I don't see it as ringing any more hollow than the "our football team sucks so we don't go" excuse.

Same song, different verse.

I'll make a deal with you. If Mizzou only has 6,000 fans at the game and then launches an ad campaign claiming that Shreveport, LA is Mizzou country, you can have my signature line.

This the guy who chooses to live in Kansas talking, BTW. How come you don't live on the MO side of the KC metro? I still don't get it.

Why do we keep swapping sports again?

Mizzou's football attendance ranks nationally every year. This year was no exception.

Our basketball attendance usually does as well and for reasons that folks in Columbia remain stumped about, isn't doing well this season.

It must be because we're all terrified by the Charlie Wies hire. I think that makes enough sense to fit into the logic that's been tossed around here this morning.

No, not really. People get tired of watching their team get blown out by 5+ TDs over and over and over. The fact that tens of thousands still showed up to the Memorial Stadium is a testament to the KU fan's resolve.

I'll bet they were pissed when they found out the gym only seated 2,500 people. If they wanted to travel in order to watch their team lose, they should have gone to the Davidson game or the game at Arrowhead.

Saul Good was the one who brought up the records in KC. Kansas has played two games in KC: one was against MU at Arrowhead and the other was against Davidson at the Sprint Center. Last I checked, they don't play football inside the Sprint Center.

Question - who will win the SEC in sport XXXXXX?

Answer - "the Tigers"

a 3 in 14 shot with Auburn, LSU, and Mizzou

Question - who will win the SEC in sport XXXXXX?

Answer - "the Tigers"

a 3 in 14 shot with Auburn, LSU, and Mizzou

That's a pretty dumb argument. I live on the Missouri fan and am a KU fan. Don't really see why that matters.

Or the fact that college kids love getting drunk in the parking lot, stumbling into the stadium then leaving at half-time. Do you think you guys were at 20% capacity by the end of most of those games? Resolve my ass; they went to the parking lot at half, drank more and decided not to go back in. Die-hards indeed.

Give me a break.

When I think of "resolve" I think of the unwaivering support of KU football fans.

It's an excuse, but a real one. Nobody wants to pay to see a shitty product. I wouldn't pay to see a shitty movie, I won't pay to see a shitty football team....and you can tell I'm not alone by looking at Arrowhead on your tv on Sundays.

Sprint Center was sold out for the Davidson game and we did win a couple of games in Maui, champ.

Americans just love football. Hell Missouri State for our shitty 2-9 I-AA team averaged around 12k for our football games.

Do you talk incessant shit on the state of MO? I don't think you were following the conversation too closely. I never stipulated anything of the sort you seem to be implying.

So citing K-States attendance since OBz arrived isn't flipping sports?

(WTF doe they call him OBz for anyway?)

This argument is just asinine. You folks have been trying to make it in about 10 different ways since the start of the football season when it was apparent that there were no legitimate arguments to make.

It was patently ridiculous when you were trying to do it then and it's nearly as stupid now.

Fansmack is just pretty much the last resort of schools that haven't won a conference game in 24 months and just got done losing to Davidson. It's also best left in the hands of useful idiots like Stewie and Wickedson.

But again - you guys forgot all about MU already, right?

You don't think that thousands showing up to a game they know will be a blow out is a sign of unwavering support?

No, I admittedly am not following the conversation closely at all. Just read that post, and thought it sounded weird. Carry on.

OBz= OLD BALLZ

LMAO

You're aware that watching MU roll a cupcake by 45 points is a shitty product, right?

I've been to 3 games, all of them massacres. By the end of the game, you're just sitting around eating stale nachos and waiting for the Antlers to start their scoreboard chant.

Ass-kickings are dull. Hell, close games against lousy opponents are bad too because it usually means your guys spent 40 minutes kicking the ball around.

Expectations from the fanbase going into the season were as low as I can remember since the first year of Anderson's tenure. That drove the early-season attendance woes. Then the early-season patsies had a lot of people not believing in the team when the CBE started and they beat some quality opponents.

