went to work at the radio station. But, I figured it out when I had to mail the tapes back to an Athens address.

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  13. Naw, I remember Leonard's Losers.

    He was kind of a forerunner, or a siderunner of Steve Harvey's syndicated column, "The Bottom Ten."

    Sheesh...good memories.

    I actually looked in to Steve Harvey last year, and I think he's still writing for some paper on the left coast. Maybe in San Fran, or Lost Angels...can't remember right now. I will look into it, and report back.

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  14. Yep! Steve Harvey is still at it.

    It's the sucky LA Times...but, man do I ever remember the good old days that his column hit The Shreveport Times. Jeepers, I was in High School...so Harvey must be about 107 years old.

    http://articles.latimes.com/2010/sep/22/sports/la-sp-0923-college-bottom-ten-20100923

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