The SEC helped engineer the 12-team playoff. The powerhouse conference ruled the BCS. It dominated the four-team playoff. And, it planned to rule this format. Four bids? Five bids? More?
The SEC’s playoff hopes became a mirage this season, in a down year for the conference. The SEC’s elite regressed to the pack, while the Big Ten’s cream rose to the top.
As the College Football Playoff semifinals arrive, Texas stands as the SEC’s lone representative. The Longhorns joined the conference only six months ago. They’re the underdog against Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. For the second straight season, the SEC could produce no team in the national championship game. What gives?
On this edition of “SEC Football Unfiltered,” a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams examine the SEC’s downfall and how extreme it is. They unpack reasons for why it occurred – from Nick Saban’s retirement to NIL to a transfer market that resembles never-ending free agency – and they highlight a few teams that stand to fill the conference’s power vacuum.
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What happened to SEC football this season?
Toppmeyer: Top to bottom, the SEC might remain college football’s best conference. But the College Football Playoff and winning the national championship is not a contest of which league has the best eighth-best team. It’s a contest of the elite, and the combination of Saban’s retirement, NIL and transfer free agency weakened the SEC’s elite class. In college football’s current landscape, it’s more difficult for a few programs to stockpile all the best talent.
Used to be, Alabama’s second-string probably could have contended for a spot in a 12-team playoff. Now, donors for programs from coast to coast buy players with above-board deals. That allows for college football’s middle class to move into the upper middle class. While SEC programs like Ole Miss, South Carolina and Missouri strengthened, along with programs in other conferences, the SEC’s elite took a step down.
The SEC is not dead. It didn’t turn to rubbish. It will produce national champions again, maybe even this season with Texas. Overall, though, its elite aren’t as great as they once were. During a 20-year span from the 2003 through 2022 seasons, the SEC produced 14 national champions. Such a two-decade run of dominence will be difficult to replicate.
Adams: NIL is not a bad thing for the SEC, on the whole. Just look at Ole Miss and Missouri. I wouldn’t think they’d bemoan the changes brought on by NIL. College football fans in the South remain as ravenous as they are anywhere. Ohio State outspent the Joneses this season, but the SEC didn’t suddenly move into the poor house. However, there’s no denying that changes within the sport made it harder for any single program to stockpile a two-deep of all-stars.
Being forced to eat a dose of humility this season won’t sit well with fans of many SEC teams. While many SEC programs stomach underachieving seasons, fans and donors will be more motivated than ever to see their teams back on top. That could mean donating more than ever before. The SEC slipped off its lofty perch, but I expect the league to come roaring back.
Later in the episode
∎ As Georgia’s catbird seat within the SEC comes under threat, LSU, Auburn and Ole Miss present as programs on the rise with their aggressive pursuit of transfer talent.
CFP semifinals picks!
Picks against the spread:
Ohio State (-5.5) vs. Texas
Toppmeyer: Ohio State; Adams: Texas
Notre Dame (-2.5) vs. Penn State
Toppmeyer: Penn State; Adams: Penn State
Records
Toppmeyer 42-48 (1-3); Adams 42-48 (2-2)
Where to listen to SEC Football Unfiltered
Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s national college football columnist. John Adams is the senior sports columnist for the Knoxville News Sentinel. Subscribe to the SEC Football Unfiltered podcast, and check out the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Did SEC football become a fraud? How dominant league became a pretender