Since then, it's just been another run of crappy teams they've played (though the attendance at MSG was actually pretty solid for Mizzou).

Playing crappy teams is a shitty product. I'll be far more concerned with the attendance if folks are still staying away during conference season. Over the last several years, that hasn't been the case. We didn't have the longest home winning streak in the conference for no reason; Mizzou fans are historically very good fans.

We'll see if the trend holds out or if it's something we should be concerned about in a few weeks.

Old Ballz

And yeah, I'm not really discussing sports here, I'm discussing fanbases. MU fanbase = not good.

So MU fans have never started with fansmack? I'm pretty sure you guys have and I'm pretty sure you guys have won a conference game in the last 24 months and had not at the time just got done losing to Davidson.

And we will never really need a last resort, we can hang our hats on that big ass trophy case that's pretty much full. :)

So, it's not ok for KU fans to not want to watch that football game, but it is ok for MU fans to not want to watch any of the basketball games....gotcha.

KU fans prior to 2011: Hey Mizzou fans, your basketball attendance sucks.

MU fans prior to 2011: Basketball is a secondary sport that is mainly a way to bridge the gap between the end of one football season and the beginning of the next.

KU fans prior to 2011: Bullshit. You're just saying that because your team isn't as good as ours. If your team was better, you'd care.

~~~Mizzou goes 11-0 to start the season and is ranked in the top 10 while KU is 7-3 and ranked behind Mizzou~~~

Kansas fans: Your basketball attendance sucks even though your team is better than ours.

MU fans: Basketball is a secondary sport that is mainly a way to bridge the gap between the end of one football season and the beginning of the next.

Anyone with a brain: I guess Mizzou fans meant what they said prior to 2011 and. Kansas fans were wrong. Why do they keep talking shit?

KU fans prior to 2011: Hey Mizzou fans, your basketball attendance sucks.

MU fans prior to 2011: Basketball is a secondary sport that is mainly a way to bridge the gap between the end of one football season and the beginning of the next.

KU fans prior to 2011: Bullshit. You're just saying that because your team isn't as good as ours. If your team was better, you'd care.

~~~Mizzou goes 11-0 to start the season and is ranked in the top 10 while KU is 7-3 and ranked behind Mizzou~~~

Kansas fans: Your basketball attendance sucks even though your team is better than ours.

MU fans: Basketball is a secondary sport that is mainly a way to bridge the gap between the end of one football season and the beginning of the next.

Anyone with a brain: I guess Mizzou fans meant what they said prior to 2011 and. Kansas fans were wrong. Why do they keep talking shit?

You should probably get a better football team then if it's that important to you.

Marcus Denmon, Michael Dixon, and Steve Moore are great examples of what Kansas City means to Mizzou and vice versa.

So now you're comparing non-conference basketball games against Northeast Cupcake Polytech to conference football games against your biggest rival?

I have said repeatedly that most MU fans, myself included, are disappointed in the attendance thus far.

It's not my fault you're unable to grapple with a working definition of the work 'excuse'.

I'm not attempting to excuse the MU attendance, I'm attempting to explain it.

And again - I'm not the one running fansmack here.

FWIW, I think it's great that the Missouri basketball team is doing so well this year, but I still don't like basketball.

Football
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everything else

It's hard to get better when your biggest rivalry game is the worst team in major conference football. I mean, when you circle the Jayhawks on the schedule, its hard to get players to work to get better.

Thanks for your concern. You'll be happy to know that we have taken steps to resolve this problem. What's more is that, a few years from now, no BCS teams will have to worry about playing conference games against KU. That will be the MWC's problem.

Yeah, the last 3 years have been pretty bad over here. I don't think it's anything that can't be fixed. Not having enough TVs, though, that part might be kind of rough. I have no doubt that KU can be as good at football as MU with the right coaching hire. We could never match schools with tradition (like Nebraska, Oklahoma, etc) but we can certainly match MU.

