Objective View: SEC Bias Works In our Favor

[UCFBS]

I try not to be an UCF homer. And one thing I've noticed is that the SEC-bias has heavily worked in our favor this year.

Take a look at the Big 10's Wisconsin for starters ...

"Wisconsin drops to No. 7 in final AP poll
UCF moves up to No. 6"​

• https://www.buckys5thquarter.com/20...kings-polls-final-ap-top-25-wisconsin-badgers

"It is hard to comprehend Wisconsin dropping in a poll, especially after its decisive 34-24 win over a resurgent college power in Miami, in what was a road game at Hard Rock Stadium, though it should be noted the AP poll is not the final end all be all poll (hello, College Football Playoff committee rankings)."​

It's important that we break the "P5 bias" up into its components.

• SEC: No argument, the best P5 conference
• ACC: In any given year, they have 2-3 solid teams that have the toughest schedules
• Big 10: Right there with the ACC, and won a lot of bowl games this year

And the not-so-good:

• Big XII: Continue to have the easiest schedules in the P5, have issues finishing in the top 10, usually saved by an Oklahoma or TCU (hmmm, sounds like the "G5" American, eh?), not a great v. G5 or v. P5 record in the last few years either
• PAC 12: Really exposed this year, no top 10 finish at all, lowering itself to the Big XII

The Big XII and PAC 12 finished with only three (3) top 25 teams, same as the American. But unlike the Big XII and American, the PAC 12 did not even have a top 10 finisher.

A lot of the "P5" likes to use arguments as its sees fit ... SEC against the UCF when it favors them, but then avoid UCF v. (70-80% of the P5) when it doesn't.

In any case, UCF benefited from playing Auburn this year in the Peach, and will continue with against any SEC win in the future ... should that happen. I have a feeling the CFP will avoid pitting any SEC against UCF in any New Year's Bowl ever again.

After all, all bowl game spreads were 7.5 points or lower -- basically a single score -- except UCF v. Auburn, which opened at 9.5 or higher, and climbed higher in most.

 

[ucfversusbcs]

In any case, UCF benefited from playing Auburn this year in the Peach, and will continue with against any SEC win in the future ... should that happen. I have a feeling the CFP will avoid pitting any SEC against UCF in any New Year's Bowl ever again.

They did it to maximize as much revenue as possible. I bet somewhere in those smoke filled rooms, the participating NY6 bowls don't want to be the experiment to prove who has a fan base and who doesnt, who will travel three time zones and who won't.

 

[UCFBS]

They did it to maximize as much revenue as possible. I bet somewhere in those smoke filled rooms, the participating NY6 bowls don't want to be the experiment to prove who has a fan base and who doesnt, who will travel three time zones and who won't.

Oh, the head of the Peach Bowl loved it! I'm sure their board did as well!

But the CFP != individual bowls, even if they are fiscally intertwined in the New Year's Six.

 

[muckdawg24]

I think since the NY6 Bowl was in the Eastern Time zone and closer to us, we showed the nation that UCF isn't playing around.

 

[UCFBS]

I think since the NY6 Bowl was in the Eastern Time zone and closer to us, we showed the nation that UCF isn't playing around.

When I got to the stadium, and it filled in, I couldn't believe what I saw. #KnightNation was big, it was loud, it was proud.

And no Auburn fans expected it. They literally must have thought, "Are we playing another SEC team?"

I think all of the UCF fans with lower bowl, low row, Auburn (west side) seats picked off of ticket resale sites, probably upset them the most.

 

[scottb411]

When I got to the stadium, and it filled in, I couldn't believe what I saw. #KnightNation was big, it was loud, it was proud.

And no Auburn fans expected it. They literally must have thought, "Are we playing another SEC team?"

I think all of the UCF fans with lower bowl, low row, Auburn (west side) seats picked off of ticket resale sites, probably upset them the most.

If you watch the replay of the game on ESPN, you can tell that the announcers where shocked by the size and how loud the UCF fans were at the beginning of the game in the stadium.

 

[Happy Hands]

I try not to be an UCF homer. And one thing I've noticed is that the SEC-bias has heavily worked in our favor this year.

