My favorite subject!

That's right, it's time for more SEC boot-licking!

This time the role of town crier / village idiot is being played by the venerable Frank DeFord. I actually find this somewhat shocking coming from a writer I hold in such high esteem.

DeFord is originally from Baltimore and is Ivy League educated (Princeton). He's been writing for Sports Illustrated since the 1960's and is a regular contributor to National Public Radio.

That all being said, I couldn't disagree more with the guy on this one.

His latest effort is entitled simply "SEC teams suffer most from BCS".

[SIGH]

I'm not going to belabor this if I can control myself.

My first reaction is simply, REALLY?

I'm sorry, did I miss something or were the last two BCS national champions from the SEC? How about three of the last five also? Clearly the SEC is getting jobbed in all this.

How many two-loss BCS national champs have their been?

One.

What conference was that team from?

Yep, the SEC. Louisiana Sate University, 2007.

The day after Thanksgiving, one year ago, the mighty Tigers lost their LAST REGULAR SEASON HOME GAME. For most schools that means you don't get a shot at the national title. For an SEC school though it means 'just win your contrived conference championship game and you'll jump the six schools in front of you to reach the title game'.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying by any stretch that LSU wasn't the best team last year and didn't deserve to be in the national title game. Hardly. I would love to bitch about how they got to play that game right down the street from their campus but that's not material, it's just sour grapes from an Ohio State fan.

What I am saying is that anyone complaining about the SEC 'getting screwed' under the current system is a damn fool. A DAMN FOOL.

It is all but a foregone conclusion that the SEC champ will claim one spot in the BCS title game again this year. The Big XII looks extremely strong and the Southern Cal is still lurking. However, for the SEC Champ to be supplanted would be a mild upset at this point.

Of course, that's even when you consider that the SEC is CLEARLY not as strong this year as it has been recently. I mean Vanderbilt? Are you fuckin' kidding me?

I'm all for Vandy but if you think Vanderbilt beating the likes of Auburn and South Carolina is evidence of the SEC's toughness you're sniffing too much glue. No, a Vanderbilt team that is undefeated is evidence of how mediocre some of the supposed 'heavies' in that conference are in reality.

There is plenty more to criticize as far as Frank DeFord's article is concerned. Frankly, it's not worth addressing at the moment. Perhaps later.

In the meantime, 'Eff the Red Sox.'