Sooner fan really looking forward to the game

[Sooner Redzone]

Really… irrelevant? Here maybe the highlights will help. You’re smart… Can you interpret this for us?

eliminate Alabama for arguments sake
View attachment 677529

Reading a must. Before Nicky

 

[trj]

Stop living in the 70s and 80s big 8 era. now Is now, and you will figure out what we mean this year when you go 7-5 or 8-4

I'm just pointing out that the Big 8 frequently bested the SEC.

Looking forward, I think that Oklahoma will soon contend in the SEC's top football tier. It's what we do.

 

[Sooner Redzone]

no disrespect to Jackson, but so far Nico and our offense has looked light years ahead of OU. And Tn defense looks really good with that d-line play.

Nico the poster. 2 in a row you guys need to focus @TheGoodStuff Nico your QB so far tons better than Jackson Arnold

 

[Proud Army Wife]

Don’t let Heupel’s respectful and good-natured media sessions fool y’all, he’s coming to Norman with the intention of taking Venables behind the woodshed.

Remember the orange bowl presser when he didn’t even acknowledge Dabo at all?

 

[trj]

Really… irrelevant? Here maybe the highlights will help. You’re smart… Can you interpret this for us?

eliminate Alabama for arguments sake
View attachment 677529

Even though OU is now in the SEC, it's easy to look at the SEC as an outsider. After all, Sooners were an outsider until a couple of months ago. I think the common perception of the SEC is that the top tier of the conference has been elite over the last 20 years. However, the mid-tier and the lower-tier of the conference has almost always been pedestrian.

One of the things I find most interesting about the SEC is how much coattail riding the mid-tier and lower-tier teams indulge in. If Oklahoma is having a down year for whatever reason, you will NEVER hear a Sooner say "yeah, but Texas was elite this year", or yell the equivalent of "SEC, SEC, SEC" unless it's done in a mocking way of a rival conference mate.

 

[Orange931]

Even though OU is now in the SEC, it's easy to look at the SEC as an outsider. After all, Sooners were an outsider until a couple of months ago. I think the common perception of the SEC is that the top tier of the conference has been elite over the last 20 years. However, the mid-tier and the lower-tier of the conference has almost always been pedestrian.

One of the things I find most interesting about the SEC is how much coattail riding the mid-tier and lower-tier teams indulge in. If Oklahoma is having a down year for whatever reason, you will NEVER hear a Sooner say "yeah, but Texas was elite this year", or yell the equivalent of "SEC, SEC, SEC" unless it's done in a mocking way of a rival conference mate.

I have no problems with Oklahoma, never have. My dad grew up in southwest Oklahoma and is a Sooner fan. It’s Texas and it’s fans that I can’t stand, absolutely my most hated team in college football.

 

[TheGoodStuff]

Even though OU is now in the SEC, it's easy to look at the SEC as an outsider. After all, Sooners were an outsider until a couple of months ago. I think the common perception of the SEC is that the top tier of the conference has been elite over the last 20 years. However, the mid-tier and the lower-tier of the conference has almost always been pedestrian.

One of the things I find most interesting about the SEC is how much coattail riding the mid-tier and lower-tier teams indulge in. If Oklahoma is having a down year for whatever reason, you will NEVER hear a Sooner say "yeah, but Texas was elite this year", or yell the equivalent of "SEC, SEC, SEC" unless it's done in a mocking way of a rival conference mate.

I mean I appreciate a thought out post but… how is the SEC irrelevant before Saban when 13 of the last 19 national championships came from 5 different SEC teams?

The Big 12 has one of those… that’s what I’m responding to.

It’s not coattail riding…. It’s who the OTHER SEC teams had to play week in and week out. Do you think that matters is my question back to you?

… and it’s not really a jab at OU or Tex.

Your other OU fan has come in here making you guys look like fools. I would guess most people recognize we all have fans like him though..

 

[trj]

I mean I appreciate a thought out post but… how is the SEC irrelevant before Saban when 13 of the last 19 national championships came from 8 different SEC teams?

