2011 SEC Power Poll: The Final Verdict
by T Kyle King on Jan 12, 2012 8:45 AM EST
in SEC Football
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PrintHaving stirred up a little controversy with my final BlogPoll ballot, I now turn to the task of casting the campaign’s ultimate SEC Power Poll ballot, secure in the knowledge that this is the last time I will do so for a twelve-team Southeastern Conference:
1. Alabama Crimson Tide (12-1): Yes, that’s right; I ranked them third on my BlogPoll ballot yet first on my SEC Power Poll ballot. One’s about resume ranking; the other is a power poll. Stay with me here, people. ‘Bama beat the Bayou Bengals convincingly in the BCS National Championship Game, so atop the rankings---well, these rankings, at any rate---the Red Elephants stand.
In addition, the University of Alabama also offers flexible degree programs, allowing you to earn a distance degree from a top university!
2. LSU Tigers (13-1): The 1983 Nebraska Cornhuskers. The 1986 Miami Hurricanes. The 1987 Oklahoma Sooners. The 1995 Florida Gators. The 2005 USC Trojans. Basically, if you go into your bowl game with ESPN openly asking where you rank among the great college football teams of all time, you’re toast. Still, it was a great season for Louisiana State, despite its ending. (A quotation from “Cocktail” goes here.)
3. Arkansas Razorbacks (11-2): The Hogs posted a double-digit victory tally, beat Texas A&M, and won the Cotton Bowl. Did the Southwest Conference get back together without my noticing?
4. South Carolina Gamecocks (11-2): The Garnet and Black capped off a stellar season with a solid bowl victory to tie the school record for consecutive campaigns of double-digit wins with one in a row.
5. Georgia Bulldogs (10-4): You know how they throw out the high score and the low score in the Olympics? How ‘bout if we do that with the Red and Black’s first two games and their last two games? ‘Cause then the Bulldogs would have had a really good season! As it is, though, ten wins, a division crown, and a cooler coach’s chair will suffice.
All right, I know we didn’t do so well in big games this year, but, really, that seems a bit excessive, doesn’t it?
6. Auburn Tigers (8-5): By New Year’s Eve, the Plainsmen looked like they’d recovered nicely from the losses of Cam Newton and Nick Fairley . . . just in time to absorb the losses of Gus Malzahn and Michael Dyer.
7. Mississippi St. Bulldogs (7-6): Frankly, the only rankings on this ballot to give me even an instant’s pause were this one and the next one, as I couldn’t decide whether to rank the Magnolia State Mongrels over the Sunshine State Saurians, or vice versa. Ultimately, I went with Mississippi State at the No. 7 spot because the Bizarro Bulldogs play in the more rugged SEC West.
8. Florida Gators (7-6): When examining the respective records of Mississippi State and Florida, I realized that Dan Mullen and Will Muschamp both have been a part of a lot of Gator victories; one, as an assistant coach in Gainesville . . . the other, as a player and assistant coach at other SEC schools. As the head coach in the Swamp? Not so much.
9. Vanderbilt Commodores (6-7): They’re like the 2009 Tennessee Volunteers, only without a victory over Georgia or a winning record.
10. Kentucky Wildcats (5-7): Yeah, their streak of bush-league bowl games was snapped, but that just allowed the ‘Cats to beat the Vols and head straight into basketball season without interruption.
11. Tennessee Volunteers (5-7): Slowly but surely, Derek Dooley is making progress. This year, the Big Orange went undefeated in games in which they led after 60 minutes of play.
12. Mississippi Rebels (2-10): Ole Miss is so bad, it went out and hired a Batman villain just because he bears a physical resemblance to Gary Patterson.
Given the reaction to my BlogPoll ballot, I have some trepidation about inviting constructive criticisms, but, even so, I welcome your feedback in the comments below.
Go ‘Dawgs!
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I'm glad to see that YOU can EARN a DEGREE from a TOP UNIVERSITY, but I just have one question:
Does Alabama accept the paypals?
Editor, Dawg Sports.
Go Dawgs!
by vineyarddawg on Jan 12, 2012 10:51 AM EST reply actions 1 recs
Xinyue455445 find your comment amusing free shipping Hello Kitty Gucci merchandise yes.
By the way, I blame your Isaiah Crowell posting for the appearance of that other ad! :)
Manager, Dawg Sports, SB Nation's Georgia Bulldogs weblog.
