The SEC is the best conference all right.  Why, I remember when they had three teams in the top five late in the season! Oh, wait, that was the Big 12. Never mind.

Definitely right.  SEC will definitely be strong again next year looking at what UGA, UF, LSU and a few others are bringing back.  This was suppose to be a rebuilding year for GA.  IF it was I can't wait till next season.  Unfortunately I don't think Tim Tebow will make it through another season like he had this year.  He may be tough but it will catch up to him.  Sad to say football is almost over this year.  Go Dawgs

Why does everyone continue to praise the SEC when they don't even come close to playing everyone in there conference.  The Pac 10 plays everone in there conference every year.  The Big 10 plays 8 of the possible 10 other teams in the conference every year.  How many does the SEC play? 8 out of a possible 11.  Then everyone is quick to point out that the Pac 10 and Big 10 don't play a Championship Game.  Well, if you are oll so smart, then you would know that according to NCAA rules you MUST HAVE 12 OR MORE teams in your conference in order to scheduel a Championship game.  Get your facts straight before you complain about another conference.  By the way, the Big 10 had 10 out of the 11 teams become bowl eligable this year.  Of those 10, 8 are in bowl games.

LSU got into the game because the pollsters wanted them there. Lou Holtz said it very clearly "everyone wants to see LSU and Ohio State". The power conferences are Pac-10, Big-12 and SEC. I really would not like to choose a winner of those three. It's hard to go undefeated in either one. Wait, LSU had two losses. Must be nice to back into the game.  

THANK YOU!!!!!!! I'm glad someone finally stood up and said it like it was meant to be said. SEC....still number 1!!!!!!!!

yes, the Almighty SEC is near great.  Well, pretty good anyway.  Lets see, the anemic Pac 10 that Charlie went 2-1 in, I wonder how they fared against the mighty SEC? UH, 0-1 I think. (Cal vs. Tenn.)  That would be CALIFORNIA, who didn't even come close in their conference, beat the big bad Tennessee, #2 in their conference.  Once in a life time you say?  UH, well, no not exactly.  Ask Auburn, who went o-2 against UCLA home and home.  And gee, weren't they rated pre-season #1 one of those years?  No over-rating here huh?  Ask Alabama who went 0-2 against USC home and home.  Hmm, Now what was it you were saying about the big bad omnipotent SEC?  Gimme a break.  How do you spell OVER-RATED?

I like how the Louisiana Monroe beatdown of Alabama is conveniently forgotten. That same Alabama team that beat LSU everywhere except the scoreboard. The SEC is more overrated than Lindsey Lohan -

You mean LSU had to "slug it out" with that Tennesee team that got squashed by Cal?  Cal finished 7th in the Pac-10.  You're a genius.  

John, you can't count.

Big Ten was 2-1 against SEC last year and is batting over .600 in head-to-head against SEC this century.

If SEC was better, then they wouldn't have a losing record against the Big Ten.  Right?

Not interest in the opinions of a low-IQ blogger, give me some facts to back up these ridiculous statements.

There have been lots of discussion and opinions about the best conference, but little about the definition of "best." Is it the quality top to bottom or the success of the top few? No consistency. Certainly, the SEC has, by far, the most depth. There is not one "walkover" team in the league. Vandy? Losses to GA and TN in the last seconds. Miss? 3-1 non-conference, but 0-8 in the toughest league in America. But the "top few" argument is a little more difficult. The PAC10 has USC and AZ St. Had Oregon. The Big 12 is stronger with OK, KS, TX and MO. Big10? OSU. Only. You'll see. The ACC posts some depth with BC and VA Tech, but it thins out pretty quickly from there. Big East? Is that a conference? Well, yes, but only WVA ia a team. Sorry BC. You'll see. The rest? don't even try. So my vote is for the SEC -- LSU, GA, FL, TN, ARK, AUB, AL, KY, SC, MS St ... did I forget anyone? Oh yeah, MS, Vandy. It's no contest.

What a homer! So LSU lost 2 games but they were close loses in overtime - how many did they win that they shouldn't have in regulation time? The only 'quality' wins they had were against VaTech (a questionable team at best) and (maybe) Florida. The SEC isn't that good - just a balanced average. Pac10 is head and shoulders above the SEC.