The Big 12 has one of those… that’s what I’m responding to.

It’s not coattail riding…. It’s who the OTHER SEC teams had to play week in and week out. Do you think that matters is my question back to you?

… and it’s not a really a jab at OU or Tex.

Your other OU fan has come in here making you guys look like fools. I would guess most people recognize we all have fans like him though..

Saban coached the 2003 LSU team. That's about the time that the SEC's top tier separated itself from the pact of P5 conferences.

It does feel like college football has changed since the SEC's ascendence these last 20 years. I'd say the SEC has only had 2 dynasties during that timespan -- Alabama under Saban and UGA under Smart -- but the championships from the other 3 teams in such a short timespan is notable. Saban and Smart have been able to raise an entire team to championship caliber. I'd say the other championships were the result of a truly remarkable talent surrounded by a good supporting cast (Tebow, Cam Newton, Burrow).

To me, an interesting question is how did each of these exceptional talents migrate to the same conference? After all, Burrow grew up in Ohio and had ties to Iowa State (his dad coached there). Surely you've noticed that ESPN promotes the SEC relentlessly -- how much of a recruiting factor is ESPN's partisanship? Is the ascendence of the SEC top tier related to the emergence of brain injury concerns (some states are shifting emphasis to other sports). Is this ascendence correlated in some weird way to some change in the NFL? Is it related to the SEC's organizational structure or conference leadership? I just don't understand how to contextualize all the data -- but it is a phenomena. The Sooners picked up on the trend and decided it's time to join the SEC.

Oklahoma is interested in championships. We think we can compete in the SEC at that level.

 

[kcvols1]

 

[trj]

View attachment 677562

That's a great movie. Love the reveal on the identity of The Jackal.

 

[apevol]

Even though OU is now in the SEC, it's easy to look at the SEC as an outsider. After all, Sooners were an outsider until a couple of months ago. I think the common perception of the SEC is that the top tier of the conference has been elite over the last 20 years. However, the mid-tier and the lower-tier of the conference has almost always been pedestrian.

One of the things I find most interesting about the SEC is how much coattail riding the mid-tier and lower-tier teams indulge in. If Oklahoma is having a down year for whatever reason, you will NEVER hear a Sooner say "yeah, but Texas was elite this year", or yell the equivalent of "SEC, SEC, SEC" unless it's done in a mocking way of a rival conference mate.

I hate the SEC and have never understood rooting for a rival against teams i have no feelings one way or another simply because that rival is in the same conference.

Welcome to the SEC. I hate
you guys less than bama or Florida.

 

[Nicovfl8]

I'm just pointing out that the Big 8 frequently bested the SEC.

Looking forward, I think that Oklahoma will soon contend in the SEC's top football tier. It's what we do.

No it’s not and u wont.

 

[DC_Vol]

One of the things I find most interesting about the SEC is how much coattail riding the mid-tier and lower-tier teams indulge in. If Oklahoma is having a down year for whatever reason, you will NEVER hear a Sooner say "yeah, but Texas was elite this year", or yell the equivalent of "SEC, SEC, SEC" unless it's done in a mocking way of a rival conference mate.

I 100% agree. I despise every other team in the SEC and wish them all the worst in recruiting and football.

All the arguing over history is silly and irrelevant. The future starts next weekend.

 

[Capt Whiskey]

Even though OU is now in the SEC, it's easy to look at the SEC as an outsider. After all, Sooners were an outsider until a couple of months ago. I think the common perception of the SEC is that the top tier of the conference has been elite over the last 20 years. However, the mid-tier and the lower-tier of the conference has almost always been pedestrian.

One of the things I find most interesting about the SEC is how much coattail riding the mid-tier and lower-tier teams indulge in. If Oklahoma is having a down year for whatever reason, you will NEVER hear a Sooner say "yeah, but Texas was elite this year", or yell the equivalent of "SEC, SEC, SEC" unless it's done in a mocking way of a rival conference mate.

