Seriously, Does Anybody Want the SEC East?

 After a late Missouri collapse, another one bites the dust

At this point, we’re pretty much incapable of discussing the SEC West without resorting to at least a little hyperbole. The division features arguably the greatest dynasty ever (Nick Saban’s unstoppable Crimson Tide), the greatest player ever (some guy named Johnny down at Texas A&M) and what has over the past decade become one of the best rivalries in college athletics (LSU and Alabama).

L.G. Patterson/AP

It’s the division that keeps on giving, week after week, year after year, so much so that in 2013 its managed to hide a dirty little secret: its little brother to the east has been underwhelming at best. A lot of this isn’t the East’s fault, really. Georgia and Florida have been perennial standard bearers, but this year each has been reduced to a MASH unit. But South Carolina, who many thought could finally break through this season, has disappointed, and the East’s last hope — 7-0 Missouri — went down in a blaze of glory last night against the Gamecocks.

The Tigers had managed to rocket up the rankings, from unranked to fifth in a matter of weeks, on the strength of reputation alone. The only marquee wins for Missouri were on the road at Georgia and a romp over Florida at home. Any other season, that would be a heck of a resume. But this is bizarro world, where Georgia was down their two starting running backs and their top three receivers and the Gators were missing an All-American defensive tackle and their entire starting backfield (and were a bit overrated to start the year anyway).

Missouri was exposed a bit last night, in spectacularly brutal fashion. Backup QB Maty Mauk, who had become a folk hero after filling in for injured started James Franklin against Florida, came back down to Earth, completing just 10 of 25 passes and struggling badly down the stretch when the Tigers needed a score. And once Connor Shaw entered the picture, the vaunted Missouri D suddenly looked vulnerable.

Amid all the plaudits the Tigers front seven had received over the last two weeks, what had become lost in the shuffle is that Mizzou had played two teams bereft of any talent at the skill positions. Yes, they throttled Aaron Murray, but he had nobody to throw or hand off to, and Florida has struggled mightily on offense all season. Shaw, who didn’t start the game due to injury but came on in relief as the Gamecocks failed to put even a single drive together, was the Tigers’ stiffest test yet, and they failed.

Down 17-0 in the fourth quarter, the senior engineered three scoring drives to force overtime, as Mauk folded and the clock couldn’t move fast enough. Mizzou had a chance to force a third overtime, but a 24-yard field goal clanked off the left upright, and just like that, the dream season had gone up in smoke. SEC fans love to crow about how difficult a league it is, and historically they’ve certainly been justified — even when their teams lose, it’s because they have a brutal in-league gauntlet to run.

But hiding behind aura and a flashy name shouldn’t cut it this year. There are too many great teams elsewhere, including almost all of the Pac-12 North, to ignore while the SEC cycles through teams that don’t seem to even want a trip to Atlanta for the conference title game. All eyes will be on the Cocktail Party, as they always are, but maybe this time it’ll feel just a little less special, as the country greets the underachieving East with a bit of a shrug before looking elsewhere.