🏈 Wall Street Journal: The Tide Rolls. The SEC Rolls Over

[TerryP]

No. 1-ranked Alabama has won so much and for so long that the rest of college football’s proudest conference is now completely and utterly demoralized

One way to understand what’s going on in college football right now is through the prism of a classic 1967 psychological experiment involving dogs.

The dogs in this study were restrained and physically shocked. Then they were set free. And then they were shocked again, this time without restraints. The researchers expected them to run away. But something remarkable happened instead: Even when they could, the dogs didn’t try to escape. They had been conditioned to think the shock was inevitable.

This study became the foundation of a behavioral theory called “learned helplessness.” It also explains the mental state of college football teams stuck playing the one school that has thoroughly demoralized the Southeastern Conference over the last decade: Alabama.

“They’ve resigned themselves to: ‘I’m screwed—there’s nothing I can do,’” says Ed Hirt, an Indiana social psychologist.

The Tide Rolls. The SEC Rolls Over

 

[TerryP]

In the last four seasons, the Crimson Tide have lost exactly three conference games: two to Ole Miss and one to Auburn. That means there are more than 238,000 students currently attending SEC universities who have never seen their schools beat Nick Saban’s football machine. Those undergraduates alone could fill about three football stadiums.


:shock:

 

[EasyTider]

Even the WSJ trying to inspire LSU to take down the 'Evil Empire'.

 

[rick4bama]

RTR!!! Evil Empire and all!!

 

[Bama Guy]

If you are the most hated program, you're doing something right.

 

[TerryP]

Even the WSJ trying to inspire LSU to take down the 'Evil Empire'.

In all seriousness, this is the second article I've come across on the same narrative: people are just beginning to accept this run.

The other article is linked here ... SBNation content, if I recall correctly.

 

[OriginalBamachris]

No. 1-ranked Alabama has won so much and for so long that the rest of college football’s proudest conference is now completely and utterly demoralized

One way to understand what’s going on in college football right now is through the prism of a classic 1967 psychological experiment involving dogs.

The dogs in this study were restrained and physically shocked. Then they were set free. And then they were shocked again, this time without restraints. The researchers expected them to run away. But something remarkable happened instead: Even when they could, the dogs didn’t try to escape. They had been conditioned to think the shock was inevitable.

This study became the foundation of a behavioral theory called “learned helplessness.” It also explains the mental state of college football teams stuck playing the one school that has thoroughly demoralized the Southeastern Conference over the last decade: Alabama.

“They’ve resigned themselves to: ‘I’m screwed—there’s nothing I can do,’” says Ed Hirt, an Indiana social psychologist.

The Tide Rolls. The SEC Rolls Over

I really have a problem with this type of thinking. I have a degree in psychology and over 22 years experience in studying and manipulating human behavior (I can't discuss the manipulation part of my job). Articles like this are often used as a progressive foundation for an argument to limit the capabilities of the successful to "level the playing field" with the unsuccessful. What is not a focus of the articles concerning competition within the SEC and around college football, is the playing field is already level for everyone. Everyone plays within the same rules. Everyone has the same opportunities to evaluate, recruit, develop, and coach. Some are just more adept at it than others (i.e. Saban). This article, and thinking like it, will be used to set rules which impact the capabilities of the successful (i.e. teams like Alabama) to enable the less successful (most of the rest of college football) to catch up. For NASCAR fans, the same thing happened when restrictor plates were put on cars. Some teams were just better at building more efficient cars. So NASCAR took it out of the equation. Notice during last night's game and previous games, the commentators stated "Saban is an expert on the rules and used players like Blake Sims and John Parker Wilson to play the role of the opponents quarterback". It is allowed for all teams, not just Alabama. This will be seen by other schools as an unfair advantage and they will lobby the NCAA behind the scenes to eliminate non-players from assisting in practices and preparations. The only reason it is unfair it the other schools were not creative enough to think about it first. Progressives will use articles like this to state, "There is no way the less successful can compete on a 'level playing field' with teams like Alabama without our (NCAA) assistance." Instead of "leveling the playing field", the NCAA would actually be looking to expand its influence and control. Much like the progressives in government stating, "You are disenfranchised and can't do it on your own, so we will do it for you." The dirty secret is the "disenfranchised" must give us some of their control over their own program and cede it to the authority of the NCAA for the common good. With the NCAA and government, it is not the size in number of employees which is the measure of its "size", its size is measured by the amount of influence, control, and ceding of your liberties to the NCAA or government for the "greater good" or to "level the playing field". Instead of the unsuccessful being resigned to "I'm screwed - there is nothing I can do", they should see opportunity. Opportunity to market immediate or significant playing time at their institution as compared to Alabama. Ole Miss did it, recruited well in the past and beat Alabama in back to back games. Saban did this in 2007 to begin building his foundation. He is just better and maintaining it and developing talent. If I were the coach of one of the unsuccessful teams, I would market my program to assistants who can recruit and develop talent and pay them well with incentives around success. Then I would target players who can be developed and market based on opportunities for playing time early. The assistants get the opportunity to build their resume. The players recruited get the opportunity to showcase their talents early. Alabama's dominance is not something which should have a governor put on it by the NCAA to "allow others to catch up", it should be seen as an opportunity to market and build your own program to compete because "Competition Breeds Excellence".

 

[#80]

The SEC East is as bad as I have ever seen it.

 

[TUSKtimes]

The main reason that the constant attempts to 'level the playing field' never raises much of a concern is that others have to then play by the same standard. Bama is ultra successful because they excel at the most fundamental level and beyond. Attempts at slowing down Bama's machine with any national mandate will have the same success as 'Tiger-proofing' the Masters.