Awwww.....thanks, LSU

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot...91459456_n.jpg

I'm sure UT did that when we were in the Cotton Bowl, right?

Pretty class move from LSU to get their local fanbase excited about the new kids.

Texas did the same thing, but their mascot was facing the other direction and holding up a different finger in the photo.

ROFL

That's pretty cool.

I doubt if they'll be quite so cordial the first time we play them, though. %(/

I hope not.

Opposing fans are only friendly when they kick your ass. If you walk out of there with a W, you're best served to keep your head down, get in your car and get gone.

Well, unless they're Baylor fans. Those guys just seem to be dicks either way. **** Baylor fans, man.

When I was in the deep south recently, it was widely understood that LSU at night is the best atmosphere/ but LSU also has the worst fans. (Pissing on people wearing opposing team's gear and such.)

Southern people are incredibly stupid.

Yeah, I've heard LSU fans can be absolute pricks.

Then again, it's Louisiana. That place pretty much sucks in general.

I think I'll go once just to say I went, but LSU isn't exactly high on my list of desired destinations.

Y'all ain't from around here, are ya?

I'm told its a must experience. Just don't wear Mizzou gear to the game.

LSU fans are awesome. They have more fun than just about anyone.

It's funny how KU says it really doesn't care about MIZZOU leaving...but yet they are going to rename a street.

http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2011/de...venge/?opinion

You just linked to an article that is stating that the names of streets in Lawrence are named after how the states entered the union. That they have nothing to do with football. Good job, lol

I say change it, get rid of anything Missouri! Win

including the chiefs? ok then. I'm with you at the moment, **** the chiefs.

Y U MAD BRO

I'm with you. I don't want Missouri associated in any way with the shitfest that is Jayhawk football.

No shit...Your right, the streets have nothing to do with football....but because KU is so Buthurt that Mizzou is leaving, they are thinking about changing the street name....But your right it has nothing to do with football.

Also, it figures you would be the first to respond!!!!

We aren't going to rename a street. We're going to rename a portion of a street after a recently deceased former KU coach. And it isn't going to be Missouri street that's renamed. So no, we really don't care about Missouri leaving.

Fambrough's record was 37-48-5, so if Charlie boy gets KU football to a record above .500 are they going to name a Culver's or something after him? :D

Wow. You do understand the differnce between the actions of a city and a public comment on a newspaper website don't you?

Did anyone catch Mack Brown's comments at halftime of last night's Texas/Cal abortion? It was something along the lines of "if this was an SEC game, people would be calling it great defense".

What a joke.

Did anyone catch Mack Brown's comments at halftime of last night's Texas/Cal abortion? It was something along the lines of "if this was an SEC game, people would be calling it great defense".

What a joke.

The new members of the SEC are looking good. Mizzou rolled UNC, and aTm is rolling Northwestern.

UNC is terrible.

They had the 14th ranked defense in the country, but they sure didn't look like it when we scored 31 straight points in the first half before putting in all of our seniors later in the game. That was a pretty cool move by Pinkel.

They are terrible Saul. MU rolled them. As they should have.

They aren't terrible. They are pretty average for a BCS team, though. Two games earlier, they went to Virginia Tech and lost by a field goal. 3 of their 5 losses coming into the game were against ranked teams, and Mizzou will finish the season ranked as well.

That said, Mizzou scored 31 points in the first half. UNC only gave up more than 31 in a GAME twice all year.

LOL They were 3-5 in the ACC. Yeah that's not terrible.

The ACC was good enough to get 2 BCS teams.

Terrible is Kansas...UNC was an average team with coaching problems and a good defense. They got rolled in their bowl by a superior Mizzou squad.

No one is saying UNC is a great team or anything, but they finished above .500 and had some close games against ranked opponents.

It was a good win for Mizzou to finish out their play in the Big 12. Brighter days are ahead.

You believe they were deserving of this?