The SEC is good but the Big XII was/is better this year and OU is the best team in the nation.  The Big XII has three teams in the Top 10 and has had for a while.  The SEC only has two.  

OU is better than LSU.  LSU's two losses came to KY who only had 3 conference wins and to hapless Arkansas IN BATON ROUGE!  

OU gassed a 24 point lead at CO (4-4 in conf) and lost in Lubbock to Texas Tech (4-4) after OU's QB, Bradford, left with an injury in the first quarter of the game.  Bradford, is the highest ranked QB in the nation.

Clearly, OU's losses aren't as bad as LSU's.  And anybody who believes Les Miles is a better coach than Bob Stoops isn't informed.

So true, it is no surprise that the SEC is the tougest conference.  The south produces the most NFL talent.

Call me if an SEC team ever plays a quality opponent away from home in adverse weather conditions.  Real football is occassionaly played in snow & ice & cold.

You are an idiot. An LSU victory over OSU a mere formality??? I've read your articles before and am not sure if you just lack knowledge about college football (my guess), or if you just like to create ripples with your ridiculous statements. LSU is playing a team that will put 13-15 of their starters in the NFL in the next three years - not a high school team. Remember your words come Jan. 8th. I'm betting you will be eating them.  

Ever since Peyton Manning didn't win the Heisman it's been a pointless award in my book. And the SEC is  the toughest conference. The Big 10 gave us their best team last year and so did the SEC for the title game. Remember what happened? It was a field day for Florida. Much as it will be this time around for LSU.

I am a college football fan.  I love the game.  This year was great because of all the intrigue week after week.  Do I think LSU will beat OSU?  Yes, because OSU does NOT have the same quality of athletes as LSU.  OSU has a good COLLEGE football team and many of there players MAY play on Sundays, but last year's team had many of those same players and got whipped by Florida.  Not just beat, but whipped.  And most people did not believe that Florida should even have been playing in that game.  As for Oklahoma, they lost last year to Boise State.  BSU had a really good football team, just like Hawaii this year.  I believe that Hawaii will give Georgia a run for their money in New Orleans during the Sugar Bowl.  That's why I think college football is so much fun to watch.

Hahaha oklahoma is the best team in the nation? what happened against colorado? LSU lost to kentucky and Arkansas, both they should have won but nonetheless, neither of these teams are freakin colorado, gimme a break. also when your conference isnt deep like the SEC it gives your stars time to rest or get healthy, in the Sec, like LSU's situation (Dorsey and Flinn were both sitting on the bench and still won the SeC), its harder to win every single game in the conference because anyone can win on any saturday. USC gets games against UCLA who lost to Notre Dame. i mean c'mon folks. i like the way he thinks.... also who in the hell does OSU play that makes them so dam good?

All you guys saying the SEC is overrated, please get over it already! The SEC is the best from TOP TO BOTTOM. I agree with the fellow who said the top three powerhouse teams are from the PAC-10(USC,Arizona St and Oregan,with Dixon)but when you look at the conference as a whole, no other conference comes close to the SEC. Vandy can beat any top 25 team on any given Saturday and they are a third tier team in the SEC. BUT, as much as I love my SEC, I'm going with Ohio State in the title game. LSU has been overranked all season. Auburn was beat on the last play of the game by LSU and Florida rolled over for them in the 4th quarter. Tennessee should have beat LSU if not for 2 costly INT's. I wish USC and Georgia would have happened, then the debate could be settled, for this year at least :)

The NFL is the ultimate judge of talent, and USC has the most players in the NFL, and Ohio State is second.  Ohio State's loss last year in the national championship game was a fluke, just like USC losing to Stanford this year or Alabama losing to Louisiana-Monroe.  Remember, Florida has 3 losses this year!!

SEC = Stupid Rednecks

Enough said

I don't think we should just give this win to LSU over tOSU, but I think they probably will win. And if you poll the people in the know, most will say the SEC is the best conference. It's really a pointless agruement, but it sure is fun!!

