The Crimson Mask: Why the SEC Has Actually Been Horrible

Nine times this year, whether in Tuscaloosa, Atlanta, or in an opponent's home stadium, Alabama's Million Dollar Band has launched into a familiar tune, and the Tide faithful have sung along:

"Hey, (insert SEC opponent here),

Hey, (insert SEC opponent here),

We just beat the hell out of you!"

The lyrics to "Rammer Jammer" have been hard to argue with this year. The Tide SEC game that has been closest, both in score and tenor, has probably been September's 48-43 victory over Ole Miss in Oxford. Other than that? It has been destruction. This certainly hasn't been limited to the SEC schedule for the Tide, of course. They also beat USC 52-6 in Arlington in the first week of the season.

However, lost in the Tide's dominance has been the bad play by the rest of the conference. It started the first week of the season, when LSU lost to Wisconsin in Green Bay and Auburn fell at home to Clemson, and continued through the final week of the season, when South Carolina and Florida were pounded by their in-state ACC rivals, Clemson and Florida State.

When Kentucky has the second most-impressive non-conference victory (winning the Governor's Cup at Lamar Jackson's Louisville in the final week of the regular season), that is generally a bad sign. The SEC season has been marked by mediocrity. The Ole Miss team that gave Alabama their toughest test of the season began it by being blown off the field in the second half by Florida State. Texas A&M, a team that at one point in the season was touted as the #4 team in the country (it was ludicrous even at the time), needed overtime to beat a UCLA team that finished 4-8... at home.

This is not a good conference. Of the 14 teams in this bloated league, only Alabama (obviously), Arkansas, Tennessee, and Texas A&M got through their non-conference schedules unscathed. How is this not talked about? Can you even imagine if there was a similar stat about a conference like the Pac-12? Paul Finebaum's head could explode on live television.

I'm not here to argue that the SEC isn't the best conference in football- that much is obvious. I want to argue that the SEC is the worst Power 5 conference in the country, and the only reason that it's not acknowledged is because we're too busy (rightly) talking about how good Alabama is. The Big Ten has been excellent, with victories over Colorado, Oklahoma, and LSU. The ACC has victories over Penn State and a host of SEC foes. The Pac-12 has four teams in the top 20, including perhaps the hottest team in the country (besides Bama) in USC. The Big 12 has three teams better than anybody in the SEC (besides Bama), in Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and West Virginia. Outside of Bama, the SEC has... a victory in the election?

The SEC has earned the right to have a bad year by being the best conference in football over the course of 10 years. And yes, I watch Alabama defensive tape when porn isn't doing it for me anymore. But, next time you're salivating over Reuben Foster, Jonathan Allen, and the rest of the Bama team, don't forget how bad the rest of the conference has been.

Dixie has drove itself down this season.