There's been some national media and plenty of national fan backlash about the SEC in the last few years and some of what they say makes sense. They point to the record of other conferences against the SEC which isn't all that impressive. Rivalries between SEC teams and teams from other conferences haven't been one sided in the favor of the SEC teams. Obviously we had a lot of trouble against Clemson prior to the last three years. There was a little while when Ga Tech gave UGa fits. There are other examples.
I believe that overall, you can't argue that the SEC is the toughest conference but that is largely because of the tremendous parity among most teams and the awesome home field advantage held by most SEC teams in their own stadiums. You don't find many gimmes in the SEC like you in the ACC, the PAC 12, or the Big 10 where occasionally you get a Duke, a Minnesota, or a UCLA who just flat out stinks.
All that being said, there has been some coaching turnover and some personnel losses to the NFL in the SEC that has significantly affected the overall product. Auburn won a title a couple of years back largely because of one QB and one D lineman. They are not even a very good team now, and won't be any time soon in my opinion. Florida was so awesome for so long but right now, they look bad. Nothing like they were for the last 20 years. Tennessee has been struggling for several years now and although they look to be improving, they still have a ways to go. Ole Miss was strong for a while, but not now. Overall, I don't see a dominant product in this conference except for the top tier like Alabam, LSU, and potentially Arkansas, Georgia, or South Carolina, none of which has proven themselves yet to be lumped in with the top two teams.
I guess my point is that a garden variety ACC team, or Big 12 team, or Big 10 team could easily take down a counterpart in the SEC these days, especially on a neutral field like we saw last night in Atlanta. However, as long as the SEC has the powerhouses at the top, there's a high likelihood of continuing the championship streak and maintaining the reputation as the dominant conference.
Just wondering what others felt about this.
I believe that overall, you can't argue that the SEC is the toughest conference but that is largely because of the tremendous parity among most teams and the awesome home field advantage held by most SEC teams in their own stadiums. You don't find many gimmes in the SEC like you in the ACC, the PAC 12, or the Big 10 where occasionally you get a Duke, a Minnesota, or a UCLA who just flat out stinks.
All that being said, there has been some coaching turnover and some personnel losses to the NFL in the SEC that has significantly affected the overall product. Auburn won a title a couple of years back largely because of one QB and one D lineman. They are not even a very good team now, and won't be any time soon in my opinion. Florida was so awesome for so long but right now, they look bad. Nothing like they were for the last 20 years. Tennessee has been struggling for several years now and although they look to be improving, they still have a ways to go. Ole Miss was strong for a while, but not now. Overall, I don't see a dominant product in this conference except for the top tier like Alabam, LSU, and potentially Arkansas, Georgia, or South Carolina, none of which has proven themselves yet to be lumped in with the top two teams.
I guess my point is that a garden variety ACC team, or Big 12 team, or Big 10 team could easily take down a counterpart in the SEC these days, especially on a neutral field like we saw last night in Atlanta. However, as long as the SEC has the powerhouses at the top, there's a high likelihood of continuing the championship streak and maintaining the reputation as the dominant conference.
Just wondering what others felt about this.