I remember in the 2014 season a player I used to work with and was also a fan of Ohio State, made a lot of statements on Facebook about how ESPN had the SEC as their baby and when Ohio State won the national championship how ESPN was overrating the SEC. Problem with this sentiment, he was wrong. Using one season to prove “your point” is not good enough. While the Big Ten is a lot of fun to watch and it’s more balanced, the SEC is hands down the best conference in the country.
There are statistics to back this up, but you can prove this even with just who is in the Top 25 the past decade (or even 15 for that matter). After the 2008 season ended, University of Florida had won another championship in back-to-back fashion and it started the dominance of SEC football. Alabama would go on to win in 2009 and Auburn in 2010. However, in 2011, it proved once again why the SEC was so dominant as the championship game consisted of two teams from the conference, LSU and Alabama. It was controversial at the time, but those were two best sides in College Football that season. Alabama won that season and then yet again in 2012.
While in 2013, the SEC did not win the championship, but Auburn advanced to the championship game and there were seven teams in the Top 25 from the conference. That suggests that despite not winning the championship, the SEC was strong enough that there could have been multiple teams in the playoffs had there been one.
2014 was the first year of the playoffs, but the SEC disappointed as only Alabama made it and they lost to Ohio State, the eventual champions, in the semi-finals. That was the year where that player proclaimed that SEC was overrated and that the Big Ten was better. Well 2015 secured the fact that his claim was a fluke because the Crimson Tide returned to the championship game to face Clemson and won. Clemson and Alabama would face each other again in the National Championship for the 2016 season with Clemson winning on a last second touchdown as the Crimson Tide were very close to winning it in back-to-back fashion again.
However, my point of this column is that the past two seasons the SEC keeps proving that they are the top dog in the College Football. I have lived in ACC, SEC, and Big Ten country as I’ve seen what the best of College Football brings. However, after living in SEC and Big Ten territories, it’s clear as much as that those are two best conferences. That being said, I’ve watched too much College Football the last decade to recognize that the SEC is clearly the best conference.
In 2017, there were two SEC sides in the National Championship, which will go down as a classic, with both Alabama and Georgia going head to head in an epic contest, plus five teams from the conference were in the Top 25. Then there is this season, as while I contest that Georgia should have been in the playoffs, there were eight (!) teams in the Top 25. That’s a lot of teams in the rankings.
The style the SEC plays emphasizes hard nosed football as the run game is always great and the defense is always outstanding. It’s fast paced and aggressive. Seriously, it’s the most fun you will watch when it comes to College Football. And the fans show it when watching the games.
People can argue all they want, but the SEC is undoubtedly the best conference in the entire country and the points I made prove that. To back up my claims, my favorite team isn’t even from the SEC. I go into these games with as much objectivity as I can. It’s as clear as day. Some people just have too much homerism in them to see that. But if you’re trying to engage yourself with best possible football to watch at the college level, then the SEC is the best one to watch. Hands. Down!
Rowe Sports Talk Network 