I was talking with a lifelong Jayhawk fan last night about the unmistakable pride (and some would argue arrogance) SEC fans have in their conference. It’s a pride that has made members of other conferences feel obligated to develop some of the same in their own; but it never is the same. By now, you’ve probably heard the most repeated phrase from people in SEC country when trying to explain what exactly makes their brand of football so superior in every single way, “It’s just different here in the South.” And that was his biggest complaint, “what exactly don’t I understand? You say it’s different, how?”

Well I’ll explain it to you. You may not want to believe it, you may not want to accept it, but in the end you’ll experience it for yourself. When that happens, you’ll both believe and accept it and want to grow to be a part of it.

 

I want to start off by saying I think Missouri is a great football program, a great basketball program, and a sterling institution. Missouri is a legitimate top 25 team next season. They are also the 8th-best team in the SEC in 2012. (LSU, Alabama, Arkansas, South Carolina, Georiga, Auburn, Florida, Missouri) That isn’t disrespect, that’s reality. Depth talent and coaching are the reasons why I can make that statement.

When people talk about depth in the SEC, they aren’t talking about being able to play multiple players in a game in order to keep guys fresh. They are talking about what happens when you lose both starting defensive ends (who are team captains by the way), your starting running back (who is a first team all conference selection), both starting corners, your number one wide receiver, and your offensive line is down two starters because of injury and off the field issues. Can you still win 10 games? This isn’t a hypothetical, this is the 2011 Arkansas Razorbacks. And they won 10 games, and only lost to the two teams that played for the national title. No one is going to debate how good the Razorbacks were last season and will likely be this coming season despite losing Bobby Petrino. But they finished 3rd in their own division, and will likely finish second or third in their own division this coming season. They are one of the 5 best teams in the country.

Can Mizzou handle those kinds of losses and still win 10 games next season? You can have wind at your back and a song in your heart, if you don’t have the depth you will be dead in the water in the SEC. Many fans look at all the offseason issues Georgia has had and think this means they won’t be a contender next season. I disagree, you know why? They have depth, SEC depth. They also have a coach.

I like Gary Pinkel, a lot. I think he’s one of the best coaches in America. He’s offensively innovative, knows how to find and develop talent, and his track record of putting both offensive and defensive guys in the NFL is very impressive. He’s now the 6th (7th) best coach in his conference. (Nick Saban, Les Miles, Steve Spurrier, Mark Richt, Gene Chizik, Gary Pinkel - and he would have been lower had Petrino not gone dipping his pen in the company ink) Pinkel has had three 10-win seasons in his time at Mizzou. I think if he’s stays 10 more years, he’ll have three more. That’s very good. But it won’t be easy. Saban only won 9 games in the regular season in 2010. Miles only won 7 in the regular season in 2008, a year removed from winning the national title. Florida has two national titles in the last six seasons, and also has two 7-win seasons. Arkansas was 5-7 in 2008, they are 21-5 over the last two seasons. Auburn has only won 8 games 3 out of the last 4 seasons, but in the one it got more wins, it won a national title. No one wins consistently in the SEC, because it’s nearly impossible.

What about talent? This is where program strength comes into consideration. Missouri obviously has great talent, and I think they’ll continue to produce a solid crop of guys that go to the NFL. But everyone does that in the SEC. Arkansas and Missouri are very similar programs, in similar recruiting areas, with similar histories. I used to use Arkansas as a pacing horse for how strong the SEC was. Instead I will use Mizzou. Missouri has the 27th largest stadium in D-1 football. It is the 10th largest in the SEC. Missouri was 31st nationally in recruiting according to rivals.com in 2012. It was 11th in the SEC. Missouri was 11th in spending compared to other SEC schools over the last six seasons and dead last in the conference in percentage increase in spending during that same time span. Even though in both categories Missouri placed well nationally.

Texas A&M wanted the SEC to change the rules to allow the student section to sit behind the visitors bench. The SEC decided not to change the rule and force A&M to move their student section and alter their “tradition”. The SEC has a long standing policy of not allowing that. A&M fans may have been upset, but the change would have meant SEC officials would have to allow all schools in the SEC to do this. And it would have resulted in some potentially dangerous situations. The rule is for your protection, not an attack on your tradition.

It isn’t about passion. It’s about insanity. It’s not a point of pride, it’s a disturbing underbelly you’ll soon know all too well. You won’t feel welcome in the SEC Missouri fans, because you aren’t. South Carolina and Arkansas aren’t. I’m not even sure Florida and Georgia and LSU and Auburn feel “welcome,” but it’s a family. Brothers will fight constantly, until someone else wants to pick a fight, then they band together. Missouri and A&M are becoming a part of a new family. You won’t get it, because you aren’t a member of the family just yet.

An SEC welcome is a punch to the gut. You’ll have to scratch and claw for everything you get, deal with unfair criticisms and bad calls and hostile crowds and long drives home. But when you earn it, it can never be taken away from you, and while you may never feel “welcome” you’ll be respected. Trust me, you’d much rather have the latter. Because with SEC respect comes national respect… and national titles.

So with a prideful (and most will say arrogant) smile I say officially…

WELCOME TO THE SEC.