For over half a decade it has almost been a common understanding that the SouthEastern Conference is the best conference in the country. No other conference can even hold a candle near them. With the Florida Gators, Alabama Crimson Tide, and Lousiana State Tigers winning national championships, it’s hard to argue. When teams like Ohio State and Oklahoma continually lose big games against the SEC, conferences such as the Big XII and the Big Ten have become second tier. The SEC is in a league of its own. Don’t even mention the ACC. Year after year they have proven to be a conference full of above average teams that continually beat up on each other throughout the year. The ACC and Big Ten have even gone as far as losing gimme games against FCS or non automatic qualifying conferences. The referees of the SEC are also in a league of their own. It seems that all of the out of conference games officiated by the SEC are surrounded by questionable calls that ALL favor the SEC. Add this to the fact that the media is all about the SEC, and it’s no wonder why the SEC has become America’s favorite conference. When the media doesn’t point out how an awful  performance by an SEC team ended in near loss, it makes the conference look perfect. The SEC and their players can do no wrong. Their recruiting violations are also overshadowed by other teams in other conferences.

Will the same thing happen for the 2010 season? One can assume so; Alabama is ranked atop all preseason polls after winning the national championship, and UF is ranked in the top 5 even after losing their best player. The season looks to have the same feeling as years past. All SEC schools other than LSU have scheduled gimme games that should help them keep their ranking. If you are already at the top, why push yourself? Here is where the problem is. The conference has looked dead in most of their openers. Other then UGA, who spanked LA-Lafayette, and Alabama who is currently beating up on San Jose St, every SEC team has let their opponent on the board first. Florida looked like they did not want to be out there. Playing Miami(OH) was supposed to be a push over. However, the Gators looked like they were willing to rollover. The Gators fumbled a total of 13 snaps. The final score was 34-12, but it says nothing of the game. Urban Meyer went for it on 4th down 5 times during the game. Even as early as the 1st quarter. The sad thing is, they only converted half of them. Next on this list is the USC Gamecocks who let Southern Miss on the scoreboard 1st with an early field goal. USC finally settled down and won 41-13. Ole Miss played Jacksonville St today. They jumped out to an early lead. However, they forgot to show up in the 4th quarter and the game went into overtime. Ole Miss, once considered a top team in the SEC actually lost to JSU in 2OT after JSU converted a 2 point conversion. Auburn has seemed to have gotten things under control after allowing Arkansas ST to score an early touchdown and go up 6-0. Tennessee is up big on Tenn-Martin, but they have been a ghost during in conference play.

So what is up with the SEC? Are they just so into themselves that they feel they don’t need to show up to games in which they shouldn’t be tested? Or is it a sign that the mighty empire is crumbling? I’m not saying the conference is going to be awful. They still have some horses. Alabama looks to be the clear favorite after watching the Florida game, and UGA seems to be strong. But what about everyone else? How can Florida be expected to make it to the Conference Championship when they struggled against a team that was 1-11 last year? Maybe LSU will restore the faith of the masses with a big win against a depleted UNC team. Then again, who’s to say that the faith was ever lost? 

This may be the year the Big XII, Big Ten, or ACC take the reigns. Can anyone remember the last time there wasn’t an SEC team in the National Championship? How many years in a row has the SEC Conference Championship determined one side of the big game? With only Alabama and Georgia showing up, this year may be different. The 2nd and 3rd tier conferences seem to be a whole lot hungrier than the SEC. Maybe history will repeat itself. Goliath shall fall. It is only a matter of when.