Pour it on Big Ten basher. The more you pump up LSU and poor mouth the Buckeyes the better. Both schools have good athletes. I want LSU's to take the field assuming it will be a cake walk. I'm sure the OSU players won't be making that mistake again.

Would MSNBC.com please consider either hiring a full-time, qualified blogger for this column?  Or at least let Mr. Tamanaha go back to blogging on gossip in the Entertainment section.

Where's one fact to support your claims?  Inevitable?  Tell that to any team ranked #2 this year, regardless of who they played.  Tell that to Michigan playing Appy State.

It's a good conference, but their having a contender in the title game is more an artifact of the parity in college football this fall than superiority.  One win by either Missouri or WV and LSU is out of contention.

Either start providing some facts to your blog, or go back to covering Lindsay Lohan.

The facts concerning LSU are this:  Yes, they lost two games, both in triple OT - unlike USC's losses to Stanford and I think Cal.  The teams LSU lost to ended up 8-4 (Ark.) and 7-5 (KY) with each team led by strong Heisman candidates (McFadden and Woodson).  The hallowed Hokies got drilled by LSU 48-7 at a time when V-Tech was ranked #1 in the BCS computer.  LSU had a 4-0 record against 2007 opponents ranked in the most recent BCS standings including defending champions Florida (led by some guy named Tim Tebow...).  5 of the 6 SEC West teams are bowl bound (10 of the 12 SEC teams were bowl eligible with 9 headed for bowls).  There is a strong chance that the SEC will finish with the #1 and #2 teams at the end.  The Big 12 has a lot of talent but you would need the whole PAC-10 to make three SEC-quality teams.  I sense a lot of sour grapes out there.  That LSU won the SEC championship game with a backup QB and no Glenn Dorsey is testament to their power not to any perceived weakness in the SEC (team depth is where the SEC really rules).  WARNING:  Laugh now at 'Bama if you want (losing to ULM) but if you recall, LSU wasn't too intimidating when Nick Saban took over but they won a title four years later.  Auburn go 12-0 a few years ago yet the title game had a pitiable OK vs the highly overrated USC (and didn't USC claim a championship based on a newspaper clipping in 2003 when LSU used a trophy to justify their title?  Yes, they did.)  The one true fact is that the BCS is just BS.  

I live in Louisiana, and after watching OSU getting whipped by florida 41-14...  and LSU only losing to UF by 10 points or less that year...  hmm.. go figure.   LSU got lucky a lot of times this year, but,  they also ground it out when the time came for them to put up or shutup.  Against UF in BR, when it was fourth and three, fourth and two , or fourth and four, they mde the plays.  Against Bama, Auburn, and Tennessee, they made the plays at the last crucial seconds.  And, if they can win their conference without their starting fifth year senior qb and the All American, multi award winning defensive tackle, that is why LSU is in the title game.  And yes, hands down, the sec is the best conference.  not only because of the athletes, but the crowds, atmosphere, and places.  Football is life down here.  One last point,  for many years the SEC has been snubbed by the pollsters and talking heads because it was an inconsistent conference.  Auburn went 12-0 in 2004-beating the defending champs-LSU- and still did not get a championship invite.  It is time that THE SEC got what it deserved.  And besides, of all the teams in the conference, 9 got invites, but 10 were eligible.  USC(south Carolina)  was 6-6 and that is eligible, just no invite.  

I think the SEC is a great conference ... easily better than the Big 10.  But much of the impression that it is dominant is based on pure hype and not rooted in fact.

Even though it has fewer members, the Big East is right in the mix with the best.  Although BE and SEC teams don't line up against each other all that often, the Big East has held its own very well when it has happened.  Example:

West Virginia had played an SEC team 7 times during the past 25 years.  The results of those meetings-
Florida = 1-1
Georgia = 1-0
Kentucky = 1-0
Mississippi = 1-0
Mississippi State = 2-0

West Virginia has a 6-1 record vs. SEC teams in the past 25 years.

Man, I hate comments like "One win by either Missouri or WV and LSU is out of contention."  Wake up, neither of them got that "One" win.  They lost.  Don't blame LSU because your team couldn't pull it out.

