Auburn vs Penn State will prove....

[aubiefifty 17,470]

.... the SEC is far and above every other conference

Lance Dawe

3 minutes

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It just means more, right?

It certainly was the case this past weekend. The 15th ranked Texas Longhorns took a trip up to Fayetteville to take on an Arkansas team that went 3-7 last year and struggled against Rice in their season opener just a couple of weeks ago. The Razorbacks ran for over 300 yards and won 40-21.

Now, an Auburn team that isn’t expected to do much this year embarks on a trip up to Happy Valley to take on #10 Penn State in a primetime night game. Oh, and it’s also Penn State’s whiteout, one of the coolest environments in all of college football. What are the ramifications of this matchup?

“College Football Nerds” on Youtube broke down the matchup and gave their thoughts on what this game will show on a large scale.

“2020 was a weird year because things were so isolated,” Josh of the “College Football Nerds” said on the show. “The conferences only played themselves, and we got a handful of bowl games at the end of the year. We had to extrapolate how all of these mid-tier teams would have done if they had played each other based on the handful of bowls we saw, which were usually only the high-end teams. I think it led to a lot of bad misconceptions now. And I’m not saying that it means that the SEC is necessarily elite, what I’m saying is every one of these (non-conference) game is going to be telling in terms of overall talent level (in conference).

“When you see a team like Arkansas, who struggled to a 3-7 record last season, utterly dominate what is supposed to be one of the more talented teams in the country in such a physical fashion, that indicates that bread and butter in the SEC is actually high-end talent elsewhere. I think this game (between Auburn and Penn State) is going to be telling of where the Big Ten and the SEC are. How well does Auburn, who is known for having solid, physical fronts, hold up against a Penn State team that has had a very similar reputation? Finding out the answer to that is going to help me flesh out where Auburn would stand in a lot of other conferences.

“Is the mid-tier in the SEC higer than the mid-tier in other conferences? I think the fact that this is no. 22 on the road at no. 10 and this game is only a seven point spread is telling of what Vegas thinks.

If Auburn wins this game, which I expect them to do, it will prove just how dominant the SEC is from a talent standpoint compared to other conferences.

Contact/Follow us @theauburnwire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. 

[aubiefifty 17,470]

man i want a white out win so bad i cannot hardly stand it. if we win it is going to look like cheech and chong live here...........lol

[WarTim 3,459]

Thanks for posting articles Fifty. 

[PSUPat 126]

See this is the type of stuff we hate to read up north.

I don't disagree that the SEC is the best conference out there.  I'll lead with that.  The SEC has a higher number of big name, always talented programs than any other conference.  It's not that your good programs are "better", it's that you have more of them.  

  

Does "it just mean more" at Auburn than at, say, Penn State?  Nope.  The SEC just has more programs of that caliber.

Does an Auburn win mean the SEC is far superior to the B1G?  Nope.  It means Auburn won the game.  Penn State was 4-5 last year.  Comon guys.  They could play again later in the year with the opposite result.  And the same is true in reverse.  If PSU wins, nobody is using it to show B1G superiority over the SEC.  

Does Auburn have more talent than PSU because it plays in the SEC?  No!  Recruiting rankings are very similar between the 2 programs, and heck, they often compete for the same recruits!  It's not like a kid suddenly becomes more talented if he chooses to attend an SEC school or lessens because he attends a B1G school.  I don't think either side has a noticable talent advantage.  Now, obviously player development, injuries, Covid situations, dumb luck, etc. all play into it.  

[Gowebb11 9,522]

1 hour ago, PSUPat said:

See this is the type of stuff we hate to read up north.

I don't disagree that the SEC is the best conference out there.  I'll lead with that.  The SEC has a higher number of big name, always talented programs than any other conference.  It's not that your good programs are "better", it's that you have more of them.  

  

Does "it just mean more" at Auburn than at, say, Penn State?  Nope.  The SEC just has more programs of that caliber.

