Looks like the SEC just owns everything now. Remember when there was an ACC/Big Ten challenge? Had it for years and the ACC usually got the leg up in it. You get the league number of games over 2-3 nights and each team from each conference would play one game vs the other league.
Now it’s ACC vs SEC. In the last two nights, the SEC won 14 of the 16 games. A good many were blowouts on the way to the SEC’s 14-2 record. Only Clemson’s 4 pt. win over Kentucky and Duke’s comeback over Auburn allowed the ACC to win a couple games at all.
So are we just seeing the death of the ACC before our eyes and the domination that was sure to permeate all SEC sports due to the money they have coming in each year? Is there any hope for the ACC at all? I mean, now the sport the ACC was known for is being dominated head to head by the SEC. The SEC long ago took over baseball as well.
Any hope left or do we just need to get OUT NOW! That grant of rights has 12 years - TWELVE YEARS to run yet before anyone could get out without stiff financial penalties. The playoff committee is nothing more than a bouncer at the door of the club, allowing only the B1G and SEC schools in along with the obligatory one spot for an ACC/Big 12/Group of five team and Notre Dame. They rest are gonna be the other Big Two league members. The talk is that if SMU loses Saturday, they’re out as Bama is in no matter what. Had a better list of team’s beaten. So it’s win or go home for the Mustangs. Figures!
Unless I am missing something the argument hinges on quality of teams as judged by conference. That is, the fourth of fifth place team in the SEC plays a much more grueling schedule than the first place team in other conferences. Now that may be true. But it just speaks to the stacked deck. The historical idea was that all the top conferences were equally capable of producing a worthy national champion. Each conference played a “grueling” schedule.
Now the argument boils down to there’s really only two conferences capable of grueling schedules. Which in turn means the playoffs should be 80% SEC and Big Ten and 20% whomever. That’s what they want (and perhaps by extension the media paying for rights). If so, at least say the quiet part out loud.
To me, this is the challenge facing D1 football and basketball (fencing and wrestling aside). Not that it could have been prevented per se, but how did two conferences get allowed to dwarf the rest? Was it really in their interest to do so? Are there unintended consequences? Will “fandom” writ large accept that only two conferences matter? Is it possible that the two conferences continue to grow and de facto morph into a new NCAA?
(My wife got her MA at UNC and she’s a big hoops fan. We watched them just play Alabama and it was clear the talent levels were not even close.)
An interesting look-in at the potential NCAA bracket for college basketball’s tournament in March where Joe Lunardi has 13 - THIRTEEN SEC and 10 Big Ten schools making the 68 team field. That’s 23 of the 68 spots or about 34% of the field for the dance. This coming in a sport where there are many more conferences who play viable basketball throughout the country. We’re not looking at FBS football here where there’s only four leagues who play at the top level (supposedly) in that sport. Here there should be 15-20 leagues who could boast teams in the dance.
But instead we’re seeing the two dominant football leagues putting 1/3rd of the teams in the field. The B1G has always placed close to ten teams in of late but the SEC has made an enormous leap this year with their so far 23 quadrant 1 wins. Where this ends, we’ll see and certainly in this season the SEC hasn’t started conference play yet but it was evident during that ACC/SEC challenge that they have lapped the field for the most part.
Updated for Dance Time! SEC gets 14 of their 16 schools in the field. This includes Oklahoma and Texas who each went 6-12 in the league this year. Texas was 19-15, OU was 20-13
OK, whatever.
It’s funny that my 1st post earlier was about that ACC/SEC challenge. The ACC won two of the games that stretch with Duke’s comeback over Auburn and Clemson’s win over Kentucky being the only two games the ACC could muster. Those two probably are the two best in the ACC. They also got Louisville in the field along with North Carolina who has to be in on brand alone. They honestly beat no one of note and they make it a whopping total of FOUR for the ACC in the field of 68. That’s just pathetic and it honestly should have only been three in. (UNC 1-12 vs Quad 1 teams…yuk!)
SEC 14
Big Ten 8
Big 12 7
ACC 4
By the end of this, it’s just SEC overkill having 14 of their 16 schools in and a reach having 4 ACC schools which honestly wasn’t warranted. Again back to the reason for the post, is the ACC just doomed going forward? They’ve been slipping in basketball for a few years now and the SEC just had their breakout year. Now this will come to be what people expect. I mean 14 out of 16? You played your season to eliminate LSU and South Carolina. LOL! Whereas the ACC played their season to show that even without Cooper Flagg, Duke is good enough to win a bad league.
My wife is a rabid UNC fan (got her masters there) and we both agree Hubert is an awfully nice guy but has got to go.
Without NC State and Wake nipping at the heels of Duke and UNC “tobacco road” ain’t what it used to be. Right now it’s Duke and, wait, who were those guys???
Everything is all about the SEC these days. It is what it is. It’s all about money, always has been. The SEC is just the richest conference, by far, in college sports. The NIL (as much as I hate it) at least gives other teams a chance to compete. I don’t think there is a real fix to it all other than to let it run it’s course.
SIX SEC teams currently going to the Sweet 16. Mississippi can make it SEVEN if they can beat Iowa State right now. I remember if you had four of the final 16 it was considered pretty great. Good Lord!
Florida, Auburn, Tennessee, Alabama, Kentucky, Arkansas and maybe Ole Miss.
What’s everyone’s take on this field? Is it all a matter of seeing if one of the SEC’s teams can take out Duke at the end or do you think Duke can be got before then? Or maybe not at all?
They’ve rolled this year but in a terrible ACC. Words can’t really describe how bad the ACC is right now. Clemson, who was supposed to be the 2nd best team, lost to McNeese State in the 1st round. Louisville, to Creighton. I mean…no words!
I wouldn’t be surprised if once they get away from the state of North Carolina for their games if they were to finally get beat. But also wouldn’t be too surprised if they did beat the likes of Arizona, Alabama, Houston/Tennessee or UF on the way to winning it. Could go either way.
SEC…7 teams: Aub, UF, Ala, Tenn, UK, Ark, Miss
B1G…4 teams: Mich St, Mich, Purdue, Maryland
B12…4 teams: Hou, BYU, Ariz, Tex Tech
ACC…1 team: Duke
The Mountain West was close to having a decent showing here. New Mexico played well but lost to Michigan State, Colorado State did everything but beat Maryland or the MWC could have had two teams still playing. But still, they ended up with no one in the sweet 16.
Do we kiss the little conferences goodbye now? They are getting to where they may be done for good. The question here: Is the ACC becoming one of those?