The Big Ten is strong but the SEC will always be king
Form is temporary, class is permanent
The opening weekend of college football had some thinking the SEC is on its own downfall. Shock is an understandable reaction for the losses that were the result for teams such as LSU and Mississippi State. However, the king of college football is silently on its biggest uprising yet to come.
The opening three weeks have had people declaring the Big Ten is the conference to beat. Most recently Paul Finebaum came out in support of the Big Ten. It is easy to see why people have been quick to criticize the conference. Tennessee is 5-0 but remain largely unconvincing. Couple this with the increasing strength of Ohio State and a Lamar Jackson inspired Louisville, the other conferences are trying to knock the SEC of its perch.
If you step foot in the South you will notice football is not just a game. It is a way of life here. The conference holds the greatest amount of pressure over any other conference due to the fact it has been known to consistently out perform teams from all over the country. So yes, the other conferences are strong right now, but here’s why the SEC will always be the best.
The Coaches
Home to legendary coaches both past and present. Nick Saban, Bear Bryant, Steve Spurrier, and Les Miles are just a few examples of the brains behind some of the greatest teams ever. They are responsible for running SEC football programs to the highest standard and other conferences show respect for that.
Steve Spurrier won the 1996 National Championship with Florida
The opening game and the beginning of SEC play is always the most stressful due to the fact coaches and teams are trying to figure out how a whole new O-Line will perform on a big stage, which rookie quarterback will win the starting job, or who can fill the shoes of someone like Heisman trophy winner Derrick Henry to carry the team on their back. The SEC has all these gaps and holes to fill due to the fact that the NFL draft is not afraid to take player after player from these standout SEC teams…
The Players
Ohio State had 12 players drafted in the first four rounds of the 2016 NFL draft. Even with this amazing feat, the SEC still had the most players drafted over any other conference.
51 to be exact. Slightly down from 2015’s total of 54.
In fact, the SEC has been leading the NFL draft for 10 consecutive years. Jonathan Allen, Leonard Fournette and Nick Chubb are just a few examples of players who are well- known in the spotlight for their one of a kind talent this year. All will be featuring in the NFL sooner rather than later.
Rebuilding years are essential to any team’s forward success and every team goes through them. When an SEC team goes through one, they never seem to lack the talent needed to fill these open positions. Announcing these decisions and changes to a team is like giving the media Christmas in September, because in all reality all eyes always fall back on the SEC.
SEC Strength
The numbers don’t lie. In terms of actual results on the field, the SEC has a winning record against the Big Ten (87-58-2), ACC (296-148-10), Big 12 (86-69-6) and Pac-12 (69-40-5).
Since the college football playoff has started in 2014 the Alabama Crimson Tide have made back-to-back appearances in the games, so they have consistently represented the SEC. The SEC was the first conference to have its own T.V. network – need I say more?
The Traditions
Roll Tide, Rocky Top, Locking the Vaught.
Yes, every team has traditions, but game days are like no other. This conference is flooded with longstanding traditions. They are what fuel the fans who choose to associate themselves with the SEC. From tailgating to traveling to other school’s territories for a game, the fans represent the conference no matter where they are.
The SEC will always be apart of the talk in college football. The fans will never let you forget an epic win or a heartbreaking loss and the hype of the SEC never fades away.
Matt Schick seems to think that the Big ten is the best conference right now, presumably because Ohio State and Michigan look strong. On the whole however, A&M and Ole Miss could very easily beat these teams and vice versa.
The current AP Poll tells the story perfectly. Alabama, Ohio State and Louisville make up the top three. SEC first, Big Ten second and ACC third.
Other conferences will come and go in waves but the SEC remains the constant. It will forever be the king of college football until another conference proves worthy of the throne.