SEC vs PAC-12: Is There A New No.1 Conference?

By Camden Joiner on September 24, 2014

Ten years ago this would be an article no one would have dared to write.

Since 2004, the Southeastern Conference has won every single National Championship game. That was until last season when the SEC was finally beaten.

The Florida State Seminoles from the ACC dethroned the SEC Champion Auburn Tigers 34-31 in the winding seconds of the fourth quarter. This opened the floodgates for many questions and chief among them was: “Is the SEC no longer the premiere conference in college football?”

After coming so close to winning yet another championship game, perhaps it’s a bit unfair to question the SEC. Certainly the championship winning Florida State Seminoles conference, the ACC, isn’t a better group of teams.

However, the programs playing in the rejuvenated PAC-12 conference out west might just boast the talent to challenge the SEC. Of course, there are plenty of arguments against the PAC-12.

No team from the PAC-12 has won a National Championship since USC in 2004. Oregon most recently appeared in the championship game in 2011, losing to Cam Newton and the Auburn Tigers 22-19.

However the tables could certainly be turning as early as this season.

Image via rantsports.com

The Upper Tier

SEC: Alabama, Auburn, Texas A&M

PAC-12: Oregon, Stanford, UCLA, USC

We are only four weeks into the season, but these teams have emerged as the top teams in their respective conferences.

Overall, I think Oregon is the best team of the bunch but their struggles against Washington State were interesting to watch. But as a whole, the SEC has a much better top tier than the PAC-12.

Two teams from out west, USC and Stanford, have already lost a game. USC’s loss to Boston College was embarrassing which in turn makes Stanford’s loss to the Trojans only worse.

UCLA also struggled early, but that might be chalked up to quarterback Brett Hundley’s injury issues. Surely, the SEC holds the better upper tier of teams so far this season.

Image via scores.espn.go.com

The Middle Tier

SEC: Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, South Carolina

PAC-12: Arizona State, Arizona, Utah, Oregon State

The middle tier may seem like a vertical drop, but not by much for the SEC. All teams listed for the SEC are somewhere in the AP Poll’s Top 17.

Arizona, Oregon State and Utah for the PAC-12 still remain unranked. However, this could be due to an easier schedule at the beginning of the season. Regardless, this is an easy win for the Southeastern Conference.

The best of the PAC-12 bunch, Arizona State, might be able to come out with a win against either of the schools from Mississippi but even that I would not bet on.

Georgia, LSU, and South Carolina all have loses already, but these were also at the hands of high ranked SEC teams. The middle tier is an easy win for the south.

Image via bamahammer.com

The Lower Tier

SEC: Florida, Arkansas, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Missouri

PAC-12: Colorado, Cal, Washington, Washington State

This clearly is the tier that matters the least when comparing the conferences, but it’s still important to give it a look.

Unfortunately for the PAC-12, however, the story remains much of the same. Florida, Tennessee and Missouri find themselves in the lower tier, but these are traditionally strong programs and certainly not an easy win for any team. In fact, next season each of these three teams will be a force to be reckoned with in the SEC East.

The best of the bunch for the PAC-12 is probably Washington, led by Chris Petersen, who will certainly find some success in the near future. However, the rest of the programs from the PAC-12 are quite poor which gives the edge to the SEC.

Currently in the AP Top 25, the SEC has eight ranked teams. The number of ranked PAC-12 teams is five. Maybe Oregon could beat Alabama or Auburn this year. But even if they do, it doesn’t matter; one team can’t carry a conference and the PAC-12 is sorely lacking beyond the top three of their teams. The SEC remains deep in depth with the most talented group teams in college football.

However, it is true the PAC-12 is gaining ground. After Auburn’s loss to the ACC last year, many began to wonder. If