The “SEC! SEC! SEC!” chant is more about regional pride imo. We talk slow, put sugar in tea, and dominate college football.

 

[VolFanatic27]

The “SEC! SEC! SEC!” chant is more about regional pride imo. We talk slow, put sugar in tea, and dominate college football.

That’s how I’ve always felt about it too. I despise most all the other SEC teams but I love the region, the culture and the people and I feel some loyalty there.

 

[bpalmer28]

The “SEC! SEC! SEC!” chant is more about regional pride imo. We talk slow, put sugar in tea, and dominate college football.

Stop putting sugar in your tea and your hips will stop hurting when you walk far. I know this from experience!

 

[OHvol40]

Saban coached the 2003 LSU team. That's about the time that the SEC's top tier separated itself from the pact of P5 conferences.

It does feel like college football has changed since the SEC's ascendence these last 20 years. I'd say the SEC has only had 2 dynasties during that timespan -- Alabama under Saban and UGA under Smart -- but the championships from the other 3 teams in such a short timespan is notable. Saban and Smart have been able to raise an entire team to championship caliber. I'd say the other championships were the result of a truly remarkable talent surrounded by a good supporting cast (Tebow, Cam Newton, Burrow).

To me, an interesting question is how did each of these exceptional talents migrate to the same conference? After all, Burrow grew up in Ohio and had ties to Iowa State (his dad coached there). Surely you've noticed that ESPN promotes the SEC relentlessly -- how much of a recruiting factor is ESPN's partisanship? Is the ascendence of the SEC top tier related to the emergence of brain injury concerns (some states are shifting emphasis to other sports). Is this ascendence correlated in some weird way to some change in the NFL? Is it related to the SEC's organizational structure or conference leadership? I just don't understand how to contextualize all the data -- but it is a phenomena. The Sooners picked up on the trend and decided it's time to join the SEC.

Oklahoma is interested in championships. We think we can compete in the SEC at that level.

Occam’s razor would suggest the SEC is just better, and has been for a while now… but you can keep searching for your most preferred (perceived) causation if it floats your boat.

Speaking of perceptions, most CFB fans I associate with view Oklahoma as the next Nebraska. They are making a desperate move to try to keep up in the money wars, but nothing will change the fact that they are a flyover school bereft of serious local talent, hanging out on the vine to wither and die a slow death after selling out and stepping up in competition. The slip into mediocrity will be a painful, and long process… but it’s happening.

Can we get a friendly score prediction for the game?

 

[MyAll]

Saban coached the 2003 LSU team. That's about the time that the SEC's top tier separated itself from the pact of P5 conferences.

It does feel like college football has changed since the SEC's ascendence these last 20 years. I'd say the SEC has only had 2 dynasties during that timespan -- Alabama under Saban and UGA under Smart -- but the championships from the other 3 teams in such a short timespan is notable. Saban and Smart have been able to raise an entire team to championship caliber. I'd say the other championships were the result of a truly remarkable talent surrounded by a good supporting cast (Tebow, Cam Newton, Burrow).

To me, an interesting question is how did each of these exceptional talents migrate to the same conference? After all, Burrow grew up in Ohio and had ties to Iowa State (his dad coached there). Surely you've noticed that ESPN promotes the SEC relentlessly -- how much of a recruiting factor is ESPN's partisanship? Is the ascendence of the SEC top tier related to the emergence of brain injury concerns (some states are shifting emphasis to other sports). Is this ascendence correlated in some weird way to some change in the NFL? Is it related to the SEC's organizational structure or conference leadership? I just don't understand how to contextualize all the data -- but it is a phenomena. The Sooners picked up on the trend and decided it's time to join the SEC.

Oklahoma is interested in championships. We think we can compete in the SEC at that level.

When football changed from big slow man vs big slow man to actual skilled athletes, the universities where all those athletes are born became the dominant conference. Oklahoma also didn't decide if it was allowed in and grace us with its extremely low standard school. Texas will do well in the SEC, Oklahoma will not.