They're no Northwestern.

The ACC is the All Cupcake Conference. They got 2 BCS spots because everyone else in the deserving conferences sucked it up this year. OU, OSU, Nebraska, etc didn't perform. I guarantee any one of them get in before another ACC team besides VT.

You're right Northwestern would beat them.

I dont have anything against A&M (they let us win so many games) but it would have been cool to see Northwestern win that. I like their coach.

Doubtful since the only bowl-eligible team Northwestern can beat is Nuhbraska.

It would have been more impressive had it been powerhouse Mizzou. You guys are great at playing victim too.

Yeah, Northwestern looked like a real power getting rolled up by aTm today.

I think they are terrible. MU rolled them. As they should have. I'm not demeaning the win. MU blew them out. That's exactly what a good (possibly underachieving) MU team should do to a squad like UNC.

I take that back. I don't think MU underachieved. I think they are breaking in the QB that will take them farther than any of their previous very good QB's.

Seat of power: How the SEC came to rule college football

http://www.omaha.com/article/2011123...llege-football

Five years ago today, the Nebraska football team battled Auburn at the Cotton Bowl.
It was a brisk morning. It was an ugly game. NU lost, 17-14.

That's the last time Nebraska tangled with the SEC.

At that moment, five conferences had captured the five previous BCS titles. Foreign was the idea of one league ruling the sport.

Since the AP poll began, a conference had won three consecutive national titles just twice; the Big Ten did it in the early 1940s, the SEC did it from 1978-80.

Why would the future be any different?

But behind the scenes, the SEC was building a powerhouse.

The blueprint: divisional alignment, which enhanced competitiveness and built a unique brand; a TV contract that exposed the league each Saturday to the largest possible audience; a bulging war chest that enabled athletic directors to lure the finest coaches in the country; a recruiting loophole that enabled coaches to widen the margin for error; an emphasis on defense, as everyone else in the spread-offense era prioritized points; a population boom in the South that expanded the pool of recruits and boosters.

One week after the 2007 Cotton Bowl came the watershed moment. The landscape hasn't been the same since.

Ohio State, led by Heisman winner Troy Smith, entered that year's BCS championship game No. 1. The controversy — it's the BCS, there's always controversy — focused on Ohio State's opponent. Should it be Michigan, whom the Buckeyes had beaten in a classic game to end the season? Or Florida, the one-loss SEC champion?

When Ohio State returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown in Glendale, Ariz., it looked like the voters had made a mistake.

But what happened the rest of the night foreshadowed the new world of SEC dominance. Florida outscored the Buckeyes 41-7.

By night's end, Gator fans were chanting "SEC! SEC!" We're still hearing the echoes.

A year later, LSU smoked Ohio State. Then Florida humbled Oklahoma. Alabama was next, dropping Texas. Auburn clipped Oregon. Five years, five national titles.

Next week, it'll be six straight for the SEC.

As Nebraska prepares for its first SEC test in five years, it's hard to believe college football's top conference used to be just like everyone else. Sometimes worse.

During a 10-season span from 1985-94, the SEC produced one team — one! — that finished top-3 in the AP poll. The past five years, it has produced eight; all other conferences combined have seven. And that's before LSU and Alabama finish top-3 this year.

Never in college football history has one league been this good for this long. It's not just postseason rankings and honors.

Look at budgets: Last year, 13 college football programs generated revenue exceeding $50 million. Seven were from the SEC. Ten programs had expenses exceeding $20 million. Six were from the SEC.

Look at coaching salaries: In 2006, five of the 20 highest-paid coaches in the country were SEC coaches. In 2011, the SEC has 10 of the top 20 — and seven of the top 11. Eight college football assistants made $700,000 or more this season. Seven coached in the SEC.

Look at crowds, both in the living rooms and the stadiums: The three highest-rated college football games of 2011 were SEC games: LSU-Alabama, LSU-Arkansas and LSU-Georgia. And six of the top 11 attendance leaders in the country are SEC schools.

