#1 All the years UofL was in the Big East in football, I do not recall any of those years where the Big East had a team in the BCS title game or even a team capable of winning a title. The SEC has had the #1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament 3 out of the last 6 seasons and 3 champions in the last 11 years. (Big10 has not had a champion since 2000 I believe, huge drought)
UofL in 2006 ring a bell? We were one field goal away from going to the BCS title game. And I can tell you this Hoptown, while we may not have beaten Florida that year we sure would've given Florida a better game than Ohio State did. That I am sure of.
Nevermind WVU in 2007, they don't blow it against Pittsburgh they are in the BCS title game and not LSU. If they had made it to the BCS title game they probably beat Ohio State.
So unlike what you want to believe the Big East was very close to some BCS title game appearances while we were in it. We were just as close to a BCS title in 2006 and 2007 as the SEC was to a basketball NC in 2014 and 2015.
Oh and BTW, here's some of those BCS results from Big East teams during that period:
2005: WVU defeats SEC Champion Georgia
2006: UofL defeats ACC Champion Wake Forest
2007: WVU defeats Big 12 Champion Oklahoma
2011: WVU defeats ACC Champion Clemson (and from what I remember worse loss in school history)
2012: UofL defeats SEC Florida (who many thought should've been in the NC game)
The Big East was 5 - 3 in BCS bowl games over the 8 years UofL was in it. Yet you still want to say we couldn't compete with the big boys during that time period?
#2 The SEC wishes it had a year like the 2014 AAC, you mean like 2012. Your whole basis for that point is that because they won a title and the SEC never had a season like that...ignoring the fact that the SEC had a championship in 2012 and 2 out of 4 teams in the 2014 final 4.
Keep trying to go back to that and I'm going to ask the same question I keep asking. How many of those were achieved by an SEC team not named UK or UF? How many #1 seeds have been achieved by an SEC team not named UK or UF? How many Final Fours this decade have been achieved by an SEC team not named UK or UF? What if we put UK in the OVC and UK kept having success. Does that suddenly make the OVC a major conference?
Again I'm not trying to say UK and UF aren't good teams, but the SEC is complete dog meat once you get past UK and UF. The SEC IS Mid-Major once you get past UK and UF and should be treated like a mid-major conference. The other SEC teams could go to the American, MWC, West Coast type conferences and they still wouldn't win a conference title. That's the difference between the SEC and the ACC, Big 12, Big East (most years) and Big Ten (most years), we go more than 2 deep. The middle of the conference is where the SEC completely lacks.
The SEC has had 3 champions since the year 2000(Actually 3 since 2006), The ACC has had 6, the Big East(new/old) has had 5 titles(new Big East just 1), AAC 1 title, Big 12 1 title, and the Big 10 has not won a title since the 2000 Michigan State Spartans. And I used numbers for their conference at the time not current conference. Quit acting like the SEC is a mid major this year. Yes, it has been a weaker conference of the Power 5 as of lately...but 3 champions in 11 seasons(and a runner-up in there as well) is not a mid-major conference like an OVC. Not on the ACC's level...but not a bottom tier.
And once again how many of those 3 SEC National Champions were teams NOT named UK or UF? Sorry but once again I won't quit acting like the SEC is mid major this year, because the SEC as far as I'm concerned is a mid-major conference most years, and especially recently. Having one or two good teams is the very definition of a mid-major conference. I look at UK as not much different than Gonzaga, racking up wins in an easy conference against nobody opponents and because of it getting a seed higher than what they have probably truly earned. I don't think Gonzaga should've been a 1 seed and I don't think UK should've been a 2 seed.
Apples and oranges comparison as well, the AAC, which you try to compare yourself as better than, has been in existence for 4 years. The SEC has been in existence for almost 100 years! And yes I consider the AAC a mid-major conference as well, why do you think we were so happy when we were finally out of it after that year in purgatory?
The Big 12 and Big Ten you are right have not had a lot of success finishing the job and getting NC's, but are you really trying to say you are better than those 2 conferences top to bottom? The Big Ten since 2013 alone has had Michigan, Wisconsin, Michigan State and Ohio State reach the Final Four, that's twice the amount of teams the SEC has had reach the Final Four this decade! Since you want to use 2000 as the benchmark, since 2000 the Big Ten has had Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State and Illinois (not even including current conference member Maryland) represent the conference in the Final Four. In that same time frame only UK, UF and LSU have represented the SEC in the Final Four. That's over twice the amount if you include Maryland.
Since 2000 the Big 12 has had Kansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas (not even including current conference member West Virginia) represent the conference in the Final Four. And that's coming from a conference that is smaller than the SEC. A 10 (formerly 12) team league with 5 of its members if you include West Virginia having reached the Final Four since 2000 vs. a 14 (formerly 12) team league with only 3 of its members having reach the Final Four since 2000. Which one do you think is better?
Beating your chest about your conference is on the level of UK football fans, is that really what you want your program to emulate? Considering you all are a powerhouse almost blue-blood level program, I'd think not.
Probably your most valid point. I know a lot of UofL fans try to be the better man vs UK fans. Sadly I'm not that way, I say if UK fans want to dish it out they better be able to take it. We had to hear you UK fans artificially pump your chest for years when SEC football teams won the National Title (like UK had won a National Title). We had to hear that stupid "SEC, SEC, SEC" chant from you UK fans since many in your fanbase are also Alabama football fans. We had to hear you UK fans talk about how the SEC was almost like playing in the NFL and how the Big East was so pathetic we didn't deserve a BCS bid even if we went undefeated.
So after hearing that for years I think myself and other UofL fans deserve to be able to pay it back to UK fans in basketball. Unlike UK football though, UofL basketball is actually able to back it up by our own play. We take pride in being a part of the ACC, but unlike UK football who hides behind Alabama and the SEC in football, we hide behind no one in basketball. I want to see an all ACC final four with our team coming home with the National Championship. If not us though I do want to see an ACC team bring it home, with the exception of Duke because of Grayson Allen.