 

[Voltopia]

The SEC has the least "pedestrian" middle tier of any conference in existence, unless you want to define middle tier as being programs under 55% win percentage or somesuch.

If we only look at the 12 team SEC (or even the 10 team SEC), then half of the conference has lifetime winning percentages above 60%. Alabama 73.4% (thanks Nick Saban), Tennessee 67%, Georgia 67%, LSU 64%, Florida 63%, and Auburn 62%. Where's the pedestrian teams in that? You'd have to go past the first six to even get to the "middle of the road" SEC programs. We could do that, we could create a "mid" tier comprised of Arkansas and Ole Miss, then maybe throw in Scarolina, but we have to get past six programs to even assemble that "mid" tier.

The Big 10, when it was the Big 10, is the closest analog, and they are top heavy. Three big programs in Ohio State at 73%, Michigan at 73%, and Penn State at 69%, and then a big drop off to Michigan State at 60%. That's it for teams above 60%.

So maybe the Big 12? Let's check. Since we're being historical, let's wind the clock back a bit. Oklahoma at 73%, Texas at 70%, Nebraska at 68%, then A&M at 60% and the rest under 60%. Very similar to the Big 10.

The ACC was, historically, the FSU conference, and the numbers bear that out. FSU at 67%, Miami at 63%, Clemson at 62%, and Virginia Tech barely hits 60% - thank you Frank Beamer, I suppose.

Oh and the Pac-10 was mainly USC at 70%, then Washington at 62%, and the rest don't even reach 60. Oregon is certainly big time now but only around 55% even with all the recent winning. Not a surprise. College football's not as big out there so.

If anything, what we really see is the SEC has a top heavy half, then Arkansas and Ole Miss in the middle, and a group of far less competitive programs at the low end. If we want to define that low end as the "mid" tier for the SEC, then okay, sure, that is pedestrian, but you have to go past a lot of non-pedestrian programs to get there.

 

[WeeohdeeWood]

Can’t imagine where they get where we’re going to run the score up. I don’t like this game just for that reason. They are not NC state and we’re fixing to find out!

 

[BelievetheHeup2022]

I'm just pointing out that the Big 8 frequently bested the SEC.

Looking forward, I think that Oklahoma will soon contend in the SEC's top football tier. It's what we do.

We? What position do you play again?

 

[Casual Mustard Yeeter]

We? What position do you play again?

Bro everybody says "we" in regards to their favorite team. Chill out

 

[aRmo]

Can’t imagine where they get where we’re going to run the score up. I don’t like this game just for that reason. They are not NC state and we’re fixing to find out!

I love this game, we get to find out how real our team is. We have been deeboing teams. Between the two teams, neither has played a team with equal talent. Tennessee obviously has beat down their competition without mercy, Oklahoma has struggled in 3 games. Against Tulane, OU looked good in the first half, but laid a fat egg in the 2nd half and let Tulane back in the game. To win this game OU will have to run the football. I dont see that happening against our team. OU's defense is good, but its not great. It is the best Unit on their team. Same goes for Tennessee, i think our Defense is better than our offense. But i think our offense is better than OU's offense. Can OU stop the run against this TN offense? Maybe. But the new wrinkle with this offense this year is the two TE set. That is going to be a problem for alot of teams. I love it. I think the game is respectable going into the 4th quarter and the dam breaks. TN wins 34-9.

 

[VFL-82-JP]

Saban coached the 2003 LSU team. That's about the time that the SEC's top tier separated itself from the pact of P5 conferences.

It does feel like college football has changed since the SEC's ascendence these last 20 years. I'd say the SEC has only had 2 dynasties during that timespan -- Alabama under Saban and UGA under Smart -- but the championships from the other 3 teams in such a short timespan is notable. Saban and Smart have been able to raise an entire team to championship caliber. I'd say the other championships were the result of a truly remarkable talent surrounded by a good supporting cast (Tebow, Cam Newton, Burrow).

