DON'T be a sore LOOOOOOO-ZAH...just take your lumps like a REAL man, and congratulate the BETTER team on their overpowering domination of the fifth-best college football team in the country.
You Southerners are so easily rattled. I did the same thing with the fellas on the Explorer Forum. All I can picture is a Steve Spurrier-like high-pitched, 250-word-per-minute diatribe levied my way. Relax, Deputy Fife.
In all honesty, the SEC probably was the strongest this year. Last year, the conferences ranked the Big Ten #2 and the SEC #7 based on all of the schools' performances. It fluctuates, sort of like seasonal temperatures. Anyone remember when the Big 12 was "the" conference? You know, back when A&M was a threat? The SEC could be going the way of the Pac 10, as the Pac 10 (despite USC) slowly falls back in line with other conferences. God forbid, gasp, that the Big East will be the next "big thing." They were, of course, 3-0 in their bowl games. And, imagine if the WAC gets its act together. Boise State is a given, of course. But in the past, we easily forget about San Jose State's near defeat of USC last year, Hawaii's high-flying offense (Colt Brennan made Tommy Chang look like a nobody), and Nevada's often-fluctuating but nevertheless worrisome style of play.
In the future, I would not doubt if no conference is "the" conference. Has anyone noticed the parity in college athletics? Boise State is a good example. And don't forget George Mason's NCAA basketball run last year. Gonzaga went from outsider, to bubble, to 16th, to what it is now. The athletes are getting better. There's a reason Notre Dame is not as dominant a force as it was, say, from 1988-1994 (and, of course, throughout history). Times are a'changing.
As far as I am concerned, I care about one team and one only: Dear Old State. We don't accept ju-co transfers, and we almost never accept prep school (not high school prep school, but those one year prep schools before college) kids. If you don't have the grades to get into the University, you don't play. One fella, who I went to high school with and played soccer with, was highly recruited as a kicker by Penn State (as well as other Big 10 teams, and made ESPN in high school for some insane 67 yard field goal). Upon seeing his grades, PSU waved buh-bye. Maybe the Big Ten has trouble counting to ten (in reality, they can count to eleven), but Penn State has always has been among the highest graduation rated programs in the NCAA. Penn State senior starting tackle Ed Johnson violated team policy, and Joe make him sit out of his last game (the Outback Bowl, nonetheless). Joe's suspended fellas for games, kicked them off the team, etc. Say what you want about Joe, his lack of person skills, etc., he is a mentor first, teacher second, and coach third. And he always acts with integrity. And his players show it. Do you ever see a PSU guy celebrate a touchdown? Never. The ball is handed to the referee, perhaps a high five or jump high five, and they're off the field. Look at Larry Johnson today -- when he scores, other than the change in colors, nothing has changed. I absolutely am a product of that which I grew up watching, and graduating from -- I like my football with a little silent dignity (don't get me started on some NCAA schools and the NFC, where players act like they saved the world after making a tackle on a three yard rush).
I cannot speak for Florida, other than the stories that have passed to me. I personally can speak for Florida schools in general (and perhaps you're right -- Florida could be the exception) -- their players are often dirty, thuggish brutes who it seems were recruited from the jails more than the high schools. At the Orange Bowl last year, I personally saw more dirty play from Bowden's FSU than I ever did from any Big Ten school. And, no one needs to say anything more than Miami and Florida<
