Way Too Early NCAA 2012 Predictions

[hailstateunis]

Those qualities are obviously very important in the recipe the SEC has going on here...but your reasoning is invalid strictly based on that last laughable comment. Do you think had they NOT been in the SEC (which you are suggesting), they would have as great as facilities, coaches, and talent pool/pull as being in another conference?

Yes, as a matter of fact I do. Alabama won't stop being Alabama if they can't have their annual demolitions of Mississippi. Indeed, I rather suspect few who matter (players, coaches, boosters) would notice (or care) if Alabama were to go full independent so long as Auburn and possibly Tennessee stayed on the schedule. (Same for Auburn, only substitute 'Bama and Georgia respectively). For the truly, consistently elite SEC schools, there isn't the NEED to stay in the SEC; its only helpful for television negotiations and whatnot.

Absolutely not. If so, what is up with Florida State? While still successful on a standard scale...by no means have they been "FSU good", especially in the talent pool they have along with a poor level of competition in the ACC.

What is up with Florida State is that Bobby Bowden pretty much took the last dadgum decade of his coaching career off (just think of everything after 1999 as one giant victory lap) and nobody at the school had the stones to fire him or call him on his litany of poor decisions before 2009. Jimbo Fisher is still trying to fumigate the place.

Whether you want to accept it or not, the level of competition you compete against directly affects each member institution in some form- whether in on field play, facilities, coaching, recruiting, and money in general.

Somehow I suspect the Mississippis and Kentucky would still be getting their kicked in the Pac 12, Big Ten, and Big XII as well. But it's mostly money that Conferences affect, and that's an off-field issue.

In the past 6 years, the SEC has captured 33 national titles in NCAA sports. That covers EVERY sport except volleyball. In the past 3 seasons in the big 3 sports (baseball, basketball, and football)- the SEC has 7 of those 9 titles.

That is no accident.

Baseball isn't a Big 3 sport in the college level. It's a regionally major sport like hockey. Beating your chest about baseball titles is kind of like a "Big Ten fan" proclaiming that you b!tches are just jelly 'bout our wrestling swagger. Which, ummm, either the SEC chooses not to field teams in or it kind of blows at. Same goes for cross country and golf.

Comparing baseball to golf and wrestling? No, baseball is a big 3 sport.

[Island_Style]

Baseball is a step ahead of olympic sports but it isn't the same as football or even basketball. You wont see a baseball game on espn until late May, early June. I live in NE Florida and I seen maybe two games televised for FSU this regular season. I watched almost every basketball game and every football game.

Football is in it's own world.

[rams80]

Comparing baseball to golf and wrestling? No, baseball is a big 3 sport.

In the NCAA it's pretty much with golf and wrestling. College baseball is a regional sport with limited interest outside of the Southern US and California. Which is only to be expected when the schools up North that do have teams have to spend the first month of a 3-month schedule on major roadtrips in the South because of the weather and MLB snaps up many of the really good players out of high school for farm purposes.

[Kevin W.]

I'd put football and men's basketball on the first tier, followed by women's basketball, baseball and softball on the second, followed by the Olympic sports on the third.

Football and men's basketball speak for themselves. Baseball, softball and women's basketball are a second tier and not on the third because while they may not be the revenue sports like football and men's basketball, they still get more hype than the Olympic sports. The CWS, WCWS and women's basketball tournament get far more TV air time than other sports' championships.

[waltere]

That analysis seems about right, although I would add a third tier of lacrosse and men's hockey; because get some coverage come tournament time, unlike sports like golf, tennis & wrestling.

[Cola]

Comparing baseball to golf and wrestling? No, baseball is a big 3 sport.

In the NCAA it's pretty much with golf and wrestling. College baseball is a regional sport with limited interest outside of the Southern US and California. Which is only to be expected when the schools up North that do have teams have to spend the first month of a 3-month schedule on major roadtrips in the South because of the weather and MLB snaps up many of the really good players out of high school for farm purposes.

That only happens up North?

[rams80]

Comparing baseball to golf and wrestling? No, baseball is a big 3 sport.

In the NCAA it's pretty much with golf and wrestling. College baseball is a regional sport with limited interest outside of the Southern US and California. Which is only to be expected when the schools up North that do have teams have to spend the first month of a 3-month schedule on major roadtrips in the South because of the weather and MLB snaps up many of the really good players out of high school for farm purposes.

That only happens up North?

No it happens everywhere. That's addressing the "why fewer people care about college baseball than college basketball and college football throughout the country period." That, combined with the whole "teams spend a hugely disproportionate chunk of their seasons hundreds of miles away," is why you can't get a lot of caring about college baseball outside of Southern climes. At least you guys get the home games, and a lot of them.

[tj4eck]

I will be confused as to which teams play in which conference at least 5 times.

[thespleenenator]

Vanderbilt will win 10 games, and contend for and SEC title. No, I am not joking.

Georgia will win 8-9.

Oregon will lose to Wazzu, but still win the Pac-12.

