Collective Meltdown: Kirby Smart, Mike Elko Join Chorus Of SEC Coaches Demanding Rewards For Losing
SEC Coaches can't help themselves
As if the 2024-2025 bowl season wasn't embarrassing enough for the SEC, this week's media days have somehow made it even worse. And it's all because nobody involved in the conference seems to be willing to admit that losing games to bad teams that happen to play football in the South is just as bad as losing games to bad teams who play football in other parts of the country.
The SEC has had a collective meltdown over the fact that several three-loss teams were left out of the playoff in favor of Indiana, which had one loss on the road to #2 Ohio State, or SMU, which had two losses by a combined six points to a very good BYU team and top-15 Clemson. And while you'd think that the SEC's collective struggles in bowl season would have led to some humility and self-reflection, it's been the exact opposite.
Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer complained yet again on Tuesday, acting as if the Tide deserved to be included after losing to two 6-6 teams, including one in which they scored 3 points and were blown out.
READ: SEC Coaches Just Can't Stop Complaining Instead Of Taking Responsibility
Now, Texas A&M's Mike Elko and Georgia's Kirby Smart have joined in, once again demonstrating that they are apparently unaware of how college football works.
Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart complains about unfair treatment towards the SEC, yet again. Photo: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
SEC Coaches Just Can't Stop Inaccurately Playing The Victim
The self-obsession present in the SEC is unlike anything else in sports, a masterclass in the power of delusion and willful disregard for reality.
Commissioner Greg Sankey, who apparently has the memory of a goldfish, said that the committee clearly now values not losing over winning games against a difficult schedule. Ignoring that in the 2024 playoff, one-loss Alabama was included over undefeated Florida State. But that preferential SEC treatment was apparently blissfully forgotten the one time a few teams in the spoiled children conference didn't get their way.
Elko said much the same thing, acting as if there's simply nothing like playing one conference game fewer than the Big Ten.
"It’s hard to measure what it’s like to go through an 8 or 9-game SEC schedule," Elko said. "The committee has a tough job to figure out when just looking at resumes."
As a reminder, Texas A&M lost the only difficult non-conference games it played, getting beat 23-13 by Notre Dame, in College Station, then losing to USC in a bowl game. The Aggies, however, beat McNeese and Bowling Green, no doubt thanks to the superior difficulty of playing in the SEC.
Kirby Smart joined in the absurdity, saying he thinks basically any SEC team within the top 25 deserves to be included in the playoff.
"There’s no outcry, saying it’s unfair when the SEC gets 13 of 16 teams in the basketball tournament by using RPI," Smart said. "I have a hard time thinking Ole Miss, South Carolina & Alabama (who all missed last year's CFP) were not part of the best teams in the country."
Well, apparently Kirby didn't watch much college football last year.
Alabama, as apparently needs to be repeated, lost to Vanderbilt and Oklahoma. Neither of those teams were good in 2024. Oklahoma lost to Navy. Their non-Bama wins were Temple, Tulane, Maine, Houston and Auburn. That's it. Alabama scored 3 points in that game.
Vanderbilt lost to Georgia State, in yet another sign of SEC supremacy.
Ole Miss lost to Kentucky, which had one win in the SEC, and also lost to unranked Florida and unranked LSU. South Carolina also lost to unranked LSU, though at least didn't have any embarrassing losses. Its best wins, though, were Missouri and Clemson. The only reason that team was remotely considered is because of a close loss to Alabama.
It's a sign of credit to the SEC that these three-loss teams were even on the bubble. And if they wanted to be included, they should have won the games they were supposed to win. They didn't. Sorry.
SEC coaches, fans and the commissioner need to stop associating fan support and sold-out stadiums with being an elite on-field team. Texas A&M is rarely a top team, but fills up Kyle Field. That's nice. But big-name programs with big stadiums don't equal quality. Somehow, this is easily understood when it comes to USC's recent mediocrity, but not SEC teams. Wonder why.
At least, as always, the SEC remains undefeated in hypothetical games. There's always that.