SEC football is overrated

[LetsGoUC]

This now the 3rd straight season where the SEC will not have a team in the championship game, despite always having the most the teams in the field. They also were terrible in the rest of there bowl games.

NIL has clearly shown that SEC teams were paying a lot of players before it was legal. Now that it is legal on a complete level playing field, the SEC is overrated. Obviously still a top conference but the bias that there the best and deserves 7 CFP teams in the field is nonsense.

 

[Scrutineer]

You are absolutely right. My SEC "friends" haven't had much to say lately, nor has my obnoxious Clemson fan neighbor except for going on and on about how Dabo is a purist and doesn't believe in the portal. I told him he doesn't have much to look forward to if Dabo holds to that philosophy.

They know how to hype their league and make money by getting so many into the BB tournament and CFP.

 

[WestCoastHusky]

They are only good in the eyes of people due to relentless propaganda by the ESPiN media.

With everyone can now pay players, their advantages are gone. It is insane how many teams from the SEC get into the playoff and they suck.

 

[Scoe]

 

[gioff2323]

Seriously?

 

[phillionaire]

E-SEC-PN continually manufactures consent for putting 4 SEC teams in the playoffs by talking up mediocre teams like Missouri because they have a financial interest in the SEC being seen as superior.

 

[ScottVib]

Records against P4 opposition in the playoff:

Ind 3-1 (ND over Indiana, ND over Georgia, ND over Penn St, Ohio St over ND) - 1 bid

Big Ten 6-3 (Ohio State over Tennessee, Penn State over SMU, Ohio State over Texas, Ohio State over Notre Dame, Oregon over Texas Tech, Indiana over Alabama, Notre Dame over Indiana, Notre Dame over Penn State, Miami over Ohio State) - 7 bids (one was eliminated by conference competition, a second will lose to conference competition tonight); one championship

ACC 3-2 (Miami over Texas A&M, Miami over Ohio St, Miami over Ole Miss, Texas over Clemson; Penn St over SMU) - 3 bids

SEC 2-6 (Texas over Clemson, Texas over Arizona State, Ohio State over Tennessee, Ohio State over Texas, Notre Dame over Georgia, Miami over Texas A&M, Indiana over Alabama, Miami over Ole Miss) - 8 bids (twice teams were eliminated by conference competition)

Big XII 0-2 (Texas over Arizona St, Oregon over Texas Tech) - 2 bids

G5 0-3 (Penn St over Boise St, Ole Miss over Tulane, Oregon over JMU) - 3 bids

Head-to-Head the Big Ten has a 3-0 edge on the SEC.

The only SEC wins over P4 competition in the playoff have come against the 11th and 12th ranked teams in the field, both by Texas, in Texas' first year in the league. In fact, the SEC has only 3 victories against any team not in their own conference AND all have been the 11th ranked team or lower; one was a G5 team

 

[Chuck]

"You don't understand... every week is a total battle. The SEC teams are beat down and exhausted by the time they get to the playoffs. All the other teams get to coast in their conferences so they're fresher in the playoffs."

Or, we can go with the argument the Big Ten makes for its lack of basketball championships. "The football playoff is as much about luck as it is about who the best team is. The real best team is determined throughout the whole season and the SEC plays the toughest schedule with the toughest league top to bottom. The real champion is [fill in name of SEC champion] who showed they were the best team all year."

Unfortunately, the SEC will react by circling the wagons and grabbing more power and money.

 

[HuskyNan]

Oopsie. His comments were from August 2025

 

[FightOnCT]

Hot take: I’m not bothered by 5 SEC teams because I wouldn’t have put anyone else above them either…except maybe Alabama. Overrated? Yes? Bids undeserved? Eh…

Another note: Miami didn’t win the ACC because of stupid tiebreakers which everyone mentioned before the ACC championship game.

 

[B1GEast]

Why do you think Nick Saban retired?

He knew that he could no longer stack teams with talent that would stay for several years

He understood NIL would whittle his stacked teams.

The B1G makes just as much money per school and universities now have budgets to compete for top talent.

The 2024 Ohio State team costed them $20 million

The myth of the SEC being the best football conference has been destroyed, they're still in the top two.

Everything is changing slowly

 

[LBird33]

Good to hear

 

[EROCK CONN]

The SEC — where it just means more… except the non-conference games that mean nothing, unless they’re against each other — then they mean everything — except the conference championship game, which somehow also means nothing

 

[Vowelguy]

Oopsie. His comments were from August 2025

He'll leave the country by taking a vacation in the Bahamas.
He didn't say he wasn't coming back (unfortunately).

 

[giddyup]

glad to see the self appointed best conference flame out miserably. Of course, next year finebaum and crew will be stroking themselves again over the SEC. Reminds of the B1G with basketball.

 

[traitor71]

 

[AllHusky]

Hot take: I’m not bothered by 5 SEC teams because I wouldn’t have put anyone else above them either…except maybe Alabama. Overrated? Yes? Bids undeserved? Eh…

Another note: Miami didn’t win the ACC because of stupid tiebreakers which everyone mentioned before the ACC championship game.

UConn is the ACC Champ

 

[Vowelguy]

The PAC12 has more NC game appearances in the last 3 years than the SEC.

 

[AllHusky]

In the past the SEC had many options to maintain their advantages over most schools. Two of them have gone by the boards. The ability to legally pay has obviously evened the playing field. Another is their exposure to non SEC competition. The expanding playoff has shown that the SEC programs put their pants on one leg at a time also. Their schedules aren’t intramural SEC anymore. As it becomes clearer that these programs aren’t necessarily “all that”, hopefully ranking metrics and ranking based selections will also even out. The SEC will always be great football, but the UConns of the world do have more than a glimmer of hope to be able to compete. Hope Finebaum is enjoying his International experience. Clearly these views are not new and a bit Dr Obviousish, but it is great to be able to say them and feel truthful.

 

[superjohn]

Why do you think Nick Saban retired?

He knew that he could no longer stack teams with talent that would stay for several years

He understood NIL would whittle his stacked teams.

The B1G makes just as much money per school and universities now have budgets to compete for top talent.

The 2024 Ohio State team costed them $20 million

The myth of the SEC being the best football conference has been destroyed, they're still in the top two.

Everything is changing slowly

I think Nick Saban retired because he was 72 years old.

 

[Purple Stein]

The SEC is a good football conference.

It is no longer the greatest football conference. The playoffs exposed them and NIL burst the bubble.

 

[Bootsthemonkey]

I think the perception of the SEC was fueled by and on the coat tails of the Nick Saban era. Prior to that if you check national champions they weren’t exactly dominating the scene. Successful yes. Head and shoulders above, no.

 

[Vowelguy]

I enjoy the SECs comeuppance but it still has more depth than the others.
And it’s footprint has a lot more HS talent