Does an Auburn win mean the SEC is far superior to the B1G?  Nope.  It means Auburn won the game.  Penn State was 4-5 last year.  Comon guys.  They could play again later in the year with the opposite result.  And the same is true in reverse.  If PSU wins, nobody is using it to show B1G superiority over the SEC.  

Does Auburn have more talent than PSU because it plays in the SEC?  No!  Recruiting rankings are very similar between the 2 programs, and heck, they often compete for the same recruits!  It's not like a kid suddenly becomes more talented if he chooses to attend an SEC school or lessens because he attends a B1G school.  I don't think either side has a noticable talent advantage.  Now, obviously player development, injuries, Covid situations, dumb luck, etc. all play into it.  

Two things:

You’re likely right that the rosters of AU-PSU are very similar in talent level

The Last 15 years the SEC has won 12 Nattys to 1 for the Big Ten, and ZERO for the Big 12 and PAC 12. Of those Nattys, Bama 6, LSU 3, UF 2, and AU 1. AU, LSU, and UGA have all lost in a Natty as well. So yeah, as long as that trend continues it does just mean more. If PSU wins Saturday it will be a great win for your program no doubt. But the Big 10 needs to get involved in the Natty picture more often to silence the SEC chants if they hate to hear it  Maybe this is the year for your Nittany Lions to get in that discussion  

 

 

Edited September 16, 2021 by Gowebb11

[bigbird 60,624]

9 minutes ago, Gowebb11 said:

Two things.
You’re likely right that the rosters of AU-PSU are very similar in talent level

The Last 15 years the SEC has won 12 Nattys to 1 for the Big Ten, and ZERO for the Big 12 and PAC 12. Of those Nattys, Bama 6, LSU 3, UF 2, and AU 1. AU, LSU, and UGA have all lost in a Natty as well. So yeah, as long as that trend continues it does just mean more. If PSU wins Saturday it will be a great win for your program no doubt. But the Big 10 needs to get involved in the Natty picture more often to silence the SEC chants if they hate to hear it  Maybe this is the year for  your Nittany Lions to get in that discussion  

 

 

To piggy back a little, I think it's more other teams in the Big12 need to more involved in the discussion. Usually preseason we see, PSU, OSU, and maybe Whisky, a third to halfway through most seasons the only one with a realistic chance is OSU.  If the Big 12 wants more respect then they need more opportunities to showcase themselves in big games and have more teams being competitive late in the season. Also, they need to beat OSU. 

[PSUPat 126]

15 minutes ago, Gowebb11 said:

The Last 15 years the SEC has won 12 Nattys to 1 for the Big Ten, and ZERO for the Big 12 and PAC 12. Of those Nattys, Bama 6, LSU 3, UF 2, and AU 1. AU, LSU, and UGA have all lost in a Natty as well. So yeah, as long as that trend continues it does just mean more.  But the Big 10 needs to get involved in the Natty picture more often to silence the SEC chants if they hate to hear it.

Alabama's dominance is surely not being contested by me.  Over all of college football, including the SEC.  The freaking death star.  Their dynasty of winning or being "right there" for natties is unmatched in college football history.  

The B1G has 3 big named programs that I'd argue are capable of being on that level if they get it going.  OSU, Michigan, and PSU.  Yeah, Wisconsin, MSU, Iowa often have "very good" teams but their ceiling falls short of natty caliber, IMO, they are "could get into playoff" caliber.  The rest of the conference is solid programs capable of fielding competitive teams, but not every year, and even at their best probably not natty caliber, like ever.  Think Missou, Kentucky types.  Except maybe Rutgers (helloooo Vandy, lol), but they are on the upward trend too it seems.   

OSU has clearly been there in recent times, winning 1 and a perennial playoff team.  Michigan is on a 15 year hiatus from being top tier, no question about it, they can't seem to put it together.  And PSU, well, was there in the 80's and 90's.  It's been up and down since.  A string of terrible years in the early 2000's, but then made runs at it all in 2005 and 2008 with solid years in between.  Got hit with crippling sanctions in 2012.  Re-emerged as a generally top 10-15 but not top 4 program in 2016.  Knocking on the door but can't get over the hump.  2020 was an abomination and we're hoping a covid fluke and not a sign of things to come.  

