Auburn vaulted to number one in the BCS tonight. The computers loved their 7-point win over LSU in an SEC showdown of unbeatens. With the computers set to ignore margin of victory, Massey and Sagarin and the rest can gloss over the record, which shows the Tigers nearly stumbled in game two versus Mississippi State (17-14, no points in the second half), needed an overtime field goal to beat Clemson 27-24, and survived a second-half rally to best Kentucky 37-34 (six points in the second half). They haven't looked invincible beating anyone, except Louisiana-Monroe, and neither had LSU., escaping narrowly at Tennessee and struggling with McNeese State.
The Tigers travel to Oxford this weekend to face Jeremiah Masoli and the Rebels. They follow that with a roster game at home versus Chattanooga, then finish the SEC schedule at home versus Georgia and at Alabama on November 26.
The talent and speed and defense in the SEC is indeed formidable, but the conference benefits mightily from the 8-game schedule, which allows every team in the league to schedule one additional patsy. Every SEC record is inflated by one game, an automatic win which boosts records, rankings, and perception. The body of work will always look better as long as this fundamental inequity goes unaccounted for.
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