43 Years and Counting in a League Divided

by MaconDawg on May 15, 2008 7:20 PM EDT

Ok here's a quick offseason discussion question: Since the SEC began divisional play in football, who are the three most "successful" teams in the SEC East? The fairly predictable answer across SEC fanbases is Georgia, Florida and Tennessee. What about the West? Again, the answer is fairly predictable: LSU, Alabama and Auburn.

Now for something which you may not have considered before reading Phillip Marshall's recent blog entry over at the Huntsville Times: These "big six" schools have won every single, solitary, bourbon soaked SEC football championship since 1964. That's 43 years for those of you scoring at home. Since Ole Miss last won one in 1963, eight Presidents have occupied the Oval Office. A ninth will be elected before any of the other somnolent six (Arkansas, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Kentucky, South Carolina and Vanderbilt) has the chance to hoist a trophy in the Georgia Dome. That last championship came before the parents of many current SEC players were even born. Let's all take a moment to let it sink in. 43 years.

In contrast, every SEC school except Ole Miss has won at least one SEC men's basketball crown since 1990. The same is true in baseball if you go back only one year further to 1989. 11 different schools have won SEC baseball championships in that time.

Now, some talk about the SEC as being a difficult league with incredible parity. A league where every Saturday is a battle. I'm generally included in that group. But this little nugget seems to indicate that there is in fact a perpetual underclass in the SEC that, while it may rise up in revolution on occasion is a generally servile lot, destined to fight it out for that at-large spot in the Music City Bowl.

Again, kudos to Marshall for bringing attention to this very enlightening statistic. My only disappointment stems from the fact that the article was written on the paper's Auburn blog and uses words in excess of 5 letters. Ergo, it will go unread west of Columbus.* But I ask you Dawgsports readers, what is the explanation? Is there that much less football talent in the state of Mississippi? Do Vanderbilt's stringent academic standards really make that big a difference? What is the deal here?

*Totally not true, but it's the offseason and we're in a Barner-burning mood. There are in fact lots of Auburn graduates who recognize a variety of words in excess of 5 letters in length. Cheeseburger and midget, for example.

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Kentucky?

Didn’t the Wildcats earn a share of the conference football title in 1976? Their conference record (5-1) was identical to Sugar Bowl-bound (grumble – Anthony Dorsett – grumble) UGA. That’s still a long time ago, and perhaps Marshall meant (but did not say) “outright”, solely held championships.

by NCT on May 15, 2008 7:42 PM EDT 0 recs

Actually, I believe the restaurant in the Plains is “Chee’burger, Chee’burger.”

by fotodog on May 15, 2008 9:16 PM EDT 0 recs

I don’t know that anyone expected Vanderbilt to contend. It’s never been committed as the rest.

Kentucky is a basketball school through and through, and of the other schools with comparable basketball tradition (Duke, UNC, Kansas, etc) only UCLA has been a credible football school with any regularity.

The Mississippi schools are noticeably smaller in attendance than the rest of the conference (save Vandy), so as the economics of the sport ramped up, they may have been left behind. Plus, MSU hasn’t done so well in hiring coaches. Ole Miss had Tuberville, but he bolted, and then they fired Cutcliffe despite his success.

South Carolina and Arkansas joined in 1992, just in time for the best stretch in Florida football history. South Carolina has never made a bowl in three consecutive years, so its futility in the SEC isn’t surprising. Arkansas has at least made the conference title game three times.

by Year2 on May 15, 2008 9:51 PM EDT 0 recs

Year2,

that’s a pretty fair set of explanations. I think Arkansas can at least say they’ve repeatedly run into a buzzsaw in the SEC Championship Game. And NCT, I know in 1976 Georgia and Kentucky had identical 5-1 conference records, but Georgia won the head-to-head matchup in Lexington, 31-7. And you’re right, that’s still 31 years, which would be an appallingly long time of its own right.

by MaconDawg on May 16, 2008 9:10 AM EDT 0 recs

If memory serves . . .

. . . wasn’t that one of Kentucky’s probation years?

I could be wrong; I haven’t looked it up, but I recall this came up before in the comment thread following Stewart Mandel’s make-believe-Montanans-don’t-think-Georgia’s-a-national-power-or-at-least-they-wouldn’t-if-they-existed-which-they-don’t dufus declaration.

I think either the Wildcats were on probation or one of their five conference victories came by way of a forfeit, but I don’t believe Kentucky appears in the S.E.C. record book as a 1976 co-champion. I freely admit, however, that I could be wrong about that.

Go 'Dawgs!

by T Kyle King on May 16, 2008 2:47 PM EDT 0 recs

Yes, this has been discussed before.

I couldn’t find anything on the SEC website that identifies who is considered the “champion” for each year, but the site does include year-by-year standings. For the 1976 season, Kentucky’s record was 5-1, including a forfeit imposed on Mississippi State by the NCAA and the SEC. http://www.secsports.com/index.php?s=&change_well_id=2&url_article_id=199

by NCT on May 18, 2008 1:08 AM EDT up 0 recs

Kentucky and Georgia were co-champions in 1976

... according to the SEC’s 2007 Spring Football Preview. http://www.secsports.com/doc_lib/fbc_2007_springpreview.pdf
See page 10 (page 12 of the *.pdf file).

by NCT on May 18, 2008 1:16 AM EDT up 0 recs

If I'm not mistaken...

There are exactly four schools who have ever been members of the SEC who have not won a conference football championship: Arkansas, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, and Sewanee. Among the other former members, both Tulane and Tech have won an SEC crown (several, in Tech’s case).

The SEC has been famously (infamously?) top-heavy for many, many years. I’m just glad UGA was able to elevate the center of gravity a bit after the 20-year gap. Of course, Tennessee and Bama are each about halfway to matching our recent drought.

by NCT on May 16, 2008 4:58 PM EDT 0 recs

Kentucky ...

was the SEC co-champion in 1976 with Georgia.

I believe the 1977 UK co-championship with Alabama, a season in which the Cats were undefeated in conference and 10-1 overall, was vacated. It doesn’t show up in UK’s stats as a co-championship, although I do see it still listed elsewhere. But I believe 1977 was vacated due to probation/NCAA violations.

A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan

by Truzenzuzex on May 17, 2008 1:43 PM EDT 0 recs

You are correct, sir

Regarding my comment above, it’s not that I was unwilling to take your word for it, mind you, as I have every reason to trust your knowledge of the subject. I simply feel better being able to cite an official source if possible. Maybe it’s a lawyer thing.

by NCT on May 18, 2008 1:33 AM EDT up 0 recs

I totally ...

... understand that. I am a firm adherent to the, “believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see” theory. I can hardly complain when someone else takes a similar tack.

The references I used are a software program from Sophosoft.com that helps me track such tidbits, and the UKAthletics.com site which contains this .pdf containing all-time results. It doesn’t tell me that the 1977 title was vacated, but since it doesn’t claim an SEC championship as 1976 does, I must assume it is so.

A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan

by Truzenzuzex on May 18, 2008 12:05 PM EDT up 0 recs