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Just how dominant is the SEC?

BamaDude

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Even though I pull for the SEC - Alabama, in particular - due to Clemson's recent rise to the upper echelons of college football, it didn't really occur to me how dominating the SEC has been. How's this for a scorecard:

Since 2006, there has only been one National Championship Game that didn't involve an SEC team. That happened in 2014 when the two best teams - Ohio St. & Alabama - happened to meet in the first round of the playoffs, with the Buckeye's pulling off the 7-point upset before going on to crush Oregon in the title game. That's one championship game in the last 15 years without an SEC team in attendance!

There were two title games - 2011 & 2017 - in which two SEC teams met to settle the championship.

Alabama has appeared in over half the title games (8), winning 6. Four other SEC schools have made appearances in that time period, and 3 of them have taken home the National Championship Trophy.

Here's the breakdown by conferences & schools:

Alabama 8 appearances, 6 titles+
LSU 3 appearances, 2 titles*
Florida 2 appearances, 2 titles
Auburn 2 appearances, 1 title
Georgia 1 appearance, 0 titles*
SEC TOTAL 16 appearances, 11 titles#
+ 2 of Alabama's wins were over fellow SEC schools
* Lost title game to a fellow SEC school
# Won-loss totals against non-SEC schools is 9-3 (.750)

Clemson 4 appearances, 2 titles
Florida St. 1 appearance, 1 title
ACC TOTAL 5 appearances, 3 titles
Won-loss totals are 3-2 (.600)

Ohio St. 4 appearances, 1 title
BIG 10 TOTALS 4 appearances, 1 title
Won-loss total 1-3 (.250)

Oregon 2 appearances, 0 titles
PAC-12 TOTALS 2 appearances, 0 titles
Won-loss totals 0-2 (.000)

Oklahoma 1 appearance, 0 titles
Texas 1 appearance, 0 titles
BIG 12 TOTALS 2 appearances, 0 titles
Won-loss totals 0-2 (.000)

Notre Dame 1 appearance, 0 titles
INDEPENDENTS TOTALS 1 appearance, 0 titles
Won-loss totals 0-1 (.000)

These are the only 12 teams to make the National Championship Game in the past 15 years.
 

Tritonboat71

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The last 25 years or so, the SEC has been the best conference in football. Especially the SEC West.

Don’t see it stopping anytime soon. The vast majority of the high school talent, not all, but most, resides in the south eastern part of the US. Those kids can stay close to home, and have a reasonable shot at winning a National Championship at about 4-5 different schools in any given year.

Before the advent of cable television and giant TV contracts, the SEC outside of Alabama, wasn’t any better than a handful of other conferences.

Georgia, the only SEC team to win a NC in the entire decade of the 80’s.

Alabama, the only SEC team to win a NC in the 70’s(3).

Alabama, the only SEC team to win a NC in the 60’s(3).

Auburn and Tennessee won one each in the 50’s.

It’s probably a safe bet, if taking Alabama out of the equation before the 90’s, the SEC has been spotty at best.
 

Tritonboat71

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LSU won one in the 50’s as well.(58)

sorry , Tiger fans
 

Fitbud

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Alabama is legit but the rest of the conference is just like every other conference. If any of the other teams played in any other conference there would be no difference in record.
 

Diego Roll Tide

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Alabama is legit but the rest of the conference is just like every other conference. If any of the other teams played in any other conference there would be no difference in record.
Except 3 other programs DID win national titles and a 4th played for one during the period he mentioned. That isn’t like the rest of the conferences.
 

Fitbud

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Except 3 other programs DID win national titles and a 4th played for one during the period he mentioned. That isn’t like the rest of the conferences.

That's simply because they got more chances in the playoffs. The SEC plays in a bubble. They rarely play other good teams on the road and if they lose to each other, they don't lose much rank because the SEC is considered good.
 

RaZon

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The thing that has seperated SEC football from all others is the speed of the big guys on those defensive lines and simply overall team speed. Just more players with legit jets. Only Cali and Texas can rival those southern states when it comes to speed, talking high school kids which is where it all starts.
 

cclxxxvdicere

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That's simply because they got more chances in the playoffs. The SEC plays in a bubble. They rarely play other good teams on the road and if they lose to each other, they don't lose much rank because the SEC is considered good.
Being 14-4 in the playoff is considered good I think.
 

