Is SEC Football Still “Elite”?

Nov 30, 2013; Auburn, AL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide offensive linesman Chad Lindsay (78) prepares to snap the ball at the line of scrimmage against the Auburn Tigers at Jordan Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports

From 2006-2012, the SEC was the king of college football conferences. The best team, the best talent, the best coaches and the best fans were to be found in the Southeastern Conference.

The league claimed seven consecutive BCS National Championships by four different schools (Florida, LSU, Alabama and Auburn). These teams won their national championship games by a combined score of 225-106 (an average score of 32-15).

The SEC also dominated in recruiting. Using the final rankings from recruiting website Rivals, from 2006-2012 (the seasons spanning the SEC’s title streak), every year featured an average of 4.3 SEC teams in the top 10.

Many SEC fans insisted that the top teams in other conferences had no business being on the same field as SEC teams. For several years, this point was hard to argue, as SEC teams frequently dominated non-conference competition in big games.

In 2006, Heisman winner Troy Smith’s offense was held to 87 total yards by underdog Florida’s defense.

In 2007, a 2-loss LSU dismantled the top-ranked Buckeyes in a 38-24 win that wasn’t as close as the score indicates.

In 2008, Oklahoma had the top scoring offense in college football history and was limited to 14 points by the Florida Gators.

In 2009, Alabama’s defense smothered a talented Texas offense, forcing 5 turnovers in a 16-point win.

In 2010, an Auburn defense that struggled in conference play shut down an Oregon offense that rolled through most opponents (including 52 points against the Orange Bowl champion Stanford Cardinal).

In 2012, Notre Dame’s imposing defense was bowled over by Alabama’s size and power.

However, the past couple of seasons have seen a change in national perception towards the SEC’s quality. In 2013, Auburn lost the BCS National Championship Game and Alabama lost the Sugar Bowl (allowing 45 points). This past season, Alabama lost the Sugar Bowl again (allowing 42 points) and the Mississippi schools were dominated in the Peach and Orange Bowls, being outscored 91-37 by TCU and Georgia Tech.

The SEC West, which was hailed in the 2014 regular season as the greatest division the sport had ever seen, went 2-5 in bowl games.

The SEC’s supposed cracks in the armor have sparked discussions about whether the league is as good as it was just a few years ago or whether the SEC is still the best league in college football.

However, the fact of the matter is that the SEC actually hasn’t declined at all.

The SEC recruits just as good as it did from 2006-2012. In fact, numbers say that it is recruiting even better. According to Rivals, in 2013, five SEC teams signed top 10 classes. That number jumped to seven last year. In this year’s cycle, six SEC teams signed top 10 classes.

And that “any team can lose any given week” quality of SEC football that became so well-known during the league’s title run? That’s still prevalent. The past two years, the SEC champion’s regular season loss came against a 3-loss team.

And coaching quality? The SEC’s coaching roster is as good as ever. Nick Saban, Gus Malzahn, Les Miles, Bret Bielema, Kevin Sumlin, Dan Mullen, Hugh Freeze, Steve Spurrier, Butch Jones, Mark Stoops, Jim McElwain, Gary Pinkel, Mark Richt and Derek Mason grace SEC sidelines. Beyond Mason, it’s hard to find a name on that list that is even slightly weak.

So, we’ve established that the SEC’s quality of players and coaches is the same now as it has been the past decade. However, the dominance against non-SEC teams that defined the league for years is seemingly gone.

Indeed, the dominance is no more. Since the dominance is no longer present, most have come to terms that the SEC isn’t quite the league it was a few years ago.

However, this belief is incorrect. The SEC’s lack of dominance actually has nothing to do with the SEC at all. It has to do with everyone else.

If one thing has changed, the belief of some SEC fans that “(insert good team from a conference that isn’t the SEC) wouldn’t survive an SEC schedule” has become completely false. It may pain some southern football fans to hear this, but the truth of the matter is: great football is played in other conferences too.

Allow me to explain further. The SEC’s dominance from 2006-2012 raised the bar in college football. The answer to the question, “What does it mean to be a great football team?” was changed by programs like Florida, LSU, Alabama and Auburn. Other conferences paled in comparison to the SEC.

But when a bar is raised, those below the bar will do everything in their power to meet the bar. This past season’s championship showdown between Ohio State and Oregon proved that the bar the SEC had set has finally been met.

The SEC’s poor bowl performance in 2014-2015 isn’t an indicator that the league is down. It was simply, by coincidence, a bad bowl season. But it did serve as more proof that the SEC’s bar has been met.

Ohio State gave Urban Meyer a Saban-like salary, and the Buckeyes are currently the top team in college football. Michigan has done likewise with Jim Harbaugh, and the Wolverines are expected to once again become a national title contender. TCU recently spent $164 million to renovate Amon G. Carter Stadium, and since have become an elite program. Baylor’s new luxurious home, McLane Stadium, cost the Bears $266 million. And do I need to mention Oregon’s state-of-the-art football facility?

Other leagues becoming better is nothing for the SEC to be ashamed of. The reason teams like 2013 Florida State and 2014 Ohio State happened is the increase in intensity that was displayed for so long by the SEC. (Before you claim this is a stretch, remember the SEC ties that Urban Meyer and Jimbo Fisher have.)

The SEC will continue to be a great football conference. But the Pac-12 is a loaded conference with a wide array of good teams. The Big Ten features the national champions, a consistently good Michigan State, solid programs like Wisconsin and Nebraska, and improving teams like Penn State and Michigan. The Big 12 has several national title contenders, as does the ACC.  All of these conferences have talent galore and excellent coaches.

The SEC isn’t getting worse. College football’s just getting better.