4 full seasons later this article is still spot on

"Compared to everyone else? Yeah [we’re disadvantaged]," Malzahn told Haney. "Look at the SEC West. All of the teams are in the top 25. What other conference can say that? Then, if you win that, you’ve got to play another really good team from the East. And then you’re in the [playoff] semi, having to win two more games."

Yes, ESPiN spins the SEC teams into the top 25 every year. A website, https://www.secrant.com/ discussed the SEC's scheduling failures, post season records and other information which showed on paper the illusion that the SEC was superior.

Even still the SEC is considered to be the strongest conference, yet SEC teams continue to schedule out of conference teams which are far less than average.

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Reality vs widespread belief about the SEC

Feb 1, 2019, 10:38 AM

Myth: The SEC has lots of very strong teams.
Reality: The SEC is a one horse league, just like the ACC, Big 10 and Big 12

Here are the conference records of ACC and SEC teams over the past 4 years:

Alabama: 33-2...............Clemson 34-2.......Ohio State 33-4........Okla 34-3

Georgia: 24-10..............Miami 21-12........Northwestern 26-10.....OK St 23-13

LSU: 21-11..................Pitt 20-13.........Penn St 26-10.........TCU 22-14

Florida: 21-13..............Va T 19-14.........Mich 26-9..............WVir 22-14

Texas A&M: 17-15............FSU 17-15..........Wisc 27-10.............Tex 19-17

Auburn: 17-16...............NCSU 17-15.........Iowa 23-13.............Kstate 19-19

Kentucky: 15-17.............Louie 16-16........Mich State 21-15.......IState 15-23

Mississippi State: 15-17....UNC 15-18..........Neb 15-20..............Baylor 14-23

South Carolina: 13-19.......GaT 14-18..........Minn 12-23.............TxTech 13-23

Mississippi: 12-20..........'Cuse 12-20........Purdue 11-24...........Kansas 2-34

Myth: The SEC is the best league by far.
Reality: The SEC doesn't have a particularly good record when they play the Big 10, Big 12 and ACC.

Here's how Big Ten, Big 12, SEC, and ACC teams did when they played teams from those other conferences over the past four years:

Big 10 is 33-18, winning 65% if their games.
SEC is 44-42, winning 51% of their games.
ACC is 40-42, winning 49% of their games.
Big 12 is 24-29, winning 45% of their games.

The SEC is a Power Five league. They are pretty decent, winning about half the games they play against the other power five leagues on our side of the country.

The footprint of the SEC covers the most rabid college football fans in the country. The sports media, especially ESPN promotes the SEC over every other conference to increase their own revenue.

The strength of the SEC is exaggerated and that works in Clemson's favor.

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Reality vs widespread belief about the SEC

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