The rest of the SEC must deal with the new reality. It is a reality where Alabama and Florida stand above the rest of the conference with the remainder of the league in a sustained decline. At least according to one source—the Sporting News.

The Sporting News advances the theory that the Alabama-Florida game is the most important rivalry in college football today. There is little doubt that the winner of the Alabama-Florida game has determined champions since the expansion of the SEC. Most years, these teams are battling for the crown, but the most interesting part of the theory is that this game has risen as the rest of the conference has declined.

According to the story, “Alabama and Florida deserve some credit for the distance. Great coaching hires, national recruiting supremacy and a knack for pulling out close games has turned them into titans. But this scenario has as much to do with disappointment as it does dominance.
“Tennessee is 36-27 since 2005 and has had three different coaches in three seasons. LSU’s nine losses in the past two seasons have fans doubting Les Miles—the guy who led the Tigers to the 2007 national title. Georgia lost five times last season, including a home game to Kentucky and a 26-point pounding at struggling Tennessee. Perhaps even worse for coach Mark Richt, his Bulldogs dropped consecutive games to Florida by a combined score of 90-27.”

The Sporting News doesn’t mention it, but Auburn has declined too. It has gone from a championship coach in Tommy Tuberville to a buffoon. This experiment won’t end well for Auburn; the Tigers are on a path to irrelevance in the conference because the team lacks the leadership needed to win championships. (Think Mike Shula.)

With the rest of the conference in decline, it only makes Alabama and Florida shine brighter on the national stage. Be sure to thank your Auburn and other SEC friends for the incompetence of their respective athletic directors. Without the likes of Mike Hamilton or Jay Jacobs the league would be much more competitive.

31 thoughts on “Alabama & Florida are the best in the SEC”

  3. Come on now Cap. I agree that Bama and Florida are atop the conference for now. But the other comments were hopefull at best. Tommy Tubberville was a good gameday coach. But to say that he was “chanpionship” calibre when he exited , is crap. We were at 71 men on a 85 man roster.. 14 men short …..That’s DIRECTLY T.T.’s fault. We had roughly 15% of the team, not on the team. That is no samll thing.

    Who knows about Chizik ? This year will be his litmus test. He improved Auburn from 08-09 and I expect an improvement this year.

  4. You should “improve” with a soft schedule. But we all know that Auburns true test of improvement was the moral victory over Bama, haha. Just like this year will be so disappointing when Bama spanks them again. Tubbs had ya’ll spoiled, along with Bama not being it’s usual self.

  5. It’s all kinda funny. There’s no doubt that Florida and Bama are on top right this second. But everyone seems to forget that no team has been able to hold onto dominance for very long. That’s why no team has repeated as SEC champs since UT 13 years ago. They might be able to hold on for a while, who knows. Nobody has been truly dominant since Spurrier back in the early to mid 90’s, though.

    See cappy, the reason that the SN didn’t “mention” AU as a team on the decline is that the SN (and just about every other objective media outlet in the country) considers AU to be a team on the rise. Your comparison of Chizik to Shula is also laughable. Chizik took over a 5-8 team and improved it in his first year to 8-5. No one had ever even considered mentioning Mike Shula and the phrase “head coach” in the same sentence, much less actually hiring him, before Bama made that idiotic decision in 2003. Shula then proceeded to take a 10 win team to a stellar 4-9 record in his 1st season.

  6. Julio, how many coaches do you think Alabama had to choose with 3 months to go till the season started?

    THINK, man. I know you are “highly functioning”, but you can do better than that!

    Quit making these dumbass arguments. You are like a Chicago Cubs fan always talking about how good they are and will be in the future and talking smack. Its stupid to talk smack unless you actually win something….

  7. Yep Julio. Thank God for Furman and Ball State, making way to face off against the Purple Vandy. That 8-5 looks fierce, bro.

  8. 13, stop asking julio to think logically, and asking him to not talk smack until abarn wins something is just cruel. You’re in time out.

  9. The running back from Texas M. Brown picked the horns over the crimson tide tonight. That sucks but really was expecting
    that to happen!! RTR

  13. You bammers love to change the subject when somebody points out that you said something idiotic. 13, in case you forgot, I was responding to cappy’s ridiculous comparison of Chizik’s abilities as a head coach to Shula’s. What the $#@! does the field of available candidiates have to do with whether Shula and Chizik are comparable head coaches?

