Last season was a microcosm of the shifting landscape in college football, which has undermined the SEC's arguments and proclamations of superiority.For the third straight season, the SEC was shut out of the National Championship game.
They went 1-8 in bowl games against other Power 4 conference teams and 0-3 in the College Football Playoff.That wasn't an outlier, given recent history, it was more of the same.Over the last three tournaments, including games against non-Power 4 teams and in-conference opponents, the SEC is just 5-9.
Their closest competitor, the Big Ten, is 13-5.JOEL KLATT ROASTS SEC: NICK SABAN ISN'T THERE 'WITH HIS BIG OLD COATTAILS FOR YOU TO RIDE AS A CONFERENCE'Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti speaks during news conference ahead of the College Football Playoff national championship game between Miami and Indiana, Sunday, Jan.18, 2026, in Miami.
The game will be played on Monday.(AP Photo/Chris Carlson)For years, the conference has enjoyed preferential treatment based on the assumption that they were heads and shoulders above the rest of the field.
Once the SEC's signature program, the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2025 exemplified those advantages.After a season in which they lost to an atrocious Florida State team and despite getting obliterated by the Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC Championship Game, they were still voted in to the playoff by the selection committee.
The first time in the history of the selection committee poll that a team lost in a conference championship and did not drop in the rankings.All because voters assumed that simply reaching the SEC Championship Game and beating Georgia was an unimaginable accomplishment.For most outsider observers, this was a sign that the SEC might be getting too much credit from the committee.
For commissioner Greg Sankey? It was an opportunity to complain to the selection committee that they aren't given enough special advantages.SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey speaks at the SEC Football Media Day at ...