The glory days of SEC college football were beautiful for fans of the conference's 12 (and eventually 14) schools, because the conference was undoubtedly superior to all other leagues in the nation. However, those days are no more. The SEC is no longer the best conference in college football.
I understand this claim comes across as pretty unreasonable, especially since Alabama is the reigning national champion, and the SEC has claimed eight of the last 10 titles. But let's be honest, the SEC is headed downhill.
Let's start by looking at the league's serious quarterback deficiency. The only proven talent under center comes from Ole Miss' Chad Kelly and Tennessee's Joshua Dobbs. While both the Rebels and the Vols are considered by some to be sleepers to win the conference, I wouldn't expect to see either team in the College Football Playoff.
Obviously, lacking an elite starting quarterback doesn't disqualify a team from hoisting the trophy, as was the case for Alabama last season. However, most of the time, the quarterback is one of the team's elite playmakers, as was the case in 2013 when Heisman winner Jameis Winston led Florida State to the mountaintop.
The SEC has strong teams this season in Alabama, LSU, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Tennessee and Georgia, but each of those teams has plenty of flaws. The conference doesn't have any dominant teams, and with a lot of above average programs, it's easy to see every team coming out of conference play with two losses.
On the other hand, other conferences are on the rise. The Big Ten has contenders in Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State, while the Pac-12 and Big 12 have some of the most electric offenses in the country. Even the ACC, which I would consider the weakest Power 5 conference, has legitimate contenders in Clemson and Florida State.
It's possible that one of the SEC's top teams could win the title again this season, and it's unlikely that the conference winner won't make the playoff. However, the SEC is no longer the premier conference in college football, as the Big Ten and Pac-12 have drawn even, and there is still an abundance of talent in the Big 12 and ACC.