So wait, TC opens this thread saying LSU is elite, Flat disputes that citing various [specious, IMO] arguments, I open it up to SOS - and you're telling us that you're now talking to exactly nobody and no particular argument in this thread? OK.
I'm saying that making a big deal about "strength of schedule" for a team that plays in a league that games the system to inflate their strength of schedule on paper means that it doesn't matter if LSU beat a bunch of over-hyped teams when trying to compare them to teams from another time and place. Yeah, LSU looks great, but would 1995 Nebraska have won their conference championship, beaten a semi-final team to give them another couple wins against Top 10 competition?
Just for grins, in 1995, I looked at the final Top 25 of 1995. Throwing in current Big 12 members into the mix just to make as equal comparison as possible, that 1995 Nebraska team would have faced (and beaten) the following teams in their quest for a national title (bold are the teams that they did beat):
#2 Florida State
#4 Tennessee (they finished #3 in the final poll but would have been #4 at the time of the semifinal game)
#5 Colorado
#7 Kansas State
#9 Kansas
#14 Texas
They could have potentially had #23 Texas Tech on their schedule. Now, you can argue that the Big 8 was the SEC of that era with weak teams at the bottom and artificially inflated records at the top. Regardless, that 1995 Nebraska team would have beaten five Top 10 teams and never got seriously pushed by anyone that they actually played. They only trailed one time in the entire freaking season.....and that was to little ol' Wazzu on a fluke run by Madu.
That 2001 Miami team only faced 5 ranked teams but that would have jumped to 7 ranked teams in today's system. They would have had to beat #11 Maryland in the ACC championship, #3 FSU in the semi-final and #2 Oregon (instead of #4 Nebraska). Since they didn't get the opportunity to do that.....we'll never know. But given the way that they destroyed their competition all year long, you don't put an LSU team with a on again/off again defense ahead just because they played in the "mighty" SEC of 2019.
Looking back further, the 1971 Nebraska team beat the #2, #3 and #4 ranked teams. Given a playoff, they would have added #6 Michigan onto their trophy list that year. Hard to argue the greatness of a team that beat all three of the teams right behind them in the polls.
There are numerous other examples of great teams over the decades where they didn't have the extra games on their schedule, a conference geared to game the system and a playoff to showoff an extra time. So, while LSU does have a great team and deserves to be in the discussion as one of the great teams, but the fact that they are the most recent champ and enjoying the above changes doesn't anoint them the "greatest season ever".
I don't like the way that the SEC games the system and that does taint my viewpoint, but watching LSU struggle against Texas, trail against several other teams throughout the season, and give up close to 22 points per game doesn't make me feel that they played the greatest season ever. The greatest teams that I've seen play were incredibly dominant and smothered people throughout the season. LSU has grown into a tremendous team as the season went on, but they aren't in my top 5 for greatest teams or seasons.
I respect what Coach O has done there, but our need to bless everything current as the "greatest eva!" is just a little unsettling for me. Don't feel bad though, it's got nothing to do with you in particular....it's a cultural thing.