Look at talent: Per capita, all nine SEC states are among the top 20 nationally in Division I-A football recruits. Four (Louisiana, Florida, Alabama and Georgia) are top-5. Those kids generally stay home. Each of the last five years, the SEC has led all conferences in NFL Draft picks.

It's easy to identify why the SEC is better. What's more complicated is pinpointing what changed in the last decade. What prompted the surge?

Even the most sophisticated SEC observers aren't exactly sure. It's like looking at a strand of Christmas lights and trying to find the beginning.

But the SEC's rise to powerhouse is no fluke. And the reasons behind it — the power sources — suggest that the gap between the SEC and its competitors may actually grow over the next five years.

That's bad news for Nebraska and the Big Ten.

POWER SOURCE NO. 1: A GRAND FINALE

Every spring, SEC coaches gather in Destin, Fla., for the conference's spring meetings. In 1992, Gerry DiNardo was the head coach at Vanderbilt.

He remembers sitting in a room full of Southern icons: Johnny Majors, Pat Dye, Gene Stallings.

He watched them grill SEC Commissioner Roy Kramer about his crazy idea to expand the league, jump from seven conference games to eight, split into divisions and — here's the kicker — hold a conference championship game.

"I remember them saying, we'll never win another national championship because we're just going to beat the hell out of each other," said DiNardo, now a Big Ten Network analyst.

Of course, Alabama went unbeaten that fall and won the national title. The SEC's reign didn't begin for another decade, but DiNardo points to Kramer's decision as the spark.

The SEC title game generated additional revenue. It gave the SEC a unique platform at the end of the season. And, most important, the divisional structure made schools more competitive, DiNardo said.

No longer were you trying to beat nine teams (South Carolina and Arkansas didn't join the league until '92). To win the division, you only needed to beat five. That intensified the pressure "10-fold," DiNardo said. So did the close proximity of the division rivals.

"Once it became two six-team divisions, the traditional powers took an attitude like, 'You mean we can't be the best of six?'" DiNardo said.

Now Alabama wins a national title and Gene Chizik's seat gets a little warmer — he works a little harder. Then Auburn wins one, shifting pressure back to Nick Saban. All the while, LSU fans are griping at Les Miles — until he goes 13-0.

POWER SOURCE NO. 2: A NATIONAL STAGE

Sure, the money is good — the latest contract is $55 million per year. But that's not why people tout CBS as critical to the SEC's dominance.

While other conferences partnered with ABC/ESPN, which often show different games in different regions, the SEC struck a deal with CBS. Starting in 2001, it became the only conference with a national "game of the week" on one of the big three networks.

That ensured not only a huge audience for its top match-up, but also a network de
voted to promoting the SEC.

Don't underestimate CBS' national distribution as a recruiting tool, said Clay Travis, a Nashville-based SEC blogger and author. Not long ago, most SEC teams only recruited the South. Not anymore. Matthew Stafford came from Texas. Knowshon Moreno is from New Jersey. Felix Jones and Robert Meachem are from Oklahoma. Mark Ingram came from Michigan. Jerod Mayo and Percy Harvin came from Virginia.

"The SEC," said Tony Barnhart, SEC columnist and CBS analyst, "went from a very strong regional brand to a national brand."

POWER SOURCE NO. 3: 'THE ACQUISITION OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY'

That's Spencer Tillman's term for coaching improvement. According to the CBS analyst and former Oklahoma running back, it's the No. 1 reason for the SEC's dominant run.

Twenty years ago, SEC schools rarely ventured out of the South to find their coaches. Most new hires were alumni or former assistants. But this is the mercenary era of coaches, especially in the SEC.

Saban had no experience with Alabama before taking over in Tuscaloosa. Same with Urban Meyer and Florida and Miles and LSU.

The best minds in college football are flocking to the SEC because of prestige and money.
"The money that flooded into the conference with the new television deal went almost straight into coaches' pockets," Travis said.

