The SEC

Caroline Hayes

The SEC, the ever-so-loved division of college football that is all the rage this season, well… more like every season. The South Eastern Conference is a division of colleges in the southeast whose pride lies in game days and football. These schools have more to offer than just outrageously hype Saturdays, many of the schools in this conference excel academically and are some of the top in the nation. “God, sweet tea, and the SEC”, a common southern saying, is highly respected in this day and age by many of our own Wesleyan students including our very own, Ella V Cooper. The Southeastern Conference is comprised of the University of Florida, UGA, the University of South Carolina, the University of Tennessee, the University of Alabama, Auburn University, Ole Miss, LSU, and many other top notch schools.

To start us off, let’s get right to the pride and joy of the SEC: football. Unlike the ACC, the SEC has had more than two consistently good teams that surfaced in the last three years, Clemson and Florida State. Right now, the SEC has nine teams in the top 25 that have been steady competitors and have won eight out of the ten past national championships. But, aside from the facts, there is no doubt the SEC has the most school spirit out of any other.

From Tuscaloosa to Athens to Oxford to Auburn, there is no doubt that these schools are the most spirited and get the wildest for game day. The Hotty Toddy, War Eagle and Roll Tide fans go all out every single Saturday. Game day is the most important day of the week… or the year. Aside from football, this conference poses fierce Division One competition in every collegiate sport including swimming, baseball and gymnastics.

But besides the sports aspect of these schools, which all of them succeed in, the SEC contains very highly respected academic schools. Vanderbilt, the University of Florida and the University of Georgia are a few of the top schools in the country as far as academics. The SEC is obviously known for its athletic accomplishments, but students don’t slack off on the academic side of the spectrum either. The ACC simply cannot compare to the level of the Southeastern Conference. The SEC is more than just a conference, it is an elite family, said to be “the Kardashian’s of football” by Brooks Lalley, complete with passionate fans and top academic standings.

The ACC

Emily Greer

Living in the South, when it comes to college and college sports, it’s pretty obvious who the favorite conference is, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best one. Most people in the south nearly worship the SEC, and I am definitely in the minority of people who would argue that the ACC is in fact a better conference. Usually, SEC fans point to college football and argue that the ACC only has “one good team.” However, that is not the case this season. As of right now, week five, the ACC has four teams ranked in the top 15 of the AP Poll, two of which are in the top five. The SEC has two teams ranked in the top 10. Even though Alabama has recently been the dominant force of college football, they are the only consistently strong college football team that the SEC has.

As far as college basketball goes, there isn’t even a question about which conference is better. When March Madness comes around, you always hear names such as UNC, Syracuse and Duke, not Alabama, Georgia or Auburn. This past season, the ACC finished with seven basketball teams ranked in the top 25, four of which were in the top ten. How about the SEC? They had two. The SEC had two basketball teams ranked in the top 25, none of which were in the top ten. The ACC absolutely dominates the SEC when it comes to college basketball and anyone who argues with that is just wrong.

Aside from the athletic side of college, the ACC also dominates the SEC in terms of academics. While the SEC does have a couple top universities such as Florida and Vanderbilt, the ACC is packed with highly ranked schools such as Duke, UVA, UNC, Wake Forest and although some say it doesn’t count, Notre Dame. The ACC leads all FBS conferences by having six member schools ranked in the top 25, three in the top ten. The SEC has two schools ranked in the top 25, none of which are in the top ten. The SEC may have a couple dominant sports programs, but it definitely does not even compare to the ACC as far as academics go.

While the SEC may have one powerhouse football team and a couple decent basketball teams, the ACC has several top football teams, many highly ranked basketball teams, and nearly half of all the schools in the ACC are ranked in the top 25 academically. So pretty much the ACC is just a better conference than the SEC.