Pac 12-SEC Debate Laughable
Dec 7, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Auburn Tigers cornerback Chris Davis (11) holds up the SEC sign after the 2013 SEC Championship game against the Missouri Tigers at Georgia Dome. The Auburn Tigers defeated the Missouri Tigers 59-42. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Liles-USA TODAY Sports
The Pac 12 is not better than the SEC. It has not caught the SEC. It may one day, but not right now. Let’s put this Pac 12-SEC debate to rest.
Since members of the Pac 12 quit making a habit of being USC’s whipping boys the way they were throughout the mid-2000s, Pac 12 fans have tried to make the case that the conference is better than the SEC. They’ve used many ways to make this ridiculous case:
When SEC fans point out the amount of NFL productivity compared to other conferences, the Pac 12 fans will point out that it has the most NFL productivity from the most important position: the quarterback. When SEC fans bring up great defenses, Pac 12 fans simply claim that their offenses are mediocre. Perhaps the most annoying claim Pac 12 fans make, though, is that although the SEC powers are better than the Pac 12 powers, the Pac 12 is deeper.
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All three statements are misleading and in many ways flat-out false. But let’s start with the basics in comparing conferences by doing a top-to-bottom comparison of each team. In other words, refuting the claims by Pac 12 fans.
Let’s start with 2013. There were four teams in the SEC that finished the season ranked higher in the AP Poll than the highest ranked team in the Pac 12, Oregon. But again, Pac 12 fans claim their conference is deeper. Ok, so how about Texas A&M, LSU and Vanderbilt all finishing the season ranked? That is half of the conference. Fair enough, the Pac 12 also has half of its conference in the top 25, including Stanford, UCLA, USC, Arizona State, Washington, and as previously mentioned, Oregon. Yet in addition to the four highest ranked SEC teams being ranked higher than the highest Pac 12 team, the fifth highest ranked SEC team, LSU, is higher than the third highest ranked Pac 12 team, UCLA, and the sixth highest ranked SEC team, Texas A&M, is higher than the fourth ranked Pac 12 team, USC. FInally, the last SEC team in, Vanderbilt is higher than the last Pac 12 team in, Washington (which only made it in the AP Poll.) So, based on this evidence, the SEC isn’t solely a powerhouse conference. When you compare the entire top half of both conferences, the SEC overwhelms the Pac 12.
So what about the bottom half? Well, of good and decent teams we have Georgia and Arizona both at 8-5, and let’s remember Georgia got hit with the injury bug. Then you have Ole Miss at 8-5 compared to Oregon State at 7-6, and you have Mississippi State at 7-6 compared to Washington State at 6-7. There is no edge here.
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By this point, the only case the Pac 12 has is that the bottom of the conference is way better than the bottom of the SEC. Well, we have Tennessee at 5-7, Florida at 4-8, Arkansas at 3-9, and Kentucky at 2-10. On the Pac 12, side, however, we have Utah at 5-7, Colorado at 4-8, and Cal at 1-11. Again, they are about the same. And although the Pac 12 had one less team that didn’t make a bowl, that can’t be held against the SEC because it has two more teams. Hence the reason the Pac 12 also had one less bowl-eligible team.
So just simply judging by last year, there is no fact anybody can give me that would suggest the Pac 12 is better top to bottom than the SEC. If we go down the list, every SEC team I name will be better than the Pac 12 team named.
What about the claims that the Pac 12 has better quarterbacks in the NFL than the SEC? We know the SEC dominates the league overall in productivity. That’s clear-cut. What’s not clear-cut is this notion that the conference struggles with quarterback success in the NFL.
On one hand the Pac 12 can make a strong case with starting quarterbacks. If you were to rank them top to bottom in 2013 you’d probably go Aaron Rodgers, Andrew Luck, Nick Foles, Carson Palmer, and Jake Locker. If you did that for the SEC, it would go Peyton Manning, Cam Newton, Eli Manning, Matthew Stafford, Jay Cutler, and Jason Campbell. Who looks at that list and thinks it overwhelmingly favors the Pac 12? Honestly, the SEC looks to be completely on par with the Pac 12 when you factor in NFL productivity at qb last year. And that’s supposed to be the SEC’s weakness.
The Pac 12 is most likely the second best conference in college football right now. But it is definitely not the best. The conference does have a bright future, and this year should be exciting with almost every team’s quarterback returning. However, let’s stop comparing them to the SEC. For now at least.