I agree the SEC is the deepest and best conference this year. But if they are so much better than the Big Ten why does the Big Ten have a winning record against the SEC in the BCS era ??

Really, if they are superior they should have a better record head to head on the field. They don't. And last year the Big Ten beat them head to head in the bowl games.

Don't let facts get in the way when making judgements.

the irony of college football versus college basketball is hilarious...in college basketball, when a conference such as the SEC claims to be deep, everyone underrates them and says you need power teams to be a great conference, while in football they say that depth is where a conferences strength is measured, and therefore they overrate the SEC....if football would come out of the dark ages and have a playoff then you could measure a conference the correct way--performance when it matters....until there is a playoff, college football is nothing more than an exhibition......

The NCAA does a great job of seeding the basketball tourament, football needs a tourament with a true national champ. We have seeded 2 teams, why not 4,8 or 16.

Has anybody really sufficiently explained WHY SEC athletes are considered that much "better" than everyone else?  Certain people would make it sound as if every athlete in the SEC is 6" taller, 45 lbs. heavier, a half-second faster and a bench-press stronger than any other athlete in every conference in the country.

"Best" is a BS word. TOUGHEST Conference is a statistical reality based on Strength of Schedule. According to the accepted standard at the NCAA and USA Today (Sagarin) the toughest conf is SEC @ Nr 1 & Big 10 @ Nr 6.
That about covers it. LSU, like Florida last year, just plays a much tougher schedule and it will show (again) in January. The numbers don't lie. OSU will have to play a PERFECT game to leave the stadium with any dignity left, never mind a W.

Florida is going to come back and win it all next year and just to make you angry I'll even venture to say that they might be able to go and win it again making it Back To Back and 3 times in 4 years. Urban has matured, our Florida bunch of heros has matured. Tim and Percy will have lots of fun and if, I say if Tim gets hurt, what do we have as back ups (plural) yes the best well kept secret is John Brantley . . . Got Game? Any Questions . . . Florida and the SEC will Rule the College Ranks . . . BUT WE STILL NEED A PLAY-OFF, Win your conference and go to the play-offs DO Or Die, Win and advance lose and go home everyone else does

Terry from Mississippi, you're completely wrong.  I'm an Auburn fan and as far as I can remember, Auburn has not played UCLA recently, neither has Alabama.  Alabama has not had a home and home with USC in my years.  However, Auburn did have a home and home with USC and lost both times.  BUT, Auburn was never favored in any of those games.  If you remember it was 2002 Auburn played at USC and it was one of the best games I had seen.  USC's Heisman trophy winning Carson Palmer ended up winning the game in teh 4th quarter.  I believe Auburn was ranked 15th at the time this game was played.  In 2003, Auburn was pre-season number 8 (I think), USC was #3 (I think), USC did beat Auburn, but Auburn also lost 5 games that year.

This story is not saying the SEC is the best year in and year out.  It's not.  But, I believe this year it's right up there with the Big 12 overall.  When you look at who beat who and how nobody made it out unscathed, the strength of the conference is strong.  Week in and week out this year, anyone in the SEC could lose to anyone in the SEC.

GDS from Omaha, get your facts straight.  Just like the NCAA doesn't allow championship games from conferences with less than 12 teams, they also restrict inter-conference play to championship conferences to 8 games.  Everyone in the same division of the conference must play each other and then play 3 teams from the other division, plus a championship game.  That's why all the 12 conference teams have 8 in conference games and 4 out of conference games, with the possibility of a 13th game in the championship game.

Let's be honest, it's tougher to play a championship game than 8 teams from a 10 or 11 team conference.  You're guaranteed to play somebody highly ranked and probably just as tough as you are.  Even better, you will not see national champions or someone competing in a national title game who share their conference title (i.e. OSU)...The fact remains, that 13th game is a deal maker or breaker.  All BCS conferences should be forced to get 12 teams and all should play for a conference title.  In my opinion their cannot be an outright national champion who is not an outright conference champion.

The SEC leads the Big Ten with a 63-45-2 all-time record.

The SEC has a .582 winning percentage versus the Big Ten.

Enough said

Oh, and to the poster that said big ten has the most nfl players, sorry, he's wrong. SEC does. Since 1998 60 versus 53.

