What was once a big week for SEC football has become the opening week of the big buildup.
College football awaits the game between No. 1 LSU and No. 2 Alabama, who both have open dates this week before meeting in Tuscaloosa on Nov. 5.
The best the SEC East can do is provide a couple of warmup acts this Saturday: Florida vs. Georgia, and UT vs. South Carolina.
Contrast that with 10 years ago, when the East was the main attraction on the last Saturday of October. No. 6 Florida and No. 15 Georgia played in Jacksonville, Fla.; No. 9 Tennessee played No. 12 South Carolina in Neyland Stadium. All four SEC East teams finished the season in the top 25 that year.
Ten years later, the balance of power has been turned topsy-turvy. And the SEC East has become as much of an afterthought as the Big 12 North once was.
That's not the only significant change in SEC football. A league that once measured its worth in competitive balance is now judged by its five consecutive national championships.
Balance has taken a beating in the process.
The conference rarely has been so out of whack from top to bottom or between East and West.
The SEC West has the two best teams in the country. But on the same day that the Tide takes on the Tigers, the conference disparity will be reflected in another matchup: Ole Miss vs. Kentucky, or The Worst of the West vs. The Worst of the East.
Kentucky is 0-3 in the SEC, and Ole Miss is 0-4. The Wildcats have been outscored by a staggering 39 points per game in SEC play. The Rebels have lost by an average of 21.8 points.
What's going wrong at Kentucky and Ole Miss isn't nearly as surprising as what has gone wrong in the SEC East.
If you want to blame someone, I recommend Nick Saban. He has more to do with the westward shift than anyone.
He didn't just win national championships at LSU (2003) and Alabama (2009). He laid a foundation at both places that seems unshakable. Les Miles picked up where Saban left off at LSU, which lost little in the transition.
What Gene Chizik has done at Auburn has been more of a stunner. He took over a 5-7 program and won a national championship just two years later while recruiting in-state against Alabama, which was at the top of its game.
Never mind all the players Auburn lost from its national championship team.
Or that it was overwhelmed by LSU on Saturday. It has beaten Florida and South Carolina from the East and will have a chance to knock off Georgia on Nov. 12. And its two-deep depth chart is loaded with freshmen and sophomores.
The biggest difference between the divisions is as obvious as the top-25 polls. It's coaching.
Saban, Miles and Chizik in the West already have won national titles. Spurrier is the only national championship coach in the East.
In fact, with Bobby Petrino at Arkansas, the West has four of the SEC's top five coaches.
Other than Spurrier, the East has Georgia's Mark Richt, who has been on the hot seat since the season started, and four other coaches — Derek Dooley at UT, Joker Phillips at Kentucky, Will Muschamp at Florida and James Franklin at Vanderbilt — who haven't been in the league long enough to prove themselves.
Muschamp and Franklin are in their first seasons as head coaches. Phillips is in his second, and his team is playing so dreadfully, you have to wonder if he deserves a third. Dooley is in the midst of a massive rebuilding job at UT.
The East seemingly could gain ground next season.
UT, Georgia and Florida all have the large majority of their starters returning. That's worth at least a faint "wait till next year" from the conference's second-class division.
In the meantime, the West — and all of college football — will wait till next week.
John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knoxnews.com. Follow him at http://twitter.com/johnadamskns
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Comments » 19
rootin4volz writes:
"Ten years later, the balance of power has been turned topsy-turvy."
Yes, John...they call that COLLEGE FOOTBALL! It is CYCLICAL by nature, and ten years ago, the SEC West most certainly WAS what the East has become...if not WORSE.
WOW! Here's an idea...let's see where we are in ANOTHER FREAKIN' TEN YEARS!
Ding-a-ling.
EmbarrassedVolFromTampa (Inactive) writes:
You read it Chizik, Miles, Petrino, Saban, Spurrier, the top 5. The only thing Coach Dooley does is provide job security for Richt and Muschamp.
tovolny writes:
Gee, we didn't know that, John. You know, sometimes one has to investigate to to see what's happening in the world of sports. Or, you could just RE-REPORT stuff off the AP. You and Jack must have played golf or went fishing the last two days.
cloudodust writes:
Gee John, what was your first clue..? Since Tebow and his gator minions held serve, the SEC East has been the Conference USA of the SEC. I'm thinking there's no where to go but up and CDD has a few more years to put us in contention with the SEC West. Git 'er dun, Coach...GBO
Vols_For_The_Win writes:
Newsflash: The KNS Sports Department isn't what it used to be.
jdogg44 writes:
John Adams isn't what he used to be...
