SPOILER ALERT: This year’s college football championship will come from the Southeastern Conference, just like it has been for the last six seasons.
In the 14 years the BCS National Championship Game has been in existence, the SEC has won eight times. The next closest conference, the Big 12, has only two victories. The only time the SEC has lost in the championship game was last year, and that was only because both teams were from the SEC.
Going into the 2012 season, the SEC has five teams ranked in the top 10 in both the USA Today Coaches Poll and the AP Top 25. The SEC also leads all other conferences with six teams in the top 25.
The main reason for the SEC dominance: defense. Whereas other conferences like the Pac-12 and Big 12 want to score points, the SEC plays the best defense in the country. Last year, the SEC had five teams rank in the top 10 in total defense.
The SEC has played the best defense over the last several years by having the best coaches and best players.
Coordinators like Alabama’s Kirby Smart, Georgia’s Todd Grantham and LSU’s John Chavis have had long careers building the best defenses in the country.
Defensive players like LSU’s Sam Montgomery and Mississippi State’s Jonathan Banks are just two of the many SEC defensive players who could end up as NFL first round draft picks come April.
Yet the strength of the SEC is not just limited to defense. Some of the better rushing attacks come from the SEC.
Backs like Knile Davis of Arkansas, Marcus Lattimore of South Carolina and Eddie Lacy of Alabama are not just the best backs in the conference, but also the best in the whole country.
Opening up lanes for those backs are some of the top linemen in the nation. Alabama and SEC newcomer Texas A&M boast two of the best lines in all of college football.
The SEC has had the most players drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft in the last two years.
But if there is one knock against the conference, it’s that some of the top players can’t seem to stay away from trouble off the field.
Tyrann Mathieu, Da’Rick Rogers and Isaiah Crowell have all been suspended or dismissed for incidents away from the field. All three players are extremely talented.
Just because the SEC will win another national championship doesn’t mean there aren’t other good teams to watch that don’t play in the SEC. Wisconsin from the Big Ten or Southern California and Oregon from the Pac 12 could find a way to make to the national championship game. Maybe even Oklahoma from the Big 12.
While one of the teams mentioned may have a chance of making it to the big game in Miami, the eventual national champion raising the crystal ball will be from the SEC.
esaltzman@theeagleonline.com