 

 

[AuburnEagle79 2,171]

I personally hate the whole, "It just means more" nonsense. I didn't grow up an Auburn fan, or even an SEC fan, but attending Auburn made me one. I can say with confidence that it means just as much at many schools outside of the SEC.

If we beat Penn State, it means that we were better, and that Harsin is the guy that can get the most out of our players. 

I don't want to see any Vandy or USC or Mizzou fans thumping their chests if we win. It has nothing to do with them and everything to do with us. 

[PSUPat 126]

Will follow that with saying, while watching OSU-Oregon, I was cheering for Oregon.  I'm THRILLED OSU looks like it has some cracks right now on defense and looks, uh, mortal.  Not just against Oregon but Minnesota gave them all they could handle as well.

And had OSU boat raced them, I'd not be cheering B1G, B1G, B1G.  I would LOVE it if everyone in the conference lost.  Well, cept maybe Nebraska, cause you just feel bad for them.  lol.  

[Tiger Refuge 6,686]

2 hours ago, PSUPat said:

See this is the type of stuff we hate to read up north.

I don't disagree that the SEC is the best conference out there.  I'll lead with that.  The SEC has a higher number of big name, always talented programs than any other conference.  It's not that your good programs are "better", it's that you have more of them.  

  

Does "it just mean more" at Auburn than at, say, Penn State?  Nope.  The SEC just has more programs of that caliber.

Does an Auburn win mean the SEC is far superior to the B1G?  Nope.  It means Auburn won the game.  Penn State was 4-5 last year.  Comon guys.  They could play again later in the year with the opposite result.  And the same is true in reverse.  If PSU wins, nobody is using it to show B1G superiority over the SEC.  

Does Auburn have more talent than PSU because it plays in the SEC?  No!  Recruiting rankings are very similar between the 2 programs, and heck, they often compete for the same recruits!  It's not like a kid suddenly becomes more talented if he chooses to attend an SEC school or lessens because he attends a B1G school.  I don't think either side has a noticable talent advantage.  Now, obviously player development, injuries, Covid situations, dumb luck, etc. all play into it.  

 

[PSUPat 126]

Bottom line.  We hope/think we are better than we were in 2020.  But we don't really know yet.  Same is true of Auburn.

If Auburn wins, and they could, it doesn't mean the SEC is better.  It means Auburn beat a team who's most recent season included 5 losses to the likes of Indiana, Maryland, and Nebraska and didn't play in a bowl.

If Penn State wins, and they could, it doesn't mean the B1G is better.  It means Penn State beat a team who's most recent season included 5 losses and got beat by Northwestern in their bowl.

We don't know who either team is yet.  And after Saturday, we'll have 1 more data point, but still won't know how impressive the win was.

[johnnyAU 3,678]

Regardless of outcome, this game will be a good barometer for Auburn.  If we win against a quality team in that environment, we are clearly ahead of where most of us thought we might be at this point. If we lose in hard-fought, close game, we might still feel pretty good about their progress so far, and the rest of the season. If it's an ugly, mistake-riddled loss, then we obviously have a lot of work to do.  I fail to see how this has anything to do with the SEC as a whole, other than it being another data point of what has already transpired in the other games. 

[aubaseball 2,709]

The outcome of this game has nothing to do with anything about each conference.   The “it just means more “ is just a slogan to promote more unity for the conference.    I’m all for every sec team to lose, except AU.  

[aucanucktiger 1,810]

So..."Josh" needs THIS game to prove how dominant the SEC is over other football conferences?

[Mims44 1,936]

3 hours ago, PSUPat said:

See this is the type of stuff we hate to read up north.

I don't disagree that the SEC is the best conference out there.  I'll lead with that.  The SEC has a higher number of big name, always talented programs than any other conference.  It's not that your good programs are "better", it's that you have more of them.  

  

Does "it just mean more" at Auburn than at, say, Penn State?  Nope.  The SEC just has more programs of that caliber.

