During ACC media days, SMU Mustangs coach Rhett Lashlee made some controverisal comments about the SEC being a top heavy conference.
“The SEC has had the same six schools win the championship since 1964,” said Lashlee. “Not a single one has been different since 1964. That’s top-heavy to me. That’s not depth.”
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Lashlee’s comments are trending topic in today’s college football world. Many fans and members of the media disagree with Lashlee. It is undeniable that the SEC is the top conference in college football. The SEC recruits the best and has produced the most NFL draft picks of any conference for 19 straight years. Current members of the SEC have won 14 of the last 20 national championships even though the Big Ten has won two straight national titles.
We frankly don’t even understand Lashlee’s argument. Eight members of the current SEC (includes Oklahoma and Texas) have won national championships since 2000. During the same time period, only three different ACC teams won national championships.
In response, ESPN’s Paul Finebaum has a couple of words for the Mustangs’ coach.
“In 1987, they (SMU) shut down their football program,” said Finebaum in response to Lashlee. “When he is making fun of the SEC of winning national championships. SMU is the most corrupt program in the history of college football.”
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What Finebaum is talking about with the year 1987 is the SMU program was shut down due to paying players to play for their team in previous years during the 1980’s when it was prohibited. SMU faced the death penalty (did not play any games in 1987) and it took the Mustangs years to recover.
In the new era of college football of player compensation, Texas programs are among the most aggressive in the country with player payments. Texas Tech, Texas and Texas A&M have spent massive amounts to secure top recruits. However, SMU should not be forgotten in this new era. The Mustangs took advantage of their move to the ACC and made the College Football Playoff during the first year of the 12-team playoff era.
The comments will most likely prompt a comparison of the ACC to other Power Four conferences, including the SEC, to see which conferences are performing the best this upcoming season.
Paul Finebaum names college football’s most corrupt program
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This article originally appeared on UGA Wire: Paul Finebaum names Texas program as ‘most corrupt’ in CFB history