In 2006, Tommy Tuberville was the highest-paid coach in the SEC at $2.2 million. Five years later, 10 SEC coaches earned more, led by Saban at $4.8 million.

But it's not just TV money, said Auburn Athletic Director Jay Jacobs. It's season-ticket and seat-licensing revenue. Attendance at SEC schools exceeded 76,000 per game in 2010, best in the country for the 13th straight year.

When the business of college football got more lucrative, said former Auburn coach Terry Bowden, programs began an arms race to build the biggest facilities and hire the best coaches. It exposed a competitive gulf.

Some programs couldn't raise the money to win big. But people in the South, Bowden said, were willing to do whatever it took. They ponied up.

Even the assistant coaches are getting rich. Last year, Gus Malzahn made $1.3 million as offensive coordinator at Auburn. That was greater than 11 BCS head coaches, including Rick Neuheisel, Kevin Wilson, Pat Fitzgerald, Paul Rhoads and Joe Paterno.

The reward is high. Judging by the long line of fired SEC coaches, so is the risk.

Travis attended a game at Alabama in 2006, the final year of the dreadful Mike Shula era. That day, an old fan looked at him and said, "This team is too big to be bad for this long."
To Travis, it underscored a critical point for the SEC.

"It's such a big business. You can't afford to be bad because it ultimately hits you in the coffers. You have to be good."

POWER SOURCE NO. 4: BROKEN PROMISES

FBS football programs are limited to 85 scholarship players and 25 initial scholarships per season. That hasn't stopped SEC schools from "over-signing."

Houston Nutt once signed 37 players to a recruiting class. Saban once signed 32.
How do SEC coaches get below the scholarship limits? Some players transfer or quit. Some fail academically or take medical hardships.

But the student-athlete doesn't always make the decision. Sometimes a coach flat-out yanks a scholarship from an underperforming player or recruit, essentially kicking him out of school. It's like promising Christmas presents to four kids, then buying three.

Over-signing enables SEC coaches to minimize the damage of poor talent evaluation. It's representative of the SEC culture, Terry Bowden said.

"If the rules allow you to over-sign, the SEC is going to take it to the extreme to make sure nobody has an advantage over them," Bowden said.

Last summer, the SEC announced new legislation that restricts over-signing. From a public relations standpoint, it's a smart move. But from a competitive standpoint, DiNardo said, it's a mistake.

"That will hurt them."

POWER SOURCE NO. 5: STICKING TO DEFENSE

Passing numbers skyrocketed the past 10 years as spread offenses swept through college football. But there's one league where the spread offense doesn't fly.

"We throw the ball way more than we ever did in college football," said Fox analyst Charles Davis, who played at Tennessee. "No one rushes the passer better than the SEC. No one. You take a good look at those high-waisted, high-cut, sprinter-looking defensive ends around 250-255. You ain't blocking those guys."

Last year, Sports Illustrated examined where elite defensive linemen come from. The nine SEC states make up less than 20 percent of U.S. population. Yet of 309 defensive linemen on NFL rosters, 39 percent hailed from SEC country. They're elite not only in quantity, but quality: Nick Fairley, Marcel Dareus, Glenn Dorsey, Carlos Dunlap, Jarvis Moss.

The bowl format — where the national title game comes after a month off — aids SEC defenses as they prepare for high-octane offenses. Ohio State managed 82 total yards against Florida. Oklahoma (2008) and Oregon ('10) also struggled.

"Time after time," Travis said, "we've been told, 'Oh, this offense is outstanding.' And time after time, when they get the chance to go against these SEC defenses, they don't perform."

POWER SOURCE NO. 6: A GREAT MIGRATION

One factor in the SEC's rise has nothing to do with football.

In 1980, the nine states that comprise the Big Ten footprint (including Nebraska) had a cumulative population of 62.1 million. The SEC's nine states totaled 39.5 million.

