Will conference top heaviness damage the SEC?

[Dawgology]

This might seems like a weird question but why not. I was looking at the SEC conference championship historical results and it struck me....the same three teams have represented the West 19 out of 23 championship games (Alabama, Auburn, LSU). In the East the same three teams have represented 21 out of 23 championship games (Florida, Georgia, Tennessee). Breaking it down even further, Florida has represented the East almost 48% of the time while Alabama almost 40% of the time.

This led me to wonder...what happens if that snowball continues to grow. It certainly doesn't appear to be letting up. At what point do the fan bases of the other 8 teams in the conference get fed up with it. I'm not talking about everyone getting a participation medal I am talking about parity in the toughest college football conference. We saw the NFL institute policies to keep the League in business. We hear that anybody can beat anybody in the SEC...and to an extent that MIGHT be true...but it is a very RARE occurrence.

Just idle Monday morning thoughts.

[ShotgunDawg]

I'm Alabama'ed out. However, I believe in Capitalism & hate socialistic policies, even when they benefit me.

Therefore, I'm not really sure what the answer is other than continuing to win, continuing to go to bowls, & hopefully our recruiting will continue to improve.

I know that, at times, it seems so far away & as if we aren't making progress, but we are making progress. The key will be for us to continue to make adjustments, continue to push the envelope, & continue to chip away at what some of these more established programs built many years ago.

[basedog]

I'm Alabama'ed out. However, I believe in Capitalism & hate socialistic policies, even when they benefit me.

Therefore, I'm really sure what the answer is other than continuing to win, continuing to go to bowls, & hopefully our recruiting will continue to improve.

I know that, at times, it seems so far away & as if we aren't making progress, but we are making progress. The key will be for us to continue to make adjustments, continue to push the envelope, & continue to chip away at what some of these more established programs built many years ago.

I'm with you. Best thing for the Sec West is for Saban to take the Colts job. We probably have made more progress in the Sec than any school. Just keep on trucking.

[dawgs]

6 elite programs is far deeper than pretty much every other conference, so I think the sec will be fine.

[ShotgunDawg]

I'm with you. Best thing for the Sec West is for Saban to take the Colts job. We probably have made more progress in the Sec than any school. Just keep on trucking.

Agree

If you were a Wall Street investor & you invested $100 in each SEC program 7 years ago, MSU would have made you the most money & been your best investment.

[smootness]

6 elite programs is far deeper than pretty much every other conference, so I think the sec will be fine.

Not only this, but it's basically always been this way...and it hasn't hurt yet. Why would it suddenly become an issue?

[Johnson85]

Not only this, but it's basically always been this way...and it hasn't hurt yet. Why would it suddenly become an issue?

It would only become an issue if recruits considering the non Bama, LSU, Florida, and UGA schools decided that they'd rather go take their ACC, big 12 or Big 10 or Pac12 offers or decided they'd rather play in the AAC, CUSA, or SunBelt and compete for a conference championship rather than be on the big stage but really be playing to be top 25.

So the answer is, it won't hurt. For one, most conferences are the same; the big boys win the vast majority of the conferences, and they are already competing for recruits for the most part with Bama, LSU, UGA, and Florida.

I guess it could utlimately hurt some of teh schools with overlapping footprints in other conferences. If A&M can never break through, UT may be able to sell recruits on the fact that they can win the Big 12 and get into the playoffs at UT, but A&M isn't making it through the SECW. Clemson can sell recruits that they can get past FSU (and only have to get past FSU) to get into the playoffs but USCe is never getting through UGA and UF. If Fuentes decided to stay at Memphis, maybe they could compete for Mississippi players by making a similar argument; dominate the AAC and go to the playoffs or go to MSU or UM and know that you'll never see Atlanta and therefore never see the playoffs.

I don't think it's going to become an issue regardless because most recruits still play in the region they go to school and most recruits want to play at teh highest level. Maybe the perceived dominance of the top hurts particular schools, but only to the extent they are recruiting against a school that can legitimately win another top conference.

[smootness]

It would only become an issue if recruits considering the non Bama, LSU, Florida, and UGA schools decided that they'd rather go take their ACC, big 12 or Big 10 or Pac12 offers or decided they'd rather play in the AAC, CUSA, or SunBelt and compete for a conference championship rather than be on the big stage but really be playing to be top 25.

So the answer is, it won't hurt. For one, most conferences are the same; the big boys win the vast majority of the conferences, and they are already competing for recruits for the most part with Bama, LSU, UGA, and Florida.

I guess it could utlimately hurt some of teh schools with overlapping footprints in other conferences. If A&M can never break through, UT may be able to sell recruits on the fact that they can win the Big 12 and get into the playoffs at UT, but A&M isn't making it through the SECW. Clemson can sell recruits that they can get past FSU (and only have to get past FSU) to get into the playoffs but USCe is never getting through UGA and UF. If Fuentes decided to stay at Memphis, maybe they could compete for Mississippi players by making a similar argument; dominate the AAC and go to the playoffs or go to MSU or UM and know that you'll never see Atlanta and therefore never see the playoffs.

I don't think it's going to become an issue regardless because most recruits still play in the region they go to school and most recruits want to play at teh highest level. Maybe the perceived dominance of the top hurts particular schools, but only to the extent they are recruiting against a school that can legitimately win another top conference.

But again, this has always been the case and recruits still aren't going to other conferences...so what would make them suddenly start?

Recruits don't think, 'If I go there I can't win.' They think, 'If me and these other guys go, we can win and do things there that have never been done.'