Is 2016 the widest gap between SEC divisions?
One of the most talked-about storylines in the SEC is the difference in strength between the the two divisions. Since Florida won the conference (and BCS Championship) in 2008, three SEC West teams (Alabama, Auburn and LSU) have won the next seven SEC Championship games.
Thomas Goldkamp of GatorBait.net decided to tally each division’s winning percentage since the conference went to that model. He shared a chart with the results on Twitter:
Here's the overall season winning percentage of each SEC division since league added title game. Wide gulf emerging between East & West: pic.twitter.com/SKPGWRcU9h
— Thomas Goldkamp (@ThomasGoldkamp) November 11, 2016
Not surprisingly, the dynamic of the conference shifted once Nick Saban started coaching players he recruited at Alabama. The gap was at its widest in 2010, when Auburn won the SEC West and conference championship while Arkansas made it to the Sugar Bowl over Alabama, which played in the Citrus Bowl.
Things tightened up in 2012 when Alabama, Georgia and Florida were all in the BCS Championship race late into the season, but since then, the SEC East has fallen behind the SEC West.
Yep, it is. The East is very bad this year…
The biggest difference is coaching. There is not a single established coach in the East, whereas the West is full of them. That makes it that much harder for the East to start to rise. Someone from that division has got to start winning. Then, maybe, they can start to help elevate the rest of their division. That process flatlined this season.
I would argue it has more to do with players/depth/recruiting. And less with established coaching, in the East anyway. Yes, established coaching is good for recruiting. but if you don’t have the right combination of players on the field on game day. It is not going to matter much. Teams like Bama, Ohio State, etc… have had top five recruiting classes for several years now. If you can break through on the recruiting trail, and sustain the talent stream. Then you can easily see weaknesses in the coaching staff. BTW, fire DeBord! lol…