Update: SEC Favorites

In a previous post, I looked at how the consensus SEC favorites have fared over the course of the past decade.

I recently ran across an article, however, that detailed the official SEC champion selection at SEC Media Days, and how they have historically performed.

According to this article in the The Advocate, only twice has the media successfully predicted the eventual SEC champion in the fifteen year history of the SEC since the implementation of the divisional format in 1992. The media correctly predicted the eventual SEC champion in 1994 and 1995, both times when they selected the Florida Gators. In the other thirteen years, the media has been dead wrong.

So, in reality, the "official" SEC favorite hasn't actually won the SEC in the eleven seasons, going 0-11 in the process.

Interestingly enough, teams not picked to win the SEC include five national champions (1992 Alabama, 1996 Florida, 1998 Tennessee, 2003 LSU, and 2006 Florida), and one team that went 13-0 despite being jilted at the ballot box (2004 Auburn).

I can't help but wonder if being the favorite makes teams prepare for you harder, and play harder against you, thus almost wholly ending your chances of the winning the SEC? And perhaps that same phenomenon allows other teams to sneak up a bit and get the job done? Right or wrong, it seems something is amiss. I understand the media isn't the most football savvy group in the world, but you could probably do better than 2-13 just by throwing darts at a dartboard.

But alas, back to the original point at the hand, if LSU can pull it off this year, you'll have to give the Tigers and Les Miles all the credit in the world. They will truly have pulled off a very rare feat.