Does anyone else believe...

[chew1095]

that the disparity in overall conference football talent is so great that it will almost be impossible to reverse?

And I know these periods of dominance, have, historically, been cyclical; but let's be honest here. Bama rolled up the "number 1" ranked team in the country last night. I can think of at least 3 and maybe as many as 4 other SEC teams that would have whipped ND last night as well.

Bama should be the clear and consensus pre-season number 1 and the hands down favorite to repeat. But, if you look at what teams have a legitimate chance to disrupt Saban's quest for number 4, they all reside in the SEC, UGA, aTm, Flarda...

I just do not see this period of dominance changing anytime soon.

 

[kired]

In terms of a non-SEC team competing, I think it will be interesting to see why Urban Meyer does the next few years at Ohio State.

Lot of people don't even realize they went 12-0 this year. The wins weren't always impressive and it wasn't an SEC type schedule, but that's a huge achievement regardless.

 

[xxxWalkTheDawg]

I've had the same thought. LSU, Florida, aTm, UGA, USCe, as well as obviously AL would have beat that ND team last night.

It has obviously been cyclical in the past though. The old timers would have thought Bama would be indestructible from then on. Tennessee is in that down cycle now.

 

[QuaoarsKing]

Part of the issue this is year that Notre Dame is so weak. They should have gone about 9-3 this year, but had a lot of luck and clutch play (which statistics show isn't a skill). Clay Travis Tweeted, and I agree, that MSU, Vandy, and Ole Miss would have a better than 50% chance of beating Notre Dame on a neutral field.

Oregon, Stanford, and Kansas State would have all given Alabama a better game, although Alabama most likely would have beaten them in the end. At least those 3 would have had an outside chance though.

 

[patdog]

There's never been a cycle where 1 conference dominated college football like the SEC has for the last 7 years. It's only been done for 3 years a couple of times before and never any longer. The SEC has become the first truly national conference. It's hard to see any other conference overtaking the SEC for a while. That doesn't mean that the SEC will continue to win the national title every year, but the depth of top-10 teams in the SEC is unprecedented.

 

[chew1095]

I agree pat and that was sort of where I was going with my original comment. It will be interesting to see if the NCAA does anything administratively to "level the playing field." As it stands now, that is about the only thing possible to could alter the trajectory of the conference.

 

[FlabLoser]

I think ESPN drives the whole thing with money and promotion. Years ago, ESPN was more invested in the Big Ten and Pac-12. Guess what - those teams were winning national championships.

Several years ago, ESPN signs a huge deal with the SEC. The SEC is bringing in more money hand over fist than other conferences. ESPN promotes the SEC over other conferences. And guess what the SEC dominates. But it is worth noting that this timeframe also corresponds with Slive's see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil polices about NCAA compliance.

Well next...the B1G (and PAC12?) get new ESPN deals that are even richer than the SEC deal. And you can bet other conferences will follow the SEC crootin model. Stay tuned for powers to shift in 3-5 years.