Go 'Dawgs!
by T Kyle King on Jan 12, 2012 11:17 AM EST up reply actions 3 recs
touche, sir.
Editor, Dawg Sports.
Go Dawgs!
by vineyarddawg on Jan 12, 2012 5:44 PM EST up reply actions
And please, allow me to introduce you to my new Italian assistant, Alotta.
Alotta Fagina.
Editor, Dawg Sports.
Go Dawgs!
by vineyarddawg on Jan 12, 2012 5:45 PM EST up reply actions
That question is not answered
by Georgia’s distance-learning program, either:
It's one thing to have one...
…it’s another thing to talk about it. Such things do not belong in public. This is a lesson most kids learn.
by first and thom on Jan 12, 2012 7:21 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
The Alabama distance learning advertisements
Are far superior to UGA’s actual advertisements. (Party in the UGA, anyone?)
And if Bama didn’t advertise at Dawg Sports, how would all of you undereducated folk know that a quality education was within your grasp, without having to leave home?
oops, I meant 2011. Anyhow, he said these retorts were pure drivel.
I mean, Vine can warn if he wants, but Zoltars comment about being scarred to jump out a plane to me (of all people here) and this gem – I kinda like seeing just how witless they can get.
Editor, "Dawgsports"
"The ball ain't heavy." Herschel Walker
I didn't warn Zoltar... he strikes me as someone who'll just go away if you ignore him.
Promeco has gone out of his way to post inflammatory information multiple threads now, though, so I think he’s earned it.
And I did particularly appreciate the irony of that comment about jumping out of a plane. :-)
Editor, Dawg Sports.
Go Dawgs!
by vineyarddawg on Jan 12, 2012 9:12 PM EST up reply actions
If he will let me rig his chute
I will sell tickets and split the proceeds with him when he lands
I HATE ORANGE, and DGNBs
I have just sent you a formal warning, Promeco.
Don’t be a douchebag.
Editor, Dawg Sports.
Go Dawgs!
by vineyarddawg on Jan 12, 2012 8:42 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Party in the UGA wasn't an actual advertisement
It was a stupid orientation video for incoming freshmen. You know, people who were already accepted into and chose to attend UGA. That’s not an advertisement. It was just a stupid orientation sketch that was recorded as a video and put on Youtube.
If you wanted to make fun of our actual advertisements, you could have pointed to literally any of our TV commercials that aired during any football games prior to this past season.
The 984 Has Spoken!
by The984 on Jan 12, 2012 8:51 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
By all means, let's compare education rankings...
statewide, or University specific. Can’t make up Golf World National Championships there.
http://sportsandgrits.com/
by Mr. Sanchez on Jan 12, 2012 9:54 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Tied
for 35th best law school!
That’s all I have…
Audemus jura nostra defendere
"What makes a second chance worth having comes from taking advantage of it, from correcting the mistakes you made and burning for redemption. Not wishing for it. Earning it." -Cecil Hurt, 10 JAN 2012
by animalcracker on Jan 13, 2012 1:09 AM EST up reply actions
I am wondering...
Do you have Georgia ranked behind South Carolina solely because they have one less win than the Gamecocks, or do you think South Carolina would win if the two teams were to face off this Saturday?
I think a lot of UGA fans thought that South Carolina would be weaker without Lattimore, and maybe weaker without Garcia. I think this lead that group of Georgia fans, understandably to believe that UGA would win a rematch against the Three Rivers Roosters. I am just wondering if with the improved play of Connor Shaw, good performances(not great) by Kenny Miles and Brandon Wilds and a defense that honestly improved since playing Georgia would change their mind.
I think we should throw out the SECCG, as I don’t believe USC would have done much better, but we could include the bowl games for a trending discussion.
- FOW
Bottom line:
South Carolina finished with more wins, finished with fewer losses, won the head-to-head meeting, won its bowl game, and, despite the losses of Stephen Garcia and Marcus Lattimore, finished strong; the Gamecocks went 5-1 in their first six games and 5-1 in their next six games.
South Carolina had a better season than Georgia, and South Carolina finished the season better than Georgia. Were the two to play at a neutral site next Saturday, I don’t know which team would win, but I would be very surprised if the winner won by more than a touchdown. On the whole, though, I can’t think of a single measure by which the Gamecocks don’t get the nod over the Bulldogs, however slightly.