We all have our favorites and biases.  This has been a wonderful, chaotic season, full of surprises and loads of great games.  Let's all be thankful that the season was so entertaining!

Just be thankful there are teams to bad mouth in the BCS bowl games. If anyone with an IQ above "IDIOT" picked the teams there would have been only deserving teams playing - then who would you have to bad mouth !?!

Ease up guys. I'm an SEC fan and believe they probably have the strongest overall conference, but there is plenty of competition at the top. My Gators caught some key breaks in the BCS game last year. LSU will face a fine OSU team again this year. To the winner goes the spoils. Geaux Tigers!  

SEC IS HANDS DOWN THE BEST FOOTBALL CONFERENCE IN AMERICA.  LETS SEE LSU WINS NATIONAL TITLE, GEORGIA BEATS HAWAII.  I THINK THAT IS NUMBER 1 AND NUMBER 2 IN THE FINAL POLLS.  WITH FLORDIA WINNING THAT PUTS THREE TEAMS IN TOP 10 OH MY GOD WHAT.  PAC 10 IS THE MOST OVERRATED CONFERENCE IN THE LAND.

BEST CONFERENCE IN ORDER: SEC,BIG 12,BIG 10, BIG EAST, PAC 10.
THE ONLY TRUE WAY TO SETTLE THIS IS BY EVERY PAC 10 TEAM SCHEDULE 4 SEC TEAMS IN A SEASON FOR THE NEXT 4 YEARS (2 HOME-2 AWAY). I CAN BET YOU THAT YOU WILL HAVE AT LEAST 2 LOSSES EVERY YEAR AND THE 9 OTHER PAC 10 TEAMS WILL HAVE 4.  THERE IS NO WAY PAC 10 TEAMS CAN COMPETE EVERY WEEK IN THE SEC NO WAY.  THEN AFTER THAT WE CAN TAKE ON THE BIG 12 OR BIG 10 WHICH EVER DOESN'T MATTER THE SAME WILL HAPPEN.  CHALLENGE OUT THERE TO ALL PAC 10 TEAMS SCHEDULE THEM WE WILL COME AND AFTER THE YEAR IS OVER GO AHEAD AND GIVE THE PAC 10 CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP TROPHY TO THE SEC BECAUSE WE WILL HAVE WON IT!

As someone out west annoyed by SEC arrogance, it is frustrating to admit that there is really no argument which suggests the SEC is not the toughest conference in college football, except maybe one that is speculative (they only beat each other--how do we know how they do against everyone else? LSU over VA Tech, Florida over OSU provide exceptions). It would be nice to see more SEC teams against teams from BCS conferences, but then again if your conference schedule was as grueling as it is in the SEC, scheduling small, beatable schools outside of that is not insane. All the more reason for a playoff, realizing that is just a dream.

Better athletes in the SEC is a myth, they all recruit the same places in the Big 12, Conf USA, the WAC and SEC down here- some do better than others and get a few more numbers which means more of your picks should work out.  But trust me, no one team or conference can clean this cupboard out.  There are plenty of star players to go around, some who can't qualify at certain places or some that have legal issues and take another route, some get no publicity because of where they play.  Same high schools and same JUCOs get looked at every year.  Development is the key. Systems are very much a part of the "talent" issues that everyone seems to forget.  Florida (& maybe South Car)is really the only team in the SEC that runs a wide open offense, and it even downshifts to the pro-set more often than not in close games.  The lack of explosive play calling makes many of those defenses look better than they are in any conference.  The Big 12 and Pac 10 run more variations of the spread and run and gun offenses than the SEC or Big 10.  That is the new "thing" even in the NFL nowadays so you will see a shift with college teams going more towards a spread variation or get clobbered standing pat.  The defenses will suffer in any conference no matter the talent level.  Nature of the beast is to figure ways around that stuff, then the defenses come up with their plans to stop it and the see-saw teeters continuously. Defensively LSU was pretty weak for a team so highly touted pre-season.  Lots of yards and points given up for a national championship contender.  And Perilloux is not a backup, he's a much better QB than Flynn, just not as smart and will need more time to understand the pro-set they run since he ran a spread in high school so he actually helped LSU in that game, not hurt them.  

