The SEC (a.k.a., The King of the Hill) and the PAC-12 (a.k.a., The Challenger) are widely thought to be the two best college football conferences in America heading into the 2014 football season. At Last Word on Sports, we thought it would be fun to compare the best players and units from each conference and predict which team would win in a Pro Bowl-type SEC vs PAC-12 match-up. As you might imagine, there was some disagreement. The case for the SEC to retain its bragging rights and whip the upstarts from the west is made here.
First, the teams:
| 1st Team All-Conference | 1st Team All-Conference | |
| Position: | PAC-12 | SEC |
| QB | Marcus Mariota (Oregon) | Nick Marshall (Auburn) |
| RB | Javorius Allen (USC) | Todd Gurley (Georgia) |
| RB | Byron Marshall (Oregon) | TJ Yeldon (Alabama) |
| WR | Nelson Agholor (USC) | Amari Cooper (Alabama) |
| WR | Jaelen Strong (Arizona State) | Laquon Treadwell (Mississippi) |
| TE | Connor Hamlett (Oregon State) | O.J. Howard (Alabama) |
| OT | Andrus Peat (Stanford) | Cedric Ogbuehi (Texas A&M) |
| OG | Alex Redmond (UCLA) | A.J. Cann (South Carolina) |
| C | Hroniss Grasu (Oregon) | Reese Dismukes (Auburn) |
| OG | Josh Garnett (Stanford) | Alex Kozan (Auburn) |
| OT | Mickey Baucus (Arizona) | Laremy Tunsil (Mississippi) |
| DE | Henry Anderson (Stanford) | Dante Fowler (Florida) |
| DT | Danny Shelton (Washington) | Chris Jones (Mississippi State) |
| DT | Hau’oli Kikaha (Washington) | Robert Nkemdiche (Mississippi) |
| DE | Leonard Williams (USC) | A’Shawn Robinson (Alabama) |
| LB | Myles Jack (UCLA) | Trey DePriest (Alabama) |
| LB | Eric Kendricks (UCLA) | A.J. Johnson (Tennessee) |
| LB | Shaq Thompson (Washington) | Ramik Wilson (Georgia) |
| CB | Ifo Ekpre-Olomu (Oregon) | Vernon Hargreaves III (Florida) |
| FS | Su’a Cravens (USC) | Landon Collins (Alabama) |
| SS | Jordan Richards (Stanford) | Cody Prewitt (Mississippi) |
| CB | Marcus Peters (Washington) | Tre’Davious White (LSU) |
| K | Andy Phillips (Utah) | Marshall Morgan (Georgia) |
| P | Tom Hackett (Utah) | Drew Kaser (Texas A&M) |
| KR | Ty Montgomery (Stanford) | Christion Jones (Alabama) |
| PR | Nelson Agholor (USC) | Christion Jones (Alabama) |
| Source: athlonsports.com | ||
QB Comparison:
This is a fun match-up between two legitimate Heisman contenders in Marcus Mariota and Nick Marshall. Marshall is coming off two of the most memorable last-minute victories in recent FBS memory and an appearance in the final BCS Championship Game. Mariota comes into his redshirt junior season completely healthy and extremely dangerous, given his combination of size, speed, and accuracy in the passing game.
Advantage: PAC-12 Quarterback
RB Comparison:
The four preseason all-conference running backs come from incredibly different pedigrees. The PAC-12 contenders are young and relatively untested. Their SEC counterparts are widely regarded as among the top five or six in the entire nation, with lots of big-game experience as leading men already under their belt. This one, frankly, isn’t even close.
Advantage: SEC Running Backs
Receiver (WR&TE) Comparison:
Boy would it be fun to watch these six young men go to work in our hypothetical match-up. There is great talent across the board at the wide receiver and tight end positions. The speed advantage likely goes to the players from the western states, but the SEC players have the size, savvy, and hands to dominate against the PAC-12s smallish defensive backs.
Advantage: SEC Pass Catchers
Offensive Line Comparison:
If the running back competition has the widest gap, these two groups may have the smallest. There are tons (literally) of very talented beef represented on the two first-team offensive lines, and not much separation between them. Stanford’s Andrus Peat may be the most highly-coveted player as an NFL prospect—playing the vital left tackle position, at that—but the SEC players are talented across the board, and just slightly nastier as a group.
Advantage: SEC Offensive Line
Defensive Line Comparison:
The SEC defensive line representatives come from four different schools, while half of the All-PAC-12 line comes from Washington in the rainy Pacific Northwest. Two of the most heralded defensive linemen in the nation would play in this game: USC’s Leonard Williams and Ole Miss’ Robert Nkemdiche. Hard to pick against the best defensive line defenders from Florida and Alabama, especially when they would get to play alongside All-American Nkemdiche.
Advantage: SEC Defensive Line
Linebacker Comparison:
Great players are all over the field on both teams, but the two linebacker groups are very special. Trey DePriest from Linebacker U (sorry, Penn State) may very well be the next first rounder to enter the NFL from Tuscaloosa. UCLA has two stud linebackers, including the conference’s reigning defensive and offensive Freshman of the Year in rising sophomore Myles Jack. Jack has All-American written all over him.
Advantage: PAC-12 Linebackers
Defensive Back Comparison:
The PAC-12 defensive backfield is anchored by Oregon’s Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, while safety Landon Collins of Alabama sets the tone for the SEC’s defensive backs. Collins is one of the most versatile defensive backs in the nation, having split his starts at free safety and strong safety over the past two seasons. The biggest hitter in the group may be Stanford’s Jordan Richards, who has been laying the lumber for his two seasons as a starter.
Advantage: PAC-12 Defensive Backs
Special Teams Comparison:
Marshall Morgan is money for the Bulldogs, and return specialist Christion Jones is one of the best in the nation at kick returner and punt returner. Stanford’s Montgomery is electrifying on kickoffs, but may see less action at kick returner during 2014, due to his importance as a key weapon in the Cardinal offense this season.
Advantage: SEC Specialists
There you have it. The SEC has the advantage in five of the eight position groupings in this analysis. From a coaching standpoint, the SEC has a distinct advantage as well, with three national championship-winning coaches (Saban, Miles, and Spurrier), compared to zero from the current line-up of PAC-12 coaches.
The SEC would win this hypothetical match-up, 24-14.
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