Does an Auburn win mean the SEC is far superior to the B1G?  Nope.  It means Auburn won the game.  Penn State was 4-5 last year.  Comon guys.  They could play again later in the year with the opposite result.  And the same is true in reverse.  If PSU wins, nobody is using it to show B1G superiority over the SEC.  

Does Auburn have more talent than PSU because it plays in the SEC?  No!  Recruiting rankings are very similar between the 2 programs, and heck, they often compete for the same recruits!  It's not like a kid suddenly becomes more talented if he chooses to attend an SEC school or lessens because he attends a B1G school.  I don't think either side has a noticable talent advantage.  Now, obviously player development, injuries, Covid situations, dumb luck, etc. all play into it.  

The whole "it just means more' slogan is good for recruiting, as long as the SEC school wins, if PennSt wins saturday there will be a ton of the meme "Guess it just meant more to us" posts. It's a nice slogan to help keep hype up for the conference, but it can bite ya in the butt if you lose big OOC games.

EDIT: forgot to mention, I live near ETSU... you'd think they just beat Alabama by the way they were all chanting 'it means more to us' after beating Vandy... and it lasted all week  

 

Maybe it's the years of Gus, but I wouldn't be surprised if Auburn won by a 4th quarter miracle play.... also wouldn't be surprised if Auburn came out with a 6 QB package and lost by 35.....  

 

And I think we all agree that we want covid to play no part in the outcome, gonna suck if either school is missing a star due to it.

Edited September 16, 2021 by Mims44

[aubiefifty 17,470]

3 hours ago, PSUPat said:

See this is the type of stuff we hate to read up north.

I don't disagree that the SEC is the best conference out there.  I'll lead with that.  The SEC has a higher number of big name, always talented programs than any other conference.  It's not that your good programs are "better", it's that you have more of them.  

  

Does "it just mean more" at Auburn than at, say, Penn State?  Nope.  The SEC just has more programs of that caliber.

Does an Auburn win mean the SEC is far superior to the B1G?  Nope.  It means Auburn won the game.  Penn State was 4-5 last year.  Comon guys.  They could play again later in the year with the opposite result.  And the same is true in reverse.  If PSU wins, nobody is using it to show B1G superiority over the SEC.  

Does Auburn have more talent than PSU because it plays in the SEC?  No!  Recruiting rankings are very similar between the 2 programs, and heck, they often compete for the same recruits!  It's not like a kid suddenly becomes more talented if he chooses to attend an SEC school or lessens because he attends a B1G school.  I don't think either side has a noticable talent advantage.  Now, obviously player development, injuries, Covid situations, dumb luck, etc. all play into it.  

i posted it pat.  it is just an article and the writer just wrote an article called three losers for auburn and i caught hell for that one. i can say most of us have tremendous respect for penn state. it was not a dig as this board did not choose to have that posted i just pick most new stuff unless it is repetitive. mr dawse writes for usa if you would like to email him. again i just try to keep the board in articles. if you go click on my name i have stated three times lately how much respect i have for penn state. if you still have a problem message me or a mod. some folks do not like what i post for the record including other auburn fans.

[aubiefifty 17,470]

also i am a big sec homer for the most part.i cannot stand mullins and i dislike most bama fans and damn near all georgia fans. beside whisky and minnesota both beat us recently. nothing worse than getting beat by a row row row your boat guy. grins. it's football baby.

[PSUPat 126]

16 minutes ago, aubiefifty said:

i posted it pat.  it is just an article and the writer just wrote an article called three losers for auburn and i caught hell for that one. i can say most of us have tremendous respect for penn state. it was not a dig as this board did not choose to have that posted i just pick most new stuff unless it is repetitive. mr dawse writes for usa if you would like to email him. again i just try to keep the board in articles. if you go click on my name i have stated three times lately how much respect i have for penn state. if you still have a problem message me or a mod. some folks do not like what i post for the record including other auburn fans.

It's all good, wasn't calling anyone on the board out.  

[aubiefifty 17,470]

1 minute ago, PSUPat said:

It's all good, wasn't calling anyone on the board out.  

not a problem i just wanted you to know it was me and not them for the record. i will always be a fan since you guys extended an invite to tailgate with you. now i will respect you sat night but i will be pulling for you guys to go down but not in a hateful way.

