BOL Round Table

I got this from the 247 mainboard. An Auburn fan posted some info about the best 5 year runs in SEC history. Here is his original post:

BEGIN HIS POST

Since things are relatively slow in the off-season, i thought I'd share some numbers that I wrote up a couple years ago (updated today).

These are the top 5-year stretches by the top 6 SEC programs. I found the best 5-year stretch and then found the rest that didn't overlap. I did the same thing for great 10 year stretches and great 20 year stretches as well. I'll post some other time.

There are notes at the end, and since I was posting this on an Auburn board, AuburnUndercover, the notes pertain primarily to Auburn, so no need to flame, I'm giving the disclaimer up front.

Enjoy...or don't. cheers

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And here are some great 5 year periods:

Alabama
1930-1934 - 44-4-1 .908%
1971-1975 - 56-6-0 .900%
1962-1966 - 49-5-1 .900%
1977-1981 - 53-6-1 .892%
1936-1940 - 36-7-3 .815%

Auburn
1910-1914 - 34-4-3 .866%
1954-1958 - 42-8-2 .826%
1986-1990 - 47-10-3 . 808%
1993-1997 - 46-12-1 .788%
2003-2007 - 50-14-0 .781%

Florida
1993-1998 - 65-10-1 .862%
2005-2009 - 57-10-0 .851%
1981-1985 - 42-13-3 .750%
1921-1925 - 33-10-6 .735%
1999-2003 - 45-19-0 .703%

Georgia
1980-1984 - 50-8-2 .850%
1942-1946 - 44-10-0 .815%
2002-2006 - 53-13-0 .803%
1997-2001 - 43-17-0 .716%
1929-1933 - 31-15-3 .663%

LSU
2003-2007 - 56-10-0 .848%
1958-1962 - 44-8-2 .833%
1933-1937 - 41-7-6 .815
1969-1973 - 45-12-1 .784%
1905-1909 - 28-7-2 .784%

Tennessee
1928-1932 - 45-1-4 .940%
1938-1942 - 48-5-1 .898%
1995-1999 - 54-8-0 .871%
1968-1972 - 48-9-1 .836%
1989-1993 - 48-11-2 .803%

END HIS POST

He went on to talk about how all of Alabama's runs occurred when no other SEC team had a great run blah blah blah. Maybe that's just because we dominated so much that no other team could get a great run going. But, I digress. Here is my responding post (I mention an assumption of losing 4 that another Auburn fan mentioned):

The season has 13 games now with bowl games, so it would be 22-4 if we go on your assumption of losing 4. There would be a possibility for 2 additional games if Alabama makes the conference championship in both years.

That's why its exciting. Even if we lost 2 games each of the next two seasons (which I doubt) that would be one of the best runs of the last couple decades. I'm not normally a fan of picking certain windows for statistics (modern era, last 20 years, etc) but because of the addition of conference championship games and more bowl games since the early 90s, lets make an exception and use 1990 on as a reference. Looking at the records in those years (which, again, had more games played so more opportunities for wins/losses than any other era) 22-4 would put Alabama at 58-9 (.866). That would rival or top the 4 elite streaks during that time:

2005-2009 - 57-10-0 .851% for Florida
2003-2007 - 56-10-0 .848% for LSU
1995-1999 - 54-8-0 .871% for Tennessee.
Florida also had this run: 1993-1998 - 65-10-1 .862% but the number of games played is significantly higher than those in all other 1990-2011 streaks. I don't know if that's an error or just a scheduling fluke, but if its legit its very impressive.

Regardless, Alabama would be in solid company. When you take into account the possibility that Alabama might lose less than 4 games in the next two years, its even better. If you give Alabama 2 loses instead of 4 and 1 more win for a conference championship win, that pushes the record to 25-2 for the next two years for a total of 61-7 (.897). I think you could reasonable assume Alabama could accomplish this. They could have an undefeated NC season and a 11-2 season. Or they could have a 13-1 SEC championship season with a loss in the NC game or the regular season, with the other season being a 12-1 season with no conference championship game appearance (say they lost to an undefeated LSU). There would be other scenarios with varying numbers of SEC championship appearances, but you get the point. This run Alabama is on is already very impressive, and could be the best of the conference championship game/expanded bowl schedule era. Other than 1 Alabama streak and 1 Tennessee streak in the 1930s, it would be the best win percentage over 5 years other than two runs by Paul Bryant.