On a similar subject, Oregon will only beat Arkansas State by 21.

A C-USA team finally goes to a BCS bowl.

The U will get the death penalty.

[Raysfan12]

More of my predictions:

Louisville will win 9-11 games this year and win the Big East.

Boise will win 10 games and not make a BCS Bowl for a second year in a row.

In the ACC, there will a close dogfight between Florida State, Clemson, and Virginia Tech for the ACC title.

Filling in for Boise however will be LA Tech if they can win against Texas A@M

Again, the SEC West will dominate the East this year with LSU, Bama, and Ark in the Top 10

Finally, Oregon, not USC will make it to the Nat'l Championship this year because of depth.

[rams80]

LOL at John L. Smith keeping Arky at a Top 10 level.

[dfwabel]

More of my predictions:

Louisville will win 9-11 games this year and win the Big East.

Boise will win 10 games and not make a BCS Bowl for a second year in a row.

In the ACC, there will a close dogfight between Florida State, Clemson, and Virginia Tech for the ACC title.

Filling in for Boise however will be LA Tech if they can win against Texas A@M

Again, the SEC West will dominate the East this year with LSU, Bama, and Ark in the Top 10

Finally, Oregon, not USC will make it to the Nat'l Championship this year because of depth.

You gave some obvious thoughts (SEC West), but you also some feces on the wall.

1- Give us an actual number for your Louisville Cardinals. We know you are a homer, but 9-11 wins is hedging yourself. And please, between now and Labor Day do NOT attempt to create a Louisville nickname like "Professors of Press". Please.

2- Didn't you also state that you would be "gone forever" in that thread too? Whoops! You are STILL here being an ill-informed homer.

3- If it is a "dogfight" , wouldn't it be close by definition?

[hailstateunis]

SEC Predictions:

I played out the schedule and this is how it turned out-

South Carolina goes 10-2, wins the east and goes to the Sugar bowl.

Vanderbilt and Georgia each go 9-3, and advance to the Outback and Gator Bowl respectively.

Florida, Missouri, and Texa A&M all go 6-6 (3-5 in the SEC) and advance to the Independence, Music City, and Liberty bowl respectively.

Kentucky ( 4-8), Tennesse (5-7), Auburn (5-7), and Ole Miss (4-8) fail to make bowl games.

Alabama goes 14-0 to repeat the Title.

Arkansas beats LSU, LSU beats Mississippi State, and Mississippi State beats Arkansas. They each go 10-2, with LSU in the Capital One Bowl, Mississippi State in the Cotton Bowl, and Arkansas in the Chick-Fil-A bowl.

[pianoknight]

College baseball is a regional sport with limited interest outside of the Southern US and California. Which is only to be expected when the schools up North that do have teams have to spend the first month of a 3-month schedule on major roadtrips in the South because of the weather and MLB snaps up many of the really good players out of high school for farm purposes.

I largely agree except for pockets in the midwest. STL and KC have long been baseball towns and Omaha hosts CWS. The Missouri-Kansas-Nebraska area is hot for baseball.

[B@ltim0r3R@v3n5]

Who else thinks that utsa should have stayed d2 and will go on for the next 1000 years with a winless record

[rams80]

Who else thinks that utsa should have stayed d2 and will go on for the next 1000 years with a winless record

Considering that the team went 4-6 last year IN ITS FIRST YEAR OF EXISTENCE, is coached by Larry Coker, and has already garnered an invitation from Conference USA...

I'll disagree.

[B@ltim0r3R@v3n5]

Well your free to have your own opinion but utsa to me just isn't ready to go and be in d1 I say that they should have waited 4-5 yrs. if they had success then I would say they should come to d1

[rams80]

Well your free to have your own opinion but utsa to me just isn't ready to go and be in d1 I say that they should have waited 4-5 yrs. if they had success then I would say they should come to d1

Their average attendance last season was in the 30s of thousands. And again, Conference USA invite despite only existing for 1 season. I think that sounds successful to me in every way that actually counts.

Besides, the college football landscape seems to be changing a little too rapidly to dick around for 5 years at this whole football thing.

[B@ltim0r3R@v3n5]

The 30 thousand is because San Antonio needs a football team but I agree that the football landscape is changing rapidly but a jump from FCS sorry not d2 is still a big jump even in my mind besides at least to me cusa is merging with the mwc aren't they? That brings in schools that could own utsa without hesitation

[rams80]

The 30 thousand is because San Antonio needs a football team but I agree that the football landscape is changing rapidly but a jump from FCS sorry not d2 is still a big jump even in my mind

The plan was to always take the Roadrunners I-A. So why wait when the opportunity to join a I-A Conference presents itself.

besides at least to me cusa is merging with the mwc aren't they? That brings in schools that could own utsa without hesitation

The merger's on hold and anyway the in-league talent would be so diffused that when combined with the relative ease of recruiting South Texas you can build a 7 win team without heroic recruiting and coaching efforts.