To me, an interesting question is how did each of these exceptional talents migrate to the same conference? After all, Burrow grew up in Ohio and had ties to Iowa State (his dad coached there). Surely you've noticed that ESPN promotes the SEC relentlessly -- how much of a recruiting factor is ESPN's partisanship? Is the ascendence of the SEC top tier related to the emergence of brain injury concerns (some states are shifting emphasis to other sports). Is this ascendence correlated in some weird way to some change in the NFL? Is it related to the SEC's organizational structure or conference leadership? I just don't understand how to contextualize all the data -- but it is a phenomena. The Sooners picked up on the trend and decided it's time to join the SEC.

Oklahoma is interested in championships. We think we can compete in the SEC at that level.

You need to dial back to 1998. The start of "sorting the championship out on the field." The first year of the BCS. That was the sea change that revealed the SEC as the premier conference in college football. Might have been the best conference prior to that, but we mostly weren't "sorting it out on the field," so every sports writer and coach got to vote as they (objectively or subjectively) wished.

So in the BCS/CFP era, 1998-present, the SEC has won 15 national championships. The next nearest conference is the ACC, with 5. The B10 has 3, and the B12 has 2. The PAC got none.

Not only that, but six different teams from the SEC won those 15 championships. That is unprecedented.

You want to try to define it as Nick Saban and the 13 dwarves, because that's what made you feel warm and fuzzy when you were in another conference. But Nick Saban isn't the sea change. It had already happened by half a decade when he arrived on the national championship scene in 2003.

As for the question you spent most of this post pondering, why do the lion's share of the most talented players choose SEC teams? Well, that one is simple. No mystery. They want to (1) compete for championships in college, and (2) have the best shot at an NFL career. And the SEC provides both.

Will Oklahoma compete for championships now that you're in the SEC? Maybe. I would be shocked if you didn't try. And by try, I mean spend TONS of $$$ to get the right coaches and support staff to have a shot. I don't think you have that now, but I fully expect you to try. It may take you a few rough years to figure out you're behind the power curve.

As for whether you succeed, well...there's a LOT of competition at the top (and at the middle) of the SEC. You're not used to that. That's another culture shock you can only adapt to with time. I don't know if you'll ever pull it off. But I wish you luck trying, except when you face us.

Go Vols!

 

[Sooner Redzone]

You need to dial back to 1998. The start of "sorting the championship out on the field." The first year of the BCS. That was the sea change that revealed the SEC as the premier conference in college football. Might have been the best conference prior to that, but we mostly weren't "sorting it out on the field," so every sports writer and coach got to vote as they (objectively or subjectively) wished.

So in the BCS/CFP era, 1998-present, the SEC has won 15 national championships. The next nearest conference is the ACC, with 5. The B10 has 3, and the B12 has 2. The PAC got none.

Not only that, but six different teams from the SEC won those 15 championships. That is unprecedented.

You want to try to define it as Nick Saban and the 13 dwarves, because that's what made you feel warm and fuzzy when you were in another conference. But Nick Saban isn't the sea change. It had already happened by half a decade when he arrived on the national championship scene in 2003.

As for the question you spent most of this post pondering, why do the lion's share of the most talented players choose SEC teams? Well, that one is simple. No mystery. They want to (1) compete for championships in college, and (2) have the best shot at an NFL career. And the SEC provides both.

Will Oklahoma compete for championships now that you're in the SEC? Maybe. I would be shocked if you didn't try. And by try, I mean spend TONS of $$$ to get the right coaches and support staff to have a shot. I don't think you have that now, but I fully expect you to try. It may take you a few rough years to figure out you're behind the power curve.

As for whether you succeed, well...there's a LOT of competition at the top (and at the middle) of the SEC. You're not used to that. That's another culture shock you can only adapt to with time. I don't know if you'll ever pull it off. But I wish you luck trying, except when you face us.

Go Vols!

Mostly agree but you won only 2 titles from 1998 to 2005. So I do think the Saban era is when it kicked in. But Les Miles won at LSU and Urban Meyer at UF so the Saban era marked the timeline. But it wasn’t just Bama by any stretch but yet the real dominance he was the leader of the pack.