Why is the S.E.C. conference so dominant in college football and what can Ohio State do better to win?

Question

I'm a really big Ohio State Buckeyes fan; however, I can readily admit that we've gotten spanked the last 2 years in the finals. Why,specifically, is the SEC conference so dominant? Do they have better players, better coaches, better inter-conference competition? What can Ohio State do better to have a shot at winning?

I would like to hear some really informative, educated answers. Not just "SEC rules" or "Ohio State sucks."

Answer 1

dominant is pushing it, yes OSU has not beat a SEC team in a bowl game, but do own a 7-11-2 all-time record against them.

teams are up and they are down, conferences are up and they are down...SEC is on the up-side now...it will not last forever.

The last 2 years has shown that Ohio State does have a weakness, when they are down, they do not change the gameplan and work around the current score...it is a coaching thing.  But when OSU controls the game, boom, they control the game.  I hope that Tressel learns from the mistakes made in the last 2 seasons, and that is at half-time, make the necessary changes.

But the competition level remains the same across the country, I really do not think there are better coaches, players in the SEC.  However right now, they do have better competition, but that will change and perhaps the Big 12, Pac 10 or the Big 10 will have better inter-conference play.

Remember, it is a what are you doing for me now type of game, 4 years from now, teams are completely different than they are now, with different players, come different teams and different conference play.

Answer 2

Dude...OSU has a good team....Wells ran up 150 yds on us in the C game...I 'd have to check, but, that's probably more yds than any back had against our defense all season. You guys don't want to hear this...your defense is slooooooow....you cannot defend the spread....and that's what everybody runs in the SEC...and it's coming to the Big10. You guys got Pryor, and he's perfect for it....and now your nemesis M has RR....and a couple years down the road....you're gonna see it from them....He's a master of the system, he just has to get the personel in place. Yeah, the Gators had a meltdown before the bowl game with M, and got their butts spanked....but I know I ain't looking forward to facing UF this year....they're gonna be tough.

Answer 3

better players, better coaches, better competition, better weather for year round playing, and football is in breast milk in the south.

look at all the players from Florida prep schools on SEC teams... that's where you go if you want to be the best.

Answer 4

Follow Michigan's lead and the buckeye's will do fine. Everyone said how Florida was the speed of the SEC and they would destroy Michigan last Jan 1st, Very few SEC fans have wanted to mention that game since then. Florida got dismantled by Michigan and if they were the speed of the SEC how was a Big Ten team faster and more dominant than them?

Answer 5

The south is in my opinion more competitive in high school football than the teams up north.  Have you saw the movie "Friday Night Lights"?  It is pretty much like that in many parts of the south.  The teams in the SEC that teams like LSU and Florida play week in and week out are tougher opponents than most of the opponents the Buckeye's choose to play.  Then, when the regular season is over, you likely have to play your hardest opponent again in a (conference championship).  That is something I have to criticize the Big Ten for.  Likely, had Ohio State played Wisconsin last year in a conference championship game, the Buckeye's wouldn't have had to suffer the humiliation of losing in the National Championship game again because they probably wouldn't have beat Wisconsin.  

Answer 6

It's not talent, as OSU has more NFL players than any SEC school. It's probably a little of everything as for OSU losing 9 in a row. A couple times it was an OSU team that was overmatched. 6th ranked Alabama against 16th ranked OSU, which Alabama won in the final minutes. In Cooper's last year, and Tressel's first year, OSU lost to South Carolina. In both years, OSU just wasn't very good, and lost to a better prepared team. In the game against OSU, Florida matched up really well against OSU, and Leak played like the 5th year senior he was. I think there was a little bit of OSU not putting foreth their best effort. Last season, OSU wasn't a championship caliber team, losing players like Troy Smith and Ted Ginn, but because of a weaker than usual big ten, and other teams like Georgia, USC, WVU, and Oklahoma all losing to teams that couldn't manage winning records. LSU was simply the better team, playing at home, with more Senior leadership. As a buckeye fan, it's not time to circle the wagons just yet.

The guy below me is right about Matchups. OSU's defense is designed to stop teams like Michigan and Wisconsin in November, it isn't designed to top 4 wideouts with a mobile QB. OSU needs to use the nickle more, with 3 safeties, to stop some of the faster SEC offenses.

To the guy two below me, I do think the SEC has better coaching at the moment. Michigan State, Wisconsin, Northwestern, Indiana, and Minnesota all replaced coaches in the last couple of years. Penn State and Michigan have or had coaches in their last couple of seasons, which, I believe has hurt recruiting. The only team with really solid head coaching is OSU, which also happens to be dominating the big ten, and until the last two years, won 4 bowl games in a row. I do agree with how conferences go in cycles. I see the big 12 dominating in 09.