Many other teams in all conferences underachieved as well, but top to bottom if you just want to go on matchups alone, you've contradicted the talent argument.  Not always the most talented team will win.  The great teams find a way to win those games they shouldn't anyway so excuses from the LSU homers are not valid with 2 losses, just chalk it up to what it is, a manufactured game by the media buzz and a little luck.  You need both to win it all in a season like this.  Nobody but Hawaii was able to completely get over every hurdle, not saying they deserve to be in the Champ game either, but that just goes to show the way the league has been this season.  No clear cut better conference or team anywhere...period.  Records show that.  Saying Fla is that much better than OSU last season is wrong too, play that game 2 weeks after OSU finishes their season and it is a different ball game.  Troy is 20 lbs lighter and his huge head from all the awards and banquets is two sizes smaller and they have the right motivation and mind set to play better.  The rust they showed is not there either.  Florida played very well and took that game no question, but they are not that much more talented than OSU that year and only a homer would say that they were.  I hate them both so no bias here, but do respect their play and talent and will concede they are both good teams.  Florida was just in a better situation having played more recently, being underdogs given no chance and had everything to prove and nothing to lose.  Dangerous combination for any team to overcome, OSU had been off a month and was told how much better than the rest of the county they were and bought it.  The media has way more to do with the motivation factor for an underdog or the perception of a talent disparity from conference to conference than we give them credit for.  Remember how they told us OSU would drum Fla or how they said USC was one of the best teams ever in 2005?  (Lost to TX)  Everything runs in cycles.

It's amazing that the SEC fans don't want to talk about the CLOBBERING that CAL gave TN.  The 2nd best team in the SEC.  The final score wasn't indicative of how the VOls got dominated by a Bears team that ended up not even contending for the PAC-10 title.

So Bruce, you do not think that the ACC is even a conference? Just to add fuel to the fire, of the top 10 teams, I believe Virginia Tech had the most victories against teams with winning records. And they had a pretty easy time with BC and Heisman contender Matt Ryan. Basically, if you hand pick stats, you can pretty much name any conference as the best. Heck, you can make an argument for WAC, as that conference has the only team that no one has beaten on the field. There is not another team that can make that statement.
IMHO, UGA and VT were playing the best football at the end of the season. So let the bowl season begin!

Let's face it the SEC academic standards are not very high. If your a good athlete you get in, yea they may meet the NCAA's minimum standards but that is not very difficult. Compare those standards to  Pac 10 schools which are more stringent.  But then their not there to get an education.

SEC is good and among the best but not the best conference if you consider the performance of teams against other BCS schools and players with NFL potential per school. SEC schools just play too many home games against other conferences.

I have observed just too many journalists and East coast-based media just too obssessed like SEC fans in hyping the SEC.

Here would have been the dream matchup, in my opinion.
What if Jayhawks had beaten Mizzou to win their divisional title and then had beaten OU (I realize that's a big IF).  Then you have undefeated and Big 12 Champ Kansas in the title game against LSU.  That
makes it fun for all of us fans to speculate on what
might have been.  I do think Mangino deserves Coach of the Year for the job he's done at KU...also to be
considered - Sylvester Croom if Mississippi State.
The 'Dogs have a winning record and are in a bowl game
this year.  Go 'Dogs.

In sum:

"Let's face it the SEC academic standards are not very high. If your (sic--you're) a good athlete you get in,(sic--period, not comma) yea they may meet the NCAA's minimum standards (sic--comma) but that is not very difficult. Compare those standards to  Pac 10 schools which are more stringent.  But then their (sic--they're) not there to get an education.
Richard RODRIGO ,Los a (sic--"A") ngeles, CA"
~~Well, Richard RODRIGO, Mr. Lecture-Us-Illiterates-on-Education, which SEC school did YOU attend in "Los angeles"?~~