Take a look at the Big 10's Wisconsin for starters ...

"Wisconsin drops to No. 7 in final AP poll
UCF moves up to No. 6"​

• https://www.buckys5thquarter.com/20...kings-polls-final-ap-top-25-wisconsin-badgers

"It is hard to comprehend Wisconsin dropping in a poll, especially after its decisive 34-24 win over a resurgent college power in Miami, in what was a road game at Hard Rock Stadium, though it should be noted the AP poll is not the final end all be all poll (hello, College Football Playoff committee rankings)."​

It's important that we break the "P5 bias" up into its components.

• SEC: No argument, the best P5 conference
• ACC: In any given year, they have 2-3 solid teams that have the toughest schedules
• Big 10: Right there with the ACC, and won a lot of bowl games this year

And the not-so-good:

• Big XII: Continue to have the easiest schedules in the P5, have issues finishing in the top 10, usually saved by an Oklahoma or TCU (hmmm, sounds like the "G5" American, eh?), not a great v. G5 or v. P5 record in the last few years either
• PAC 12: Really exposed this year, no top 10 finish at all, lowering itself to the Big XII

The Big XII and PAC 12 finished with only three (3) top 25 teams, same as the American. But unlike the Big XII and American, the PAC 12 did not even have a top 10 finisher.

A lot of the "P5" likes to use arguments as its sees fit ... SEC against the UCF when it favors them, but then avoid UCF v. (70-80% of the P5) when it doesn't.

In any case, UCF benefited from playing Auburn this year in the Peach, and will continue with against any SEC win in the future ... should that happen. I have a feeling the CFP will avoid pitting any SEC against UCF in any New Year's Bowl ever again.

After all, all bowl game spreads were 7.5 points or lower -- basically a single score -- except UCF v. Auburn, which opened at 9.5 or higher, and climbed higher in most.

The SEC had three good teams this year. That's it. It's not some elite conference right now. The Big Ten is currently the best conference with Wisconsin, Penn State, Ohio State and Michigan St.

The ACC had Miami and Clemson this year. Also not elite.

Those conferences are top heavy. I call them Muffin top conferences.

AAC stacks up well. I think Houston will be back soon and UCF still has top ten talent. I fear USF and Memphis will be down next year, but regardless the P5 is nothing more than a self proclaimed title with nothing to really bolster it.

 

[ucfversusbcs]

Those conferences are top heavy. I call them Muffin top conferences.

AAC stacks up well. I think Houston will be back soon and UCF still has top ten talent. I fear USF and Memphis will be down next year, but regardless the P5 is nothing more than a self proclaimed title with nothing to really bolster it.

I can agree with this. Our record against the other G5 is the same as the lower end of the P5 too.
Kentucky, Vandy and some other low end SEC teams have no problems defeating the better half of CUSA and Sun Belt save a few surprises

 

[SublimeKnight]

The SEC had three good teams this year. That's it. It's not some elite conference right now. The Big Ten is currently the best conference with Wisconsin, Penn State, Ohio State and Michigan St.

The ACC had Miami and Clemson this year. Also not elite.

Those conferences are top heavy. I call them Muffin top conferences.

AAC stacks up well. I think Houston will be back soon and UCF still has top ten talent. I fear USF and Memphis will be down next year, but regardless the P5 is nothing more than a self proclaimed title with nothing to really bolster it.

The guy who runs the Colley Matrix was on the radio the other day and I caught one part of it. He had an interesting perspective on that. People point to the B1G's almost perfect bowl record, but they forget that they didn't have a playoff team. What if, instead of 2 SEC teams, we had 2 B1G teams in the playoffs. Maybe Ohio State smokes Clemson and Wisconsin or Penn State beats Oklahoma. What happens to the rest of the B1G? How does Northwestern fair against USC instead of Ohio State? Can Michigan or Purdue beat Washington like Penn State was able to. In that parallel universe the B1G might have a terrible bowl record and the SEC almost undefeated.

 

[Wings0fred]

Yup. It’s not only important to look at record - you have to consider what the matchups were relative to that team’s strength in conference.