'That's just a ridiculous quote': Mark Stoops scoffs at Rhett Lashlee's claim that the SEC does not have depth

SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee made some waves on social media earlier this week when he defended the ACC. As always, the defense included a swing at the SEC. This is talking season after all.

“You look at our league, we had like four 10-win teams, two playoff teams, a handful of nine-win teams, 13 bowl teams. There’s just not a lot of easy wins on the schedule,” Lashlee said at ACC Kickoff this week in Charlotte. “There’s other leagues that claim depth, but like, the SEC’s had the same six schools win the championship since 1964. Same six. Not a single one has been different since 1964. That’s top heavy to me. That’s not depth.”

Rhett Lashlee strongly advocates for the ACC as playoff expansion talks progress, with varying numbers of automatic qualifiers expected to be allocated across the power conferences.

His full remarks: https://t.co/vV9b8gYf8w pic.twitter.com/mjlEHR07Vh

— Dean Ralsky (@DeanRalsky) July 22, 2025

Well, then. Those are strong words for the former Auburn offensive coordinator who spent nearly a decade in the the SEC as a player at Arkansas and graduate assistant and assistant coach at Auburn. Are they accurate? Yes, Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, and Tennessee are the only teams to claim conference crowns since Ole Miss won the league in 1963. However, those six were at least half of the conference from from 1964-2011. Not to mention that Clemson or Florida State has won the ACC 13 of the last 14 seasons. Is that depth?

That Lashlee quote is making its rounds as talking season continues. In an interview on with “Unsportsmanlike with Evan, Canty, and Michelle” on Wednesday morning, Mark Stoops was asked about the comments. The dean of SEC coaches says bring it on to Lashlee.

“Absolutely it’s deep. If he wants to take a crack at it, come on. Strap it on and come try it because I can promise you it’s not easy. I didn’t hear that or read that quote or anything until you just told me that, but I can tell you that I think anybody with any common sense can look at college football, and look at our conference, and know what it’s all about. I mean there’s nobody interested in going back,” Stoops explained. “Everybody’s pushing. The investment from the schools, the recruiting, the coaching, you name it.

“Do we really have to defend ourselves at this point?”

SMU received an at-large bid to the playoff in their first year in the ACC after losing a thriller to Clemson in the conference championship game. That loss was the first for the Mustangs in the conference. This is a program that was in its first year in a power league after moving over from the American Athletic Conference. SMU nearly ran the table in its first season. That doesn’t sound like a conference with good depth.

Mark Stoops has experience with the ACC and knows where their coaches are coming from but he didn’t back down from his thoughts on this matter.

“There’s definitely good teams in the ACC. I was in the ACC, I coached at Florida State, I have a ton of respect for the teams. All of them. I really do. I have a lot of respect for them,” Stoops said. “They’re very good in many ways, it’s just ridiculous to try and compare them top to bottom to the SEC. That’s just a ridiculous quote.”

We’ve thrown some gas on the fire this talking season as each conference boasts about how good they are and how many playoff bids they deserve. The season cannot get here soon enough.