"You are an idiot. An LSU victory over OSU a mere formality??? I've read your articles before and am not sure if you just lack knowledge about college football (my guess), or if you just like to create ripples with your ridiculous statements. LSU is playing a team that will put 13-15 of their starters in the NFL in the next three years - not a high school team. Remember your words come Jan. 8th. I'm betting you will be eating them.  
Steve Denman, Atlanta, GA"
~~Lost your bet there, Steve.  Who is eating his words and who is the idiot? Who lacks knowledge about college football and who makes ridiculous statements???  All this talent out of tOSU (and always #1 recruiting classes at USC) makes one wonder why they usually under perform.  At USC it is clearly inferior coaching and competition.  Some of that has to apply to tOSU as well.  The fans who came to New Orleans were top notch, classy fans who deserve a better performing team~~  

"Pour it on Big Ten basher. The more you pump up LSU and poor mouth the Buckeyes the better. Both schools have good athletes. I want LSU's to take the field assuming it will be a cake walk. I'm sure the OSU players won't be making that mistake again.
Jim, Rochester, NY"
~~The Buckeyes may not have made that mistake again, but they sure made a fistful of others!  Perhaps their most egregious mistake was leaving the cushy competition in the Big 10 to play the SEC~~

"Would MSNBC.com please consider either hiring a full-time, qualified blogger for this column?  Or at least let Mr. Tamanaha go back to blogging on gossip in the Entertainment section..."
~~Seems like the gossip was accurate~~
"Where's one fact to support your claims?  Inevitable?"
~~One fact:  35-24~~
"Tell that to any team ranked #2 this year, regardless of who they played.  Tell that to Michigan playing Appy State."
~~For your information, LSU was ranked #2 and tOSU was ranked#1 in this game~~
"It's a good conference, but their having a contender in the title game is more an artifact of the parity in college football this fall than superiority..."
~~Maybe having 5 SEC teams ranked among the Top 15 in the final AP poll, including #1 and #2 (though UGA ought to have been #3 IMHO) is not a fact in your book.  And maybe you should ignore LSU defeated 5 teams in that Top 15, while tOSU and USC did not even play anyone in that Top 15~~
"One win by either Missouri or WV and LSU is out of contention."
~~And one triple overtime win by LSU and Missouri and WV are back out of contention.  The FACT is Missouri and WV LOST~~
"Either start providing some facts to your blog, or go back to covering Lindsay Lohan.
Jason, Boston, MA"
~~The facts support his conjecture and deny yours~~

"LSU got into the game because the pollsters wanted them there. Lou Holtz said it very clearly "everyone wants to see LSU and Ohio State". The power conferences are Pac-10, Big-12 and SEC. I really would not like to choose a winner of those three. It's hard to go undefeated in either one. Wait, LSU had two losses."
~~Yes, LSU did have 2 triple overtime losses. You seem to have not noticed that the PAC 10 and Big 12 champions had 2 losses in regulation~~
"Must be nice to back into the game.
Bill, San Antonio, Texas"
~~Winning easily over 1-loss #1 tOSU was even nicer.  Having twice as many Crystal Footballs than anyone else is nicest, especially while in the midst of what the latest USC school paper calls its continuing "dynasty," claiming they had the best team in 2007.  Presumably, next year will be their six-pete--no matter what happens.  And West coasters call SEC fans arrogant?~~  

Terry in Mississippi
david paul, nashville tn
Dick B, Ocala Florida
JW Puckett, Austin, TX
Rick Edwards, New York
JoeBobJimmy, LA, CA
GDS, Omaha, NE
Dave McCormick, Kansas City, MO
~~The above-listed posters might profit from reevaluating their positions.  It isn't bias if it is true, but it is homerism at its worst when it is not.

It should be noted that getting to the SEC CG and winning it was MUCH harder than winning the National Championship Game. Every SEC game is a war.  Rarely is a team not confronted with adversity.  It is this high level of competition that makes SEC teams victorious in NC games--even when the other team is spotted an early lead.  SEC teams do not fold under pressure.  Adversity motivates them.  The SEC does rule.  

A final note: WV ought be lauded for their season and bowl victory (they deserved to be ranked #2 IMHO), while we ought denounce the Rose and Sugar Bowls for failing to provide suitable competition for their host conference representatives, who profited unduly in the polls owing to that inferior competition.

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