UT is also 0-4 in SEC play, beaten by an average of 21.2 points per game
ReVolver writes:
lol at the anti-adams brigade, out in force.
I dunno, article might have been an interesting point for someone not up-to-date on football in the SEC.
or, maybe John just missed you guys.
DannyVol writes:
Yeah, because SEC fans are so typically casual. Takes a real weasel - or another low-level journalist - to defend Adams.
SGTSpurge writes:
IDK...John Adams just wrote what we all know. College football, like most things in life, is cyclical. Ten years ago, the winner of the UT/UF game typically controlled their own destiny in the east and had the SEC's shot at the NCG, or at least a share of it (talking pre-BCS, so going back about 14 years, actually). But, that's the point, the SEC-E was in the midst of about a 10 or 15 year period of dominance. Now, the SEC-W is dominant. Eventually, the SEC-E will come back up. Of course, with all of the realignment stuff, we may not be talking SEC-E and SEC-W after next year. It could very well be SEC-N and SEC-S or even a split similar to what the B1G has that isn't based on geography. Who knows? What I do know is that my Vols ain't doing so hot right now, but that doesn't mean that they'll stay on the bottom. Even UK and Vandy are bound to come back around sooner or later. I just hope that when UK comes back around, the streak remains alive and well... .
Orange_Pants_Buy_One_Get_One_Free writes:
Tebow and his gator minions were 4-0 against ut. Thanks for reminding me. Oh, it's going to be a great day!
cloudodust writes:
There are great days in the gator nation these days..? Well, hus' ma mouf, catfish. Your misery makes us happy.
underthehill writes:
Unreasonable re: Dooley
jeffbwillis writes:
I can't speak for Ole Miss. They played well last week and Houston Nutt is a veteran coach who has won in the past. The SEC West is stacked! It will be difficult for anyone to break into the first division. The East will come back. Vandy is better than expected. Tennessee has players, money, fans and a great tradition. I think it's a matter of time for the Vols. Ditto for Florida. There are too many great high school athletes coming out of the Sunshine state to not be a consistent top-10 team. Georgia is a little perplexing. The state certainly has it's share of athletes. I was extremely disappointed in their loss to Boise State. I hurt for their fans on that one. South Carolina is getting better each year and it got a bad break in losing Marcus Lattimore for the season. The Gamecocks have always represented "mediocre" football. Last year they finally took the East; only to get blown out in the SEC championship. Kentucky must commit itself to football. Joker is a great guy but he isn't cutting it. Fans are losing interest. Mike Leach is spending a lot of time in Lexington. I wonder if he will be on the UK sidelines next year.
rtrchatt writes:
Been this way since 08 outside of Fla. Anyone seen mdvols? Always seems to disappear after the annual Bama beatdown....
Take_Back_Knoxville writes:
Speaking of cyclical, just imagine the day when we get our turn at sports journalists who actually support the local team as opposed to their beloved state school. The day that John Adams (LSU) and Jimmy Hyams (LSU) walk off holding hands together into the sunset will be a great day in Tennessee. The months keep ticking down and it will not be too much longer. If you really want to have some fun with history, trace back to when both of these wierdos (and that's what they are) came on to the scene. From there you will begin to see a divide in the psyche of the Vol Nation. For more than 15 years they have spewed their venom across our great traditions while propping up those of the enemy. It has been fun to watch them being brought to light over the past couple of years as more and more fans awaken from the hissing whispering. They will be gone. Someday soon, they will be gone.
UTVOL2001 writes:
If you are so embarrassed, then go cheer on Richt and Muschamp. If you are in Tampa, you are closer to them anyway!
Cobb_Webb_Attack writes:
After watching "Coach Boom" on the sidelines, I don't think he's head coach material. Seems more like another Ed Orgeron or Ron Zook to me: a hellacious recruiter, a fantastically inspirational speaker... but not a game-planner X's and O's guy. If Weiss leaves or has health problems again, he'll be in real trouble.
murrayvol writes:
Winning the SEC East is nothing to look forward to this year.
SC and UGA have no idea what awaits them in Atlanta. FU does and would do well to forfeit rather than endure another curbstomping by Bama or LSU. That won't help recruiting at all.
murrayvol writes:
Not a Vol. Not in Tampa. And certainly not embarrassed. Try cubicle #7 at KNS.
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