I came to college football really late (only the last few years) and without a big time rooting interest. Now, other than NFL playoffs, its the only football I watch, I love Saturdays.
So obviously the SEC has been hammered down my newbie throat. At my age and with kids, I can watch a full game on Saturday, half-pay attention to a few others and then listen to some awesome podcasts on the sport during the week. I had been trained to think of the SEC game of the week as the game I would watch. It helps that I'm here in the South with a strong affinity for SEC culture (these people do not grow up. My firm has 13 offices across the SE, in most of the big SEC markets and Saturdays are a religion).
But this year, specifically following the early season Stanford/Washington game (sorry OFT), I started to understand I had been marketed to and realized what I was missing.
I mean, did anyone watch those Wyoming/San Diego St. games? Good God. Everytime I hear about the SEC now I pay attention to whose selling it and what they are selling. It's a fun conference but I missed a lot of great college football buying into the lie.
Obviously the ACCand basketball is a different story; that is the truth and the light and the way.
OK.......and I am going to hate myself for typing all of this......but there are some great things about the SEC.
1) Their fanbases are, for the most part, pretty darned loyal. Yes, there are teams in all conferences who pack the house each week, but Texas A&M, LSU, Tennessee, Auburn, Arkansas, UGA, Alabama, Ole Miss......heck, the fans of those schools live, eat and breathe college football and you have to respect that.
2) Fantastic traditions in the conference. Everyone getting all dolled up to get boozed up at the Grove, TP'ing the oaks at Auburn, the incredible food at LSU tailgates, the 12th man stuff at A&M, making out with your sister after a win at UF.......there are a lot of things to like about those games.
3) Creativity. One of the things that I do respect about the SEC is that the conference and the coaches don't tend to have a style of play. Nick Saban is obviously an amazing college football coach, but other than having running backs who rack up 50k in yards and then stink in the NFL, what kind of style does he play? The teams in the SEC generally do a great job of recruiting in superb athletes and then putting them into positions to make plays. I think the quality of football is not as high as people perceive, but I do like that this year's team X may look completely different from last year's team X, which isn't true in a lot of places where coaches try to fit players into their system.
However, their fans and a number of commentators have elevated the conference to a ludicrous point and it is fun to see these absolutists eat crow.