Manager, Dawg Sports, SB Nation's Georgia Bulldogs weblog.
Go 'Dawgs!
Yup.
You have one…..
- FOW
by skandrewj62j on Jan 13, 2012 12:14 AM EST via Android app up reply actions
Thx kyle.
I was just wondering. I honestly wouldn’t feel comfortable betting either way. And completely agree it would be a td or less.
As a usc fan I was just happy to finally have a little quality depth.
- FOW
by skandrewj62j on Jan 13, 2012 12:16 AM EST via Android app up reply actions
That was the impressive part of this season.
In the past, South Carolina’s starters have been as good as anyone’s, but depth has been an issue, which is why the loss of a single player (like Jasper Brinkley) can precipitate a complete collapse. (I apologize for inching over towards the playing South Carolina early/playing South Carolina late issue.)
Manager, Dawg Sports, SB Nation's Georgia Bulldogs weblog.
Go 'Dawgs!
Andrew, SC Ahead of Georgia is Easy To Me
The bowl game was decisive; SC finished two games better. The head to head is significant too, The other things during the regular season? There’s enough on either side of the ledger to wash out.
I would NEVER admit this at Garnet & Black Attack.
by Hogbody Spradlin on Jan 13, 2012 7:31 AM EST up reply actions
What did Troll Tide Troll do
Assign 2-3 of their readers to go to every blog on SBNation and SMUG it all up? I appreciate decent conversations on topics from opposing view points but most of these are just un-witty come-backs or pure drivel…
I HATE ORANGE, and DGNBs
by Dawg2011 on Jan 12, 2012 6:54 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
Well, we can't say we didnt know it was coming.
Editor, "Dawgsports"
"The ball ain't heavy." Herschel Walker
by chuckdawg on Jan 12, 2012 7:00 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
I'm sure you're
totally surprised.
by Cherokee's Grip on Jan 12, 2012 7:22 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
I maybe, but I've been really busy lately explaining that I would in fact consider winning a NC without an SEC to be a hollow victory.
And then been questioned about that lone fact over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over. It’s somewhere on the blog if you want to check.
Editor, "Dawgsports"
"The ball ain't heavy." Herschel Walker
I gave up trying to enlighten them
I get more good from doing this…
Which reminds me, this is how most offenses will look next season trying to move the ball against out Defense next year now that we have a DEDICATED DC and 9/10 returning starters.
I HATE ORANGE, and DGNBs
and yeah "out" is supposed to be "our"
they really need an edit button for comments
I HATE ORANGE, and DGNBs
These are pretty dead-on. Exactly how it feels to me.
Now, when do we get to see the 2012 power rankings? Heck, it’s already 13 January. Games are less than nine months away…….
Psuedo I Like Your Style
Counting days already. How many shopping days till next Crhistmas?
by Hogbody Spradlin on Jan 13, 2012 7:34 AM EST up reply actions
Apparently someone loves us more than we do ourselves.
CollegeFootballNews.com has Georgia #11 in their final rankings for 2011.
http://cfn.scout.com/2/1148220.html
Personally, we seem a little high. I know all the teams that beat us, LSU (#2), Michigan St. (#10), South Carolina (#14), and Boise St. (#21), were ranked by CFN but frankly I thought all four had better resumes than us this year.
Hey, I definitely appreciate the respect but we do seem a little higher than deserved. Take with a grain of salt…..
We seem to be getting the guys we need and want. That's what matters.
Editor, "Dawgsports"
"The ball ain't heavy." Herschel Walker
by chuckdawg on Jan 13, 2012 4:44 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Agreed. Georgia has consistently recruited talented players.
My previous post was trying to point out the apparent discrepancy of South Carolina and Boise State beating us head-to-head yet CFN ranked us ahead of them for their 2011 season final rankings. SC and Boise’s resumes seemed stronger to me. Maybe we grade ourselves a little harder than others do. In reading CFN for several years now, I’ve never noted any particular Georgia or SEC “love” by their writers.
Hey, I’m glad a major(?) news source thinks we had such a good year, however it didn’t feel quite that good to me. Hopefully, we’ll return a bunch of folks, bring in new talent, and make another strong run for Atlanta (and perform like a Top 10 team).
by pseudonymion on Jan 13, 2012 8:45 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
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