    ITK, you love to keep mentioning the lower tier teams that AU played on its schedule as though they are the only team that does that. Are you not counting wins against Tulane, Western Kent., Ark. State, North Texas, Fla. Intl., and UT-Chattanooga when you proudly proclaim that Bama has gone undefeated through two consecutive regular seasons? Do you seriously think you’re making a point there? I would think you would be a little embarrassed to even bring up the subject. Unlike Saban against perennial juggernaut La-Mo, at least Chizik was able to win the patsy games in his 1st year.

  14. This is true. One quality non-conference opponent a year is all that most SEC teams schedule. It’s suicide to do otherwise.

    Last 2 years for Auburn was West Virginia. This year it’s Clemson.

    Penn State for Bama this year. Last year was Va. Tech. No real difference there.

    And I have never seen spam quite like that one. Almost poetic.

  15. Bama and Florida have probably been in the SEC championship game more than any other teams in the SEC. Auburn has been a team that has given Bama and Florida blemishes, but they haven’t done the most with their opportunities, like Bama and Florida has. Will this be the year that Auburn can capitalize, with Bama and Florida down from last year?

  16. Who is to say who will be down? Florida and Bama have recruited well the past few years. Florida won with Chris Leak at QB, I’m sure they can win with Brantley.

    Bama won with a new QB and obviously a killer defense and kicking game.

    I’m ready to play some ball and find out the answer…..Roll Tide!

    P.S. Auburn will be up. I think they may win at least 4 SEC games. I think they can beat Kentucky this year 🙂

  18. The only video I want to watch from you – Indy – is the video of somebody sticking an Wolverine Steel Toe up your rumpled ass.

  19. 13: well, you know, Bama lost a lot of players on the defensive side, and Florida won’t be the same without Tebow, so you are right, who knows? I think both teams are still ahead of the rest of the SEC, but the rest of the SEC is trying to catch up. Auburn’s recruiting has improved with Chizik, and I think Arkansas and Ole Miss will be improved from last year. I think the SEC west will be very competitive this year.

  20. Careful, brandii. Your comments about Chizik could be construed as semi-positive. ITK does not allow such behavior amongst Bama fans.

  21. If Pat Dye has your back, how can you not recruit better. Dye cut off the recruiting fund to Tubby, which would eventually show on the football field. Tubby resigns, after the prayer session with Jacobs (resigned, fired, whatever.). Now Dye has a guy he can control. May work a little bit at first, but will destroy a program in the end.

    That is my theory anyways….

  23. Dam right.On top for a very long time.Even if Nick drags up he will leave this team in very great shape.Florida also is and will be the cream of the crop as long as Meyer is there.The rest of the S.E.C will not catch up with these two teams as long as these head coaches are around..BOTTOM LINE…

  24. julia igot to know how in the hell cheesedik took over a “5-8” team as you said he did? last time i checked u dont play in a bowl game when you can only muster 5 wins in a season so where does this 13th game come from? was it the moral victory you counted for auburn not giving up 50 to bama that year or are you so aubsessed with alabama football that you cant get the number 13 out of your head ? please come up with an original response….or you can do like always and try to talk yourself up and attack my intellect either way this ive gotta see!!13131313131313131313131313

  26. Congrats, 77. I did make a mistake. Chizik improved a 5-7 team to 8-5, not a 5-8 team. Boy, that really knocks the wind out of the entire point I was making, huh?

    Actually, you can play 13 games even when you can only muster 5 wins. In fact, you can only manage 4 wins and still buy a 13th game where you can then get your a$$ kicked by Hawaii. You remember that don’t you?

  27. I kinda remember that. That was Shula’s first year, right? Good, comeback Julio. You make Auburn proud….

  28. Julio,
    As I read your post (5th from the top) The sad realization swept over me like a tsunami.
    You sitill havent figured out that Gene Chizik was the Mike Shula of Iowa State football.

  30. Julia, all I said was Auburn’s recruiting was better. Chizik’s HEAD coaching ability is still a question mark. The defense, which is his expertise, hasn’t seemed to come together yet, so I still have my doubts. I don’t think he is as good as Tuberville yet.

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