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Speed

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I don't know about speed vs speed but I do think the South plays better football. The state of Florida alone supplies 3 top level programs. Then you have other programs like Tennessee, LSU and Alabama who have all won a National Title in recent times. Maybe throw Auburn in there because I think they were every bit as good as USC was in 04. Va Tech has played for a National Title as well. Then on top of the National Titles, each of the Big-3 have played for a National Title in recent memory. Then throw in Georgia who has always been a good program in college football.

When you look at Northern teams, only ND, OSU, Michigan and PSU really stand out as of late. West Virginia has been so-so but nothing special.
 
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National Titles since 1990:

1990: Georgia Tech and Colorado
1991: Miami and Washington
1992: Alabama
1993: Florida State
1994: Nebraska
1995: Nebraska
1996: Florida
1997: Michigan and Nebraska
1998:Tennessee
1999: Florida State
2000: Oklahoma
2001: Miami
2002: Ohio State
2003: LSU and USC
2004: USC (Auburn)
2005: Texas

So of those 16 years, 9 times a team from the South won the National Title. I would put it at 10 because I truly think Auburn got jobbed in 2004. That makes for over 50% of the National Titles since 1990 for just one region of football. 2 of the 4 Northern teams (PSU and ND) are nowhere to be found. Now maybe you should consider PSU as well...the same way I consider Auburn.
 
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When an announcer talks about southern speed, it suggests that it is different than northern speed, which is bogus. There is more quantity of talent, but not better quality at the top.

As for titles:
80's - 4/6

north (PSU, BYU, PSU, ND) , south (UGA, Clem, Miami, Miami, Miami)

90's - 5/5

north (Col, Wash, Neb, Neb, Mich/Neb) , south (GT, Miami, Bama, FSU, UF, Tenn, FSU)

00's - 1/5
G8erBait said:
In terms of a football related argument, I generally look at West Virginia and up.
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I think that's kind of a convenient snapshot... basically anywhere they can practice almost the whole year outdoors... and schools that can poach from the north and the south (ie Tennessee).
 
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G8erBait said:
National Titles since 1990:

1990: Georgia Tech and Colorado
1991: Miami and Washington
1992: Alabama
1993: Florida State
1994: Nebraska
1995: Nebraska
1996: Florida
1997: Michigan and Nebraska
1998:Tennessee
1999: Florida State
2000: Oklahoma
2001: Miami
2002: Ohio State
2003: LSU and USC
2004: USC (Auburn)
2005: Texas

So of those 16 years, 9 times a team from the South won the National Title. I would put it at 10 because I truly think Auburn got jobbed in 2004. That makes for over 50% of the National Titles since 1990 for just one region of football. 2 of the 4 Northern teams (PSU and ND) are nowhere to be found. Now maybe you should consider PSU as well...the same way I consider Auburn.
Click to expand...

Yeah, and in those same 16 years nine teams from the north (which I've highlighted in your quote, and Oklahoma is a tweener which could go either way) won national titles. So, your point is...?
 
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G8erBait said:
winslow, why do you consider BYU, Washington and Colorado as "Northern" teams? If you are breaking it down in that manner, then wouldn't Oklahoma, Texas and Southern California be considered "Southern" teams?
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byu and colorado are basically the same latitude as columbus. I'm assuming Wash must be a typo.
G8erBait said:
How in the world do you consider Oklahoma and Southern Cal as Northern teams?
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I edited OU (while you were posting) and put them in the south... SC is clearly in the south.
 
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I don't think it is fair to use Colorado and Washington in your argument. It would be even more unfair for the South to include the talent rich areas of Texas and "Southern" California. I'm sure the recent argument would be even more lopsided if the South could include USC and Texas.

Anways, I am generally talking about the Southeast compared to the Midwest and Northeast. In terms of geography, from Minnesota/Iowa to Maine and about as South as West Virginia. As for the Southeast, I would guess as far west as Louisiana/Arkansas all the way to Virginia and so on.

I am talking more about general regions rather then splitting the entire U.S. into North/South.
 
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we're getting off topic. Do you see a drawback to players like Hawk, Ginn, Smith, etc b/c they are from the north? I doubt it, and that's what makes "southern speed" a stupid catch phrase. I don't know that anyone is going to try and dispute that there is more recruiting talent in the south (south-east in this case) than in the north (midwest & ne)... just that they are not blessed with faster muscles than the elite north prospects.
 
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In terms of top end speed, I don't think there is much difference. The 5 fastest guys in the North are probably going to be as fast as the 5 fastest guys in the South. But if you were to make up a league full of just kids from the North vs a league full of kids just from the South, I think you would find that the Southern teams would be much more quick.

Indivudually I don't think there is much difference. Speed wise there isn't much that seperates AJ Hawk and Ernie Simms or Ted Ginn Jr and Devin Hester. But when you look at the region as a whole, then I think you would notice that the faster athletes reside in the South. But for OSU it doesn't matter because they can take all the great top talent in Ohio and they can even go down South and steal away a few prospects.
 
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Why are we rehashing this crap?

We saw "southern speed" eat us alive in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, right?

We saw "southern speed" overwhelm us in two matchups with NC State, right?

We saw Florida get woodshedded by Iowa in the Outback a few years ago and then escape on a bogus call this year.

I'm glad I'm a Florida native. That alone takes .4 seconds off my 40 time... :roll1:
 
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