My Heisman
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SEC Bias: Cry About itCollege football is nothing without controversy and opinions, therefore there was plenty this past Tuesday when the inaugural college football playoff rankings were released. Three of the four top teams hailed from the SEC and immediately in response the mob came out of their homes with torches and pitchforks looking for war.
The SEC has taken many shots, over the years, yet have never been severely wounded. One case for the “outsiders” of the media showing signs of SEC bias is starting with how the recruiting rankings favor the SEC, even though prospects’ grades are produced and the players are analyzed way before any commitments and sometimes offers come about. Another take that was strangely put out this week is that NFL executives are SEC biased as well. I’m not sure where that came from, but the numbers show that 49 total players were drafted from the SEC in this year’s NFL Draft, so I’m sure that went into account of the argument of supporting how the NFL favors the SEC with only seven more picks than the next highest conference (ACC) – and if you jot down the top five players at each position in the NFL you will see about 40%-50% of those top players played ball in this crummy conference. Having to state these complaints and bullet points of how and why the media is perceived to be SEC bias almost makes me laugh, but wait there is more. “ESPN is the most SEC biased network out there!” This is a daily encounter of the topic dealing with the media’s felony of favoring the SEC. First, saying that ESPN caters to the SEC is almost amusing because Florida State, Ohio State, and Michigan draw significantly better ratings to ESPN, therefore those teams are on ESPN every week. Be honest here, when was the last time you sat down and watched an Ohio State football game on a different network outside of ESPN? Then the arguments come into play that the ESPN networks created the SEC Network proving that their bias exists. This SEC Network was created for SEC fans. You don’t have to watch it, but many of you still do. The funny thing is that ESPN is on the top of the first tier rights for the ACC and the Big Ten and split the costs and games with Fox with the Big 12 and Pac-12. They are second on the list for the SEC due to CBS, but ESPN still bow before the throne of the SEC. Many SEC haters like to bring up the fact that if Florida State were in the SEC all the controversies would be covered up by ESPN, Sports Illustrated, etc. Dare I remind you of Johnny Manziel’s media scrutiny throughout the past two college football seasons, in which he was never found guilty, or Cam Newton’s on-going case that turned out to never be true? But that’s right; the media annexed those stories because they didn’t want to put a blemish on the powerful and untouchable SEC! I won’t even mention the national titles in football over the years or the top recruits or the elite coaches to counter your argument (Oops, sorry that one just kind of slipped out). With these foolish statements many of you have put out there, I now want to ask you a question: Why should the SEC not be the media’s favorite? If you use the phrase “because it’s not fair” you need a different hobby than watching sports. Saban Not Fond over the expectations at BamaDue to the wildly successful Crimson Tide dynasty Nick Saban has created in Tuscaloosa, fans and media aren't satisfied or impressed with a one point win over a much improved Arkansas team. This feedback should say and prove that this team has achieved enough for these people to gather these lofty expectations. Well, Nick Saban wasn't a fan of those comments after his team's 14-13 win in Fayetteville.
Saban said this Monday at the podium with just a little anger behind his words, "Everybody’s got such a high expectation for what our team should be...I was just happy to see our players be happy about playing a game and winning. It really sort of, if you want to know the truth about it, pisses me off when I talk to people that have this expectation like they’re disappointed that we only won the game, 14-13, and in the way we played." Yes, the media and myself are taking Saban's comments way out of context, in which Saban has every right to lash out his concerns with us as we do the same with him and his team. Even with the, let me be carful in saying this, boring and not entirely impressive win this past Saturday, Alabama showed that even with a rough game overall it was able to pull out a win on the road versus a tough and improving SEC team. Barely coming out of Fayetteville with a win can help lay out a new foundation for Saban and his team as he isn't just there for football purposes, but to teach students to become men while continuing to have success on the field. Yes! Yes, he has every right to be mad because (whether me being right or wrong) I think Saban dealt with this victory a little different than just a W on the schedule when stating "I was just happy to see our players be happy about playing a game and winning." ---- On behalf of all SEC football fans, I can see why there is such a hoopla about Alabama’s measly victory over a mediocre, so to speak, Arkansas team that has yet to win a conference game in the last fifteen tries. It’s not standard for Alabama to just eek out a win versus a mediocre to “bad” SEC West team; that’s the caliber of success Nick Saban has put together when establishing this team as a national power again. It’s not that we have come to say Alabama stinks sucks or however else you would like to put it, it’s the problem of accepting that this might not be the same dominant Alabama team we are used to seeing Saban put out there every Saturday. But most importantly he doesn’t seem to be worried and neither do I. A win is a win and sure we can write this one down as a moral victory for Arkansas, but it’s still a win for Alabama on paper. Whether it’s by one point or 50 points, the Tide still continue their trend of being a top ten standing in at seventh in the most recent AP Poll. College football: where everything is analyzed to the core. Whether drawing truths or hypotheticals, it’s so much fun! Added: October 16, 2014
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