Since then, Southern cities, especially in Florida and Georgia, have flourished. Northern cities, especially in Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania, have stagnated.

The past 30 years, Big Ten states have grown by 12 percent. SEC states have grown by 49 percent. The Big Ten's population advantage of 23 million is now only 10 million.

THE FUTURE

Last summer, one of the nation's best quarterback recruits, Gunner Kiel, committed to his home-state school, underdog Indiana. It raised quite a stir in recruiting circles. But somewhere along the line, Kiel decided IU wasn't a big enough stage. He re-opened his recruitment.

And late last week, he chose LSU instead.

In one report, Kiel cited the SEC appeal: "A lot of people call it the NFL of college football."

Eventually, Travis speculates, the SEC will grab a school from Virginia and another from North Carolina. It will align with ESPN (in addition to its Saturday CBS coverage) and form a conference network that breaks the bank.

"The scary thing for the rest of the country is the SEC is going to continue to distance themselves," Travis said.

And as the SEC wins more national titles, its reputation grows. And reputation is half the battle in college football, where national titles are just as often decided by politicking as scoring touchdowns.

In 2004, Auburn missed a shot at a BCS title because voters deemed the unbeaten Tigers inferior to USC and Oklahoma.

Seven years later, perception has changed. As as a result, Alabama got the benefit of the doubt over Oklahoma State.

By winning six straight championships, the path to a seventh gets easier.

The SEC will likely start next season with four or five teams in the top-10.
Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Arkansas should match up with anybody in the country.

Except maybe one team, which returns its best offensive playmakers and — more important — most of its vaunted defense.

You thought LSU was good last year? Wait 'til you see 'em in 2012.

Contact the writer:

402-649-1461, dirk.chatelain@owh.com, twitter.com/dirkchatelain

Sources: Athletic budget data compiled from the U.S. Department of Education; Coaching salary data compiled by USA Today; TV ratings released by CBS Sports; Attendance compiled by the NCAA; Recruiting data compiled by the Tulsa World; NFL Draft data compiled by the NFL; State populations gathered from U.S. census data.
* * *

ADDITIONAL POWER SOURCES:

The BCS: Yes, it's maddening, but in the old bowl system, Florida never would've gotten a chance to play Ohio State after the 2006 season. LSU would not have played the Buckeyes the next year. Ohio State would have probably beaten Pac-10 teams in the Rose Bowl and — since it entered the bowls ranked No. 1 —- won two national championships. The BCS has opened the door for the SEC. And a plus-one system would likely open it farther, giving two SEC teams a shot at a title more often.

The fall of Miami and Florida State: The two best Southern programs of the 1980s and '90s fell on hard times in the early 2000s. For the SEC, that not only opened the door to more national championships, it opened up Florida for recruiting. “A lot of those kids in south Florida that would automatically go to Miami, they're going to Florida or Auburn or Alabama,” Tony Barnhart said.

High school spring football: Prospects in Louisiana and Mississippi are practicing in March and April. The extra work especially helps bigger kids, Gerry DiNardo said. “The offensive linemen, they're not going home at 2:30. They're going to spring practice. In Ohio, the big kids are going home.”

Educational improvements in the South: The talent pool has grown because of population, but also education. Low-income students, especially minority students, are better equipped to qualify and handle the academic load at SEC schools, said Doug Dickey, former head coach at Tennessee and Florida. “We're in the third or fourth generation of integrated schools in the South. We have had during that time from the '60s to now tremendous growth in the Southeastern United States ... and the educational system has grown with that. So you have far more players today in 2011-12 than were qualified to play in the '60s, '70s and even '80s.”

Lots of B1G versus SEC today.

Nebraska versus South Carolina
Michigan State versus Georgia
Ohio State versus Florida

Lots of B1G versus SEC today.

Nebraska versus South Carolina
Michigan State versus Georgia
Ohio State versus Florida

SEC is taking the big 10 behind the woodshed.

Anyone know where to find a conference scorecard?