Diego Roll Tide

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That's simply because they got more chances in the playoffs. The SEC plays in a bubble. They rarely play other good teams on the road and if they lose to each other, they don't lose much rank because the SEC is considered good.
Florida got 2 chances - 2 for 2
LSU got 3 chances - 2 for 3 (with the loss to Bama)
Auburn got 2 chances - 1 for 2
Bama got 8 chances - 6 for 8
Georgia got 1 chance - 0 for 1 (loss to Bama)

Looks like it was more than “just getting chances”.
 

HuskerOC

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Is this some religious cult offering in which SEC fans want others to bow to their greatness and never again try to beat them?

SEC has been the best conference by FAR over the last 20 years. Nobody is going to disagree with you.

Some will get better. Some even like Clemson put a beat down on the SEC.

Time is ticking. When Saban leaves, it is a free-for-all.
 

Diego Roll Tide

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Is this some religious cult offering in which SEC fans want others to bow to their greatness and never again try to beat them?

SEC has been the best conference by FAR over the last 20 years. Nobody is going to disagree with you.

Some will get better. Some even like Clemson put a beat down on the SEC.

Time is ticking. When Saban leaves, it is a free-for-all.
No, it’s a football discussion on a football board. It’s a nice diversion from the Biden worship, I mean, Politics Forum.
 

Bedlam131

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At the top end I think you are correct. It gets a little more murky once you get past the top end. Mid range and lower i do not the SEC is significantly better than most other conferences. That said, on the top end they are playing on a higher level. Lets look at conference Top ends:

SEC: Alabama maybe Georgia (although they seem to have not lived up to their recruiting) or LSU or Auburn. The latter two have occasional success.

ACC: Clemson. Not much else except maybe a slowly rising N. Carolina.

PAC 12: Oregon has pretty much been it.

BIG XII: Oklahoma has been it since Texas has been down for a decade.

B1G: tOSU with maybe Wisconsin pushing the bubble.
 

Diego Roll Tide

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At the top end I think you are correct. It gets a little more murky once you get past the top end. Mid range and lower i do not the SEC is significantly better than most other conferences. That said, on the top end they are playing on a higher level. Lets look at conference Top ends:

SEC: Alabama maybe Georgia (although they seem to have not lived up to their recruiting) or LSU or Auburn. The latter two have occasional success.

ACC: Clemson. Not much else except maybe a slowly rising N. Carolina.

PAC 12: Oregon has pretty much been it.

BIG XII: Oklahoma has been it since Texas has been down for a decade.

B1G: tOSU with maybe Wisconsin pushing the bubble.
From 06-13, the middle and bottom of the SEC usually was substantially better than other conferences. From 14-present, it has dropped some. The Big 12 probably has been the best in the middle and bottom as often as not over the last 7 seasons.

The reason for the strength at the top of the SEC is recruiting. Outside of Bama (which has a #1 class as or more often as not), LSU, Georgia, TAMU, Auburn, and Florida regularly pull top 10 classes. By comparison, Clemson, tOSU, and OU often are the lone programs in their conferences pulling top 10 classes. (In the past, FSU was there, and Texas and Michigan compete for top 10 classes some years.)

If the SEC had the talent gap of the B1G or ACC, Alabama would’ve won more than 7 SEC titles over the past 13 seasons. Of course, playing those teams helped in the postseason.
 

Stakesarehigh

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I used to get all worked up about conference talk but at the end of the day the team I pull for owns the conference and is second tier only to Bama. What Bama has done is remarkable. Take away their dominance and a few other programs not within the Sec would have some more trophies in their case.
 

Fitbud

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Florida got 2 chances - 2 for 2
LSU got 3 chances - 2 for 3 (with the loss to Bama)
Auburn got 2 chances - 1 for 2
Bama got 8 chances - 6 for 8
Georgia got 1 chance - 0 for 1 (loss to Bama)

Looks like it was more than “just getting chances”.

If any other P5 school got as many chances at a title as the SEC, the numbers would be the same.
 

Fitbud

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Ask the Sooners how all their trips to the CFP went.

Maybe the not Sooners but I think over the years some Big 12 schools got left out of the playoff that I thought should have had a chance. I think one year it was Baylor and another year it was TCU
 

cclxxxvdicere

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Maybe the not Sooners but I think over the years some Big 12 schools got left out of the playoff that I thought should have had a chance. I think one year it was Baylor and another year it was TCU
The only year they had a chance to crash the party was the same year, the first year of the playoff, when they were bumped by Ohio State because they were the Big10 champs, not co-champs like Baylor and TCU, and Ohio State did pretty well that year if I remember right. Oklahoma deserved to go the years they did, and played well too. No other Big12 school had much of a case any of the years they were left out. The only year you can complain about an SEC team in the playoff was the 2017 season, and Alabama did ok in the playoff that year too.
 
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