Gator Country

orangeblueorangeblue · 01-01-2013, 06:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maleko83

I understand your point, including the logic to it, but I don't agree. See USCe without Lattimore and USCw without Barkley. Injuries are part of the game, and test the depth of a team's roster.

Sure. And by the same token, 3-5 weeks on both sides of the ball is no different than 1-2 weeks on both sides of the ball.

**OaktownGator** · 01-01-2013, 06:32 PM

UGA defense was thoroughly unfocused, undisciplined and unprepared. That's on Grantham. With all the NFL talent they have, there's just no excuse.

But they definitely missed Jenkins in the middle.

maleko83 · 01-01-2013, 06:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by orangeblueorangeblue

Sure. And by the same token, 3-5 weeks on both sides of the ball is no different than 1-2 weeks on both sides of the ball.

Sure, I could see that.

I guess I can't watch these bowl games and question my opinion of a team's (or conference's) reputation or status as elite based upon games that just feel like they have no meaning. Others can. The poster above noted UGa's defense looked "thoroughly unfocused, undisciplined and unprepared." Maybe because they were 2 plays away from a national title game, and instead ended up in the Capital One bowl that they don't want to be at.

Mayhem41 · 01-01-2013, 07:09 PM

Disagree.... except big bowls, you never know with 18-21 year old kids. That's just a fact.

Not to mention with SEC having 2 in BCS, we are "playing up" in virtually every other bowl game. Example - Clemson is 2nd best ACC (by all accounts), LSU is 5th best SEC. This is what happens when your top dog.

Still thought LSU would take them, mad hatter was his proverbial terrible play caller in the end and it finally caught up.

UFLAW81 · 01-01-2013, 07:27 PM

The bowl system stinks, period.

Go2gtr · 01-01-2013, 10:31 PM

Bowl games are different.

swampsupreme · 01-02-2013, 01:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tommyuf21

Bowl games are not always good indicators.

Some teams play with a chip on their shoulders and others are on vacation.

Does anyone think that Utah was a better team than Bama in 2008?

I agree with this.

The way i see it, SEC teams like LSU, UGA, SCAR, may not be motivated for their bowl games because they once had a shot for the NC.

teams like nebraska, michigan, clemson never had a shot and they have added motivation to beat an SEC team.

Matthanuf06 · 01-02-2013, 06:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swampsupreme

I agree with this.

The way i see it, SEC teams like LSU, UGA, SCAR, may not be motivated for their bowl games because they once had a shot for the NC.

teams like nebraska, michigan, clemson never had a shot and they have added motivation to beat an SEC team.

There is just no evidence of this. It seems awfully convenient to play the "we don't care" card every time.

Tebowism0823 · 01-02-2013, 06:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matthanuf06

There is just no evidence of this. It seems awfully convenient to play the "we don't care" card every time.

No evidence? It's only mentioned and showed every year by a lackluster performance.

Tebowism0823 · 01-02-2013, 06:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PrimeTime

Is the OP related to MattOhio?

Says the Nole! You guys beat NIU, congrats.

orangeblueorangeblue · 01-02-2013, 07:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tebowism0823

No evidence? It's only mentioned and showed every year by a lackluster performance.

Huh?

USC and UGA won their games. So they didn't care, but cared just enough to win but we still know they didn't care because of their "lackluster performance" (that lead to a victory?)

Can't have it both ways.

Tebowism0823 · 01-02-2013, 08:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by orangeblueorangeblue

Huh?

USC and UGA won their games. So they didn't care, but cared just enough to win but we still know they didn't care because of their "lackluster performance" (that lead to a victory?)

Can't have it both ways.

You pick two games out of how many? How about the fact the UGA struggled against a team that was just blown out by Wisconsin. My point was there is plenty if evidence when one watches football year round. One can see the differences.

So you're saying teams don't show up to bowl games uninspired?

orangeblueorangeblue · 01-02-2013, 08:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tebowism0823

You pick two games out of how many?

I simply picked the two most recent and in fact the ones that are the topic of this thread.

Quote:

How about the fact the UGA struggled against a team that was just blown out by Wisconsin.

How does that prove they don't care instead of proving they might not be as good as people thought? You can't use your conclusion as evidence.

Quote:

My point was there is plenty if evidence when one watches football year round. One can see the differences.

But you're watching it in a vacuum. If you watch high school teams play each other and one is amazing you might conclude that it's an amazing football team. But then they play another team from another state and lose 70-0. Can you say they weren't "up for the game," or is it entirely possible that we see things relatively.

Quote:

So you're saying teams don't show up to bowl games uninspired?

I'm not saying that. We cannot know how teams show up, and we certainly can't use the game's outcome as a teetering point on which to bend to fit our pre-designed narratives.

**gator1986** · 01-02-2013, 08:16 AM

SEC went. 2-1, they're 3-2 overall not bad... They should in all honesty only end up with 2 losses... They should win out from here, " Should " is the key word

orangeblueorangeblue · 01-02-2013, 08:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gator1986

SEC went. 2-1, they're 3-2 overall not bad... They should in all honesty only end up with 2 losses... They should win out from here, " Should " is the key word

Well nobody said they were bad teams. That really isn't the topic.

ofmgator · 01-02-2013, 08:35 AM

LSU offense has no imagination. The SEC defenses of the top teams are excellent but not so much for the others. BTW uga,usce and Vandy won their games...two more to go!

orangeblueorangeblue · 01-02-2013, 08:38 AM

The point isn't that the teams aren't good - or even that the defenses aren't good - it's that they could be artificially inflated by playing relatively weak SEC offenses.

And I think there's evidence to that both during and after the season. Every SEC team but Miss St. gave up 20% or more yards in their bowl than they averaged against SEC opponents.

**dawny** · 01-02-2013, 08:51 AM

The best 2 defenses in the country have not played yet UF and Bama.

**gator1986** · 01-02-2013, 09:01 AM

A&M will hold Oklahoma I think too......

And LSU really held Clemson pretty good, you have to think Clemson has one of the highest rated offenses and only got 25 instead of 50.... Hi scoring Michigan and Nebraska got held below their averages.... I really think a lot of the SEC teams defenses this year are just young...

WESGATORS · 01-02-2013, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rserina

Well, of course it is easier to prepare more and make more adjustments prior to a bowl game as opposed to during the season, which in turn makes it easier to install new things offensively and do some self-scouting to break tendencies. It sort of stands to reason that offenses will prevail in bowls rather than defenses, not to mention the fact that intensity is never there during bowls (outside of the title game) the way it us during the regular season.

Regardless, anemic SEC offenses like SC and UGA just put up some of their best performances of the season and LSU only lost when its top defensive linemen got hurt and Les Miles did his typical "let me go against all convention just to be different" coaching job. Hardly sounds like a resounding failure to me.

I completely agree with maleko on the importance of bowl games and how that plays a factor into it, but I think rserina gives the best reasoning for explaining why the two should not be evaluated the same way. Two completely different types of games, the week-by-week grind of the the regular season and how you prepare and approach each game and then rebound to do it again is significantly different than how it's done for bowl season. Bad day? Sure. But it's a bit of a stretch to convert that into the idea that the SEC defenses are overrated.

Go GATORS!
,WESGATORS