Okay, I need someone to explain how Mississippi State loses by 33 points and drops ONE spot in the AP poll.
Alabama beat them 56-23. At home. Mississippi State went from No. 16 to No. 17. Meanwhile, Iowa lost to Ohio State by 17 and dropped six spots to No. 20. Both teams are 4-1. Both lost at home to a top-five team entering the weekend. Somehow, the team that lost by twice as much got the lighter punishment.
I get that you’re ranking an entire resume. The final score can’t be the only thing that matters. But you can’t look at that and act like people are making up reasons to question the SEC benefit of the doubt.
And that’s where this gets frustrating. I’m not saying the SEC isn’t good. I’m saying being in the SEC seems to come with a level of forgiveness that everyone else has to earn. Year after year we run into the same thing.
Missouri deserves credit for beating Florida 45-17. That’s a great win. They jumped from No. 25 (which mind you they should have not even been in the t25 to begin with) to No. 14, while Florida fell from eighth to 16th. Fine. But now Mississippi State, Missouri and Florida are all still sitting inside the top 17.
At some point, we’re allowed to ask whether all these teams are really that good.
Because the argument starts feeding itself. You beat a ranked SEC team, that’s proof you belong. You get blown out by a ranked SEC team, well, that’s how difficult the conference is. The winning team gets a statement win, and the losing team gets an explanation.
When does somebody just get a bad loss?
Losing by 33 should qualify. At home? Even worse.
Then you look at the teams trying to work their way in. Nebraska is 5-0 and unranked. UCLA is 4-0 and sitting at No. 21. I’m not saying either one would automatically beat Mississippi State on a neutral field. But that’s also kind of my point. How much of this is based on what’s happened, and how much is based on who we assume would win?
If the answer is always that the SEC team would probably be favored, what exactly does the other team have to do?
I want good wins to matter. I want strength of schedule to matter. If you play a tougher opponent, that should absolutely be part of the conversation. There should also be a difference between competing with a great team and spending the afternoon getting run off your own field.
You don’t get credit just for being there.
Maybe Mississippi State responds and proves it deserves that ranking. Great. That’s what the next game is for.
But this week, they lost by 33 and moved down one spot.
I’d love to hear that explained without the words “because it’s the SEC.”