SEC doesn’t deserve benefit of doubt

Nick Saban is the face of the mighty Southeastern Conference, and the Alabama coach already has one black eye. He has one loss, in other words.

Maybe another one will be enough to knock the Crimson Tide out of College Football Playoff contention.

Love the SEC or hate it, you can't deny the bias that favors the league. Even the players know a one-loss SEC team still has a better chance of getting into the playoffs than a one-loss Big 12, Big Ten or Pac-12 team.

Mississippi just upset Alabama for the second straight year. After the Rebels' 43-37 victory in Tuscaloosa on Saturday, Tide wide receiver Parker Barrineau posted this statement on Twitter: "For the second straight year, we will be in the college football playoff and Ole Miss won't. Bama isn't going anywhere."

What other one-loss team is so confident of getting in? Some say strength of schedule is one reason for the SEC bias, but how true is that? In recent weeks, we have seen some of the SEC's supposed top teams struggle with weak opponents.

Arkansas suffered losses to Toledo and Texas Tech, both times as a double-digit home favorite. Auburn barely escaped in overtime as a 39-point favorite against Jacksonville State. Missouri dodged upset bids by Arkansas State and Connecticut.

Georgia faces Southern University this week. Later in the season, Texas A&M plays Western Carolina, South Carolina plays The Citadel and Alabama plays Charleston Southern. How is that for strength of schedule?

Let's pick on Georgia for a second, and let's say the Bulldogs win the SEC title game. Do they really deserve to get invited to the four-team playoff by beating Louisiana-Monroe, Southern and Georgia Southern out of conference?

Alabama is a 38-point favorite over Louisiana-Monroe this week. Saban, like the other coaches in his league, knows how to schedule soft spots.

The SEC is like any other conference. It has some good teams at the top — Ole Miss, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana State. It has some mediocre teams in the middle — Tennessee, Florida, Missouri, Mississippi State, Texas A&M and Kentucky. Out of respect for Steve Spurrier, I won't put South Carolina in the bottom category with Arkansas, Auburn and Vanderbilt.

I'm not impressed. Let's just admit the playoff bias favoring the SEC is all about money. The selection committee proved that last year by snubbing Baylor and Texas Christian from the Big 12.

The SEC's dominance on the field is a myth. It's the power of perception and, of course, money.

Hottie threesome

Each week, I recommend three underdogs that are live to win outright. I call it my "Hottie threesome," and I also parlay the teams on the money line (Home team in CAPS):

* EAST CAROLINA (+10, +330) over Virginia Tech — The Hokies should be looking for revenge in this spot, but I'm not sure they will get it. Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer is 2-9 against the spread in his last 11 games. The Pirates have been good in the home 'dog role.

* ARIZONA (+3, +135) over Ucla — Wildcats coach Rich Rodriguez is 11-3 ATS as a home 'dog, and the home team owns this series. The Bruins are 4-10 ATS as road favorites. UCLA freshman quarterback Josh Rosen was brought back to reality when he threw three interceptions against Brigham Young.

* WASHINGTON (+3, +140) over California — Take the better defense and the points. The Bears deserve to be favored on the road for another week? I think not.

NFL best bet

* RAMS (Pick) over Steelers — I love handicapping games based off public perception. What happened last week? Watch the public overreact. The Steelers blew out the 49ers. The Rams just lost to the Redskins. But, remember, St. Louis was coming off its Super Bowl against the Seahawks. This is a nonconference road game for Pittsburgh, which has division rival Baltimore on deck.

Kelly Stewart of Kellyinvegas.com is a sports betting columnist for the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Follow her on Twitter: @kellyinvegas