Ducks Roundtable: Is the Public Right About SEC’s Deep Conference?

Finally, our last topic deals with a public poll released by FOX Sports at the end of the Nebraska vs. UCLA game on Saturday night. All day long, they polled which conference was the toughest from top to bottom.

September 8, 2012; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU Tigers fans cheer from the stands during the fourth quarter of a game against the Washington Huskies at Tiger Stadium. LSU defeated Washington 41-3. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

The results showed that people believed the SEC was the best conference, then the Big Ten, the Big 12, and lastly the Pac-12. From memory, the SEC had somewhere around 50 percent, while the Pac-12 rounded out at about seven percent.

Is the public correct on this topic? Our staff weighs in, and there is plenty of opinion on it.

Raymond: After only two weeks of college football, the rankings/polls are meaningless.  I really wouldn’t have a problem at all on how they ranked it.  The SEC is always ranked first; that just seems to be a given.

Brian: Public opinion is swayed by ESPN, and since they have rights to the SEC, they will shove SEC information down everybody’s throats. It’s obvious that Alabama and LSU are lightyears ahead of anybody else in the conference (and probably the nation currently). Georgia’s good, everyone else is debatable. I believe the Big 12 is the toughest conference. The regular powers are great, especially on defense, and then you have newcomers West Virginia and TCU ranked. Kansas State has a star in Collin Klein, Baylor looks to be simply reloading, and Iowa State is on the rise. Pac-12 made a case for second place on Saturday. The Big Ten should be farthest behind, I’d argue the ACC is better.

Mike:  I saw that pool and was thinking that the SEC would win but they are extremely top heavy with a decent “middle pack”. The B1G and Big XII look like they could be a mess this season. Top to bottom it might be the Pac-12 however with what’s largely considered the worse team in the conference (Colorado) you cannot drop games to FCS opponents because they could spoil what was a good day for the league.

Joe: I almost threw up. The Big Ten? Wait, those guys? I mean, Nebraska did just lose to UCLA, right? Wisconsin lost to Oregon State, right? Or was I just playing NCAA 13 that whole time? Ugh, people these days. It should go SEC, Big 12, Pac-12 (close between the Big 12 and Pac-12, almost too close to call), and then the weak and overrated Big Ten.

Ricky: I would agree that the SEC and Big Ten are the best two conferences in the FBS. However, I think the Pac-12 should be the third best conference and the Big 12 should be last. The Big 12 is not what it use to be and the Pac-12 showed in Week 2 that it should be ranked higher then it is.

Each week, the staff at Autzen Zoo will react to Oregon, Pac-12 football, and other news that happens in the conference, along with a question from the college football landscape overall. Our current staff includes lead editor Brian Spaen, along with staff writers Mike Vamosi, Raymond Mencke, Jr., Ricky Widmer, and Joe Soriano.