[USATiger 741]

4 hours ago, aubiefifty said:

man i want a white out win so bad i cannot hardly stand it. if we win it is going to look like cheech and chong live here...........lol

I'm with you, well in the impatience deal anyway. haha.  I am truly nervous about the game, which I haven't been in 3 years.  Apathy had started to creep in, and I just couldn't muster the same energy for our games.  The let downs had taken a toll.  Now, I can hardly think about anything else besides this game.  Can not wait until Saturday night!  War Damn, Fifty!

[aubiefifty 17,470]

2 minutes ago, USATiger said:

I'm with you, well in the impatience deal anyway. haha.  I am truly nervous about the game, which I haven't been in 3 years.  Apathy had started to creep in, and I just couldn't muster the same energy for our games.  The let downs had taken a toll.  Now, I can hardly think about anything else besides this game.  Can not wait until Saturday night!  War Damn, Fifty!

back at you my brother.

[USATiger 741]

4 hours ago, PSUPat said:

See this is the type of stuff we hate to read up north.

I don't disagree that the SEC is the best conference out there.  I'll lead with that.  The SEC has a higher number of big name, always talented programs than any other conference.  It's not that your good programs are "better", it's that you have more of them.  

  

Does "it just mean more" at Auburn than at, say, Penn State?  Nope.  The SEC just has more programs of that caliber.

Does an Auburn win mean the SEC is far superior to the B1G?  Nope.  It means Auburn won the game.  Penn State was 4-5 last year.  Comon guys.  They could play again later in the year with the opposite result.  And the same is true in reverse.  If PSU wins, nobody is using it to show B1G superiority over the SEC.  

Does Auburn have more talent than PSU because it plays in the SEC?  No!  Recruiting rankings are very similar between the 2 programs, and heck, they often compete for the same recruits!  It's not like a kid suddenly becomes more talented if he chooses to attend an SEC school or lessens because he attends a B1G school.  I don't think either side has a noticable talent advantage.  Now, obviously player development, injuries, Covid situations, dumb luck, etc. all play into it.  

Dude just posted a link to an opinion piece.  Please.....

[TJRanger175 209]

What I would hope to see if Auburn falls behind-

They don't give up... they keep fighting until the end.

PSU may very well beat Auburn, but if State does win the game I hope they have to go through hell to get the win.

While I care about a win, I recognize that it is not something in my control (I had to make the decision to not stake my emotional wellbeing on the actions of 18-22 year old's).

If they show they care enough to fight until the end and show improvements on the areas they needed to improve... if they do that, then we know they are heading in the right direction.

 

[TJRanger175 209]

Just now, TJRanger175 said:

What I would hope to see if Auburn falls behind-

They don't give up... they keep fighting until the end.

PSU may very well beat Auburn, but if State does win the game I hope they have to go through hell to get the win.

While I care about a win, I recognize that it is not something in my control (I had to make the decision to not stake my emotional wellbeing on the actions of 18-22 year old's).

If they show they care enough to fight until the end and show improvements on the areas they needed to improve... if they do that, then we know they are heading in the right direction.

 

"IF"...

[Hank2020 3,229]

5 hours ago, PSUPat said:

Bottom line.  We hope/think we are better than we were in 2020.  But we don't really know yet.  Same is true of Auburn.

If Auburn wins, and they could, it doesn't mean the SEC is better.  It means Auburn beat a team who's most recent season included 5 losses to the likes of Indiana, Maryland, and Nebraska and didn't play in a bowl.

If Penn State wins, and they could, it doesn't mean the B1G is better.  It means Penn State beat a team who's most recent season included 5 losses and got beat by Northwestern in their bowl.

We don't know who either team is yet.  And after Saturday, we'll have 1 more data point, but still won't know how impressive the win was.

Good appraisal of the situation, if you are judging up and down the entire group of teams of both conferences. Historically most have judged basis the top 2-3 teams in each conference though. I support the first approach.