Why the SEC is Still CFB’s Best

After a rough bowl season, SEC football has plenty of college football fans questioning if their reign of dominance is over. With a 7-5 bowl record, the SEC still managed to have the most bowl wins by any conference.

I understand the nationwide hate. ESPN picks a few topics to talk about constantly, and the SEC is one of those. Hate all you want, the SEC is still the best conference in college football. In regards to the best conference, being the best is not all about winning championships, it’s about the depth from the top to the bottom.

For example, lets take a look at the Arkansas Razorbacks. Arkansas finished this season last in the SEC West standings, but they were far from a bad football team. Arkansas lost to conference champion Alabama by a single point, lost to Mississippi State by 7, shut-out LSU and Ole Miss in back to back weeks, and lost to SEC runner-up Missouri by a touchdown on the road. The Razorbacks went on to destroy the Texas Longhorns in the Texas Bowl while giving up a mere 59 yards.

Every team in the SEC West was bowl eligible and most played in games against great competition. Alabama was the one-seed in the college football playoff and lost to the eventual champion Ohio State in a close Sugar Bowl match-up. Auburn lost to Big-10 runner up Wisconsin in overtime by a field goal in the Outback Bowl. LSU lost on a last-second field goal by Notre Dame. The Tigers also had a clear touchdown that was called down at the one yard line. Three very close games that could have easily gone either way would have had the SEC sitting pretty.

The SEC East did not have the same struggles as the West and managed to go 5-0 in bowl games, although the level of competition was not a talented as the opponents the SEC West faced.

If you want to take a look into the future to see the SEC’s “decline”, just take a peek at 247 Sports’ team recruiting rankings. In the 2015 rankings, there are 10 SEC teams in the top 25, and 4 in the top 10. Take it back just a year ago, and the SEC made up 7 of the top 10. Apparently, the best players in the country still think the SEC is the ideal destination.

Do I think the SEC is miles ahead of the rest of the country? No. There are plenty of teams that could compete on a weekly basis in the SEC. You have Ohio State, Florida State, Oregon, TCU, etc. that would fit right in. To reiterate, having the best team, Big-10, does not mean you are the best. Depth is the key, and at the moment, the SEC has the most depth in the country. If the recruiting classes are foreshadowing anything, it might be a while before someone else claims the top spot.

*Section Photo credit to Kevin C. Cox, Getty Images; Featured Photo (above) credit to Marvin Gentry, USA Today Sports.

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