It's Almost Time

Last week, CBS put out its ranking of the teams that play D-1A college football.  Here are the ranking for every team in the Classic SEC.  As you will see below, Kentucky is not in last place, because they are well ahead of the Tulane Green Wave:

5.  Georgia

10.  Louisiana St.

12.  Mississippi

13.  Alabama

17.  Tennessee

22.  Florida

32.  Auburn

36.  Vanderbilt

47.  Georgia Tech

51.  Mississippi St.

55.  Kentucky

86.  Tulane

Meanwhile, let's see how the Classic Big 10 is doing.  UK fans used to take comfort from comparing themselves to Indiana, but that probably won't be happening for awhile:

1.  Ohio St.

6.  Indiana

15.  Michigan

21.  Iowa

29.  Illinois

40.  Minnesota

48.  Northwestern

60.  Wisconsin

66.  Michigan St.

82.  Purdue

On the other hand, the Cats are ranked ahead of UNC.  Here's the Classic ACC:

27.  Clemson

28.  S. Carolina

37.  Virginia

45.  N. Carolina St.

46.  Duke

52.  Maryland

58.  Wake Forest

61.  N. Carolina

What's really striking about the Classic ACC is how closely bunched all the teams are, even though none of them is in the Top 20.  It seems obvious that fans at all eight of these schools would have more fun if these teams played a true round-robin schedule with each other.  Check out the 2026 home schedule for Maryland:

9/5:  Hampton

9/19:  Virginia Tech

9/26:  U.C.L.A.

10/17:  Rutgers

10/31:  Illinois

11/14:  Wisconsin

11/28:  Penn St.

Now, if you replaced U.C.L.A., Rutgers, Illinois, and Wisconsin with South Carolina, N. Carolina St., Duke, and N. Carolina -- and threw in road games against Clemson, UVA, and Wake -- wouldn't that be a lot more entertaining?  Of course it would.