CBS announcers Verne Lundquist and Gary Danielson are about to call their 10th SEC Championship game together. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution spoke to them in separate phone calls to get their thoughts about the SEC, the College Football Playoff and what folks think of them.
Q: Since you have seen so many SEC games through years, how do you compare Alabama this year with past Alabama teams?
Danielson: They're similar. They're better in some areas. They're a little deeper team. But in a couple of important areas, mainly quarterback and running back, it's basically one guy at running back, which is dangerous. From the first game of the year, even when (LSU's Leonard) Fournette was hot and running away with the Heisman (Trophy), I would say in all my interviews that the most valuable player in the league is Derrick Henry because he's the guy Alabama could not afford to lose. He was their whole running attack. They don't have the dependable quarterback this year, but Jake (Coker) has improved and gotten better as the season has gone on. He's now becoming almost a dependable player.
Lundquist: The standard is awfully high with all the championships they've won. Defensively, I don't know if this is as good of a starting 11, but it's as good a front seven that I've seen Nick put on the field. Offensively, they've got a potential Heisman Trophy winner at the tailback spot, and I think has Lane Kiffin has contributed mightily in the two years he's been there.
Q: What about defensively? Do they compare to the national championship teams?
Danielson: They're very comparable. They have multiple ways to beat you. What separates Alabama from almost all the other college football teams — the closest one to me this year is Michigan State — they have been put together to beat you in so many different ways. It's really been the trademark of Nick Saban teams and his coaching tree, with Mark Dantonio being part of that. One game it's their rush defense. The next game it's their man-to-man coverage. The next game it's their special teams. The next game they're hitting explosive plays on you. And the very next game, they're running the ball down your throat. They're a team that can take your weaknesses and pick that scab and make you bleed from whatever you're weak at. The biggest difference from this year's team to previous teams is that they're better pass rushers, and they have more depth than they've ever had. They're willing to use their depth.
Q: What do you think about the job Jim McElwain has done this year?
Danielson: The second-most impactful play of the SEC season was the fourth-down pass between Florida and Tennessee. The most impactful was (Arkansas') fourth-and-25 against Ole Miss. There's almost a direct parallel to how McElwain is building this team and where Nick Saban was his first year at Alabama. Jim has had a lot of breaks go his way. He's built on the defense Will Muschamp left him at Florida. It was one-sided football teams. For whatever reason, they were able to win games and get W's in games that didn't go their way in the past. This year, everything went well for Jim. I almost believe that next year he could have a better football team with a worse record. He got a lot of breaks.
Lundquist: It's impossible to ignore 10-(2), but they've had some very close calls. I think the play of the year will be the fourth-and-14 against Tennessee when (Antonio) Callaway caught it and went (63) yards, and they won that one 28-27. They had a close call against Vanderbilt. They won that one by (two points). They managed to do the right things often enough. Defensively, they're up there in the top echelon of the SEC. I don't think Jim McElwain was an obvious choice for that job, but he was a terrific choice.
Q: What’s the weakest SEC winner you’ve seen?
Danielson: I would say 2013's Auburn team was probably the weakest, top to bottom. And they came within a drive of winning the national championship. They weren't as strong on defense. The 2010 Auburn team was not a great defensive team, too. But the 2010 team had one of the great players in college football history (Cam Newton). He carried that team. The 2013 Auburn team had to have two miracle plays to get into the championship. They had to have the Prayer and the Kick Six.
Lundquist: It's easier for me to tell you the best game. I'd hate to pick one. Let me leave it at that.
Q: If Florida defeats Alabama, they would be a SEC champion with two losses. Should the SEC winner with two losses rate higher for the CFP playoff than an undefeated Power 5 team like Iowa?
Danielson: That's not going to happen. The winner of this year's (Michigan) State-Iowa game is going to be in the championship. Oklahoma is going to be in the championship. If Clemson wins, they're going to be in the championship. So Florida would have to get into an argument over a one-loss Ohio State. They would have to get into an argument with a two-loss Stanford team. It's an interesting argument, but that's where the argument will be. I would say, no, if that's the case. The biggest flaw of the system is: The better your conference is and the deeper your conference is, the less chance you have at putting a representative into the championship. I've always argued the major five conference champions should get in. There should be one wild card. The two top teams should get a bye and the other four teams play into the final four. Eight is too many. There would be a watered-down effect to it.
Lundquist: I would say no. They have two losses and Iowa is the Big Ten champion, we're assuming. I would put Iowa in. Absolutely I would.
Q: Should the SEC winner automatically go to the CFP semifinals?
Danielson: In the current system, they don't automatically get a team in there. I wouldn't advocate for that.
Lundquist: Under normal circumstances, yes, I do. I'm among those who believe it's the strongest conference in college football. I don't think this year, top to bottom, is the best year I've seen for talent in the conference. I guess some wide receiver from Ohio State was poo-pooing Alabama's schedule. I don't think there's anything wrong with Alabama's schedule at all. And I don't think that Ohio State had to run through the land of giants this year. I believe, in normal circumstances, the SEC champion should be in the playoff, but I don't know if you can put a twice-defeated SEC champion over and above an undefeated Big Ten champion. I just don't think you can do that.
Q: Do you see enough of the other conferences to compare the SEC to the other Power Five conferences?
Danielson: I don't have certainty to it, and I don't know if anybody else does. I can't tell you if Oklahoma State is better than Mississippi State. And no one else does. I don't know if Michigan is better than Arkansas. And no one else does. So I think that is a fallacy of the (CFP) committee, their belief that they can put an eye test on something I know they can't. I know that's impossible.
Lundquist: I'm not qualified to judge the quality of one conference over another.
Q: How do you react and respond to criticism from viewers and on Twitter?
Danielson: I don't take personally what people say about me. I know my beliefs and I know my biases, and there are people who I work for who are very critical of my work. I know what I do well, and I know when I make mistakes. I know I'm not perfect, but I do not play to the echo. Never have. Never will. I played quarterback in the NFL, and when you play quarterback in the NFL — and I was on losing teams and took a lot of criticism. If you're not tough enough to handle that … I'm sure I'm tough enough to handle a little bit of Twitter.
Lundquist: We are accused, I'm told, of having a bias. We both run into it. We do not have a bias at all. What we hope for is a game that carries us into the fourth quarter. That speaks to the passion of college football in the South and how important it is to so many people.
Q: How do you describe your styles?
Danielson: Verne has a great bedside manner. I don't. I look at it almost like I'm a surgeon. It's X's and O's. It's how I got ready to play a football game as a quarterback. You know the doctor, when he's operating, they cover up everything but the area that they're doing. It's almost like it's not a person. That's how I feel like when I broadcast the game. I don't care about the surroundings. I stick to my job. My job is to break down the game. It's not personal. I'm not trying to dog anybody. I'm just trying to explain and entertain.
Lundquist: We have a contrast in personalities, and yet we have a trust in each other and a respect for the way each of us go about it. Gary Danielson prepares for a game as arduously as anyone I've ever worked with, and I know he's going to be really prepared at 3:30 on a Saturday afternoon. We have totally different roles. I'm also a storyteller, and that's what I've done all these years. I'm crazy for the whole Saturday spectacle, and I love telling stories about the kids that we meet. I think my style lends itself to people wanting to spend an afternoon with the two of us. He knows the game, inside and out, and has an ability to dissect a play or dissect a theme and make listening to him worthwhile.
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