Notre Dame's Big Win Over LSU Was Just The Beginning of Huge SEC West Downfall

When Notre Dame made the decision to play LSU in the Music City Bowl, I am sure that starting a streak of losses for the SEC West was the last thing they were worried about. After a season that began so strong but ended in a big collapse, ending on a positive note was the only thing the Fighting Irish was worried about.

Nonetheless, Notre Dame and their fans have had to deal with what all other college football teams and their fans have to deal with. That is constantly listening to ESPN talk about how great the SEC is. Nobody can deny the impressive run they have had. However, I find it especially irritating that they schedule lots of FCS team and are never held accountable for it. That is especially true for the SEC West. The SEC East at least has end of season rivals with the ACC.

For years the conference has gotten away with that and we still hear how their schedules are so tough. This season was a little different as there was the perception that the SEC West had actually separated itself from the SEC East and was dominant in all of college football. The Playoff committee clearly showed SEC West bias in the early polls before they ultimately did get it right.

Notre Dame and all college football fans grew tired of hearing about the "mighty SEC West." Ironically when the bowl season began it looked like the entire SEC would just dominate once again. South Carolina from the East defeated Miami in the Independence Bowl. Texas A & M from the West defeated West Virginia in the Liberty Bowl. That same day Arkansas from the West destroyed Texas in the Texas Bowl.

Next game Notre Dame's great win over LSU. That did not look like a streak would be created though because that same day Georgia from the East crushed Louisville in the Belk Bowl. At that point, the conference as a whole was looking good as they were 4-1. The East was 2-0 and the mighty West was 2-1.

Ironically since then the East picked up another victory via Missouri over Minnesota in the Citrus Bowl. The SEC East is 3-0 so far with a chance for their division to go unbeaten. Tennessee will be favored over Iowa in the Taxslayer Bowl and Florida can end on a positive note against ECU in the Birmingham Bowl. But for the supposed superior West, the Notre Dame win created a streak that let's just say has made it a bad three days for the "best division in all of college football."

TCU crushed Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl.

Georgia Tech kept in going against Mississippi State in the Orange Bowl.

Wisconsin shocked Auburn in the Outback Bowl.

But the biggest blow of all was Ohio State over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl/Playoff Semifinal.

So although they didn't plan it that way, Notre Dame began something big. The SEC West had a belief that they were just better than the rest of college football, but the rest of college football would have none of it. It kind of reminded me when Hitler had this belief that Germans were the master race but Jessie Owens came in and won all those Gold medals and blew his theory out the door. What these wins showed is that the SEC West is simply not superior to anybody in college football. They lost to the Big 10, ACC, Big 12, and the Independent that started it all. Maybe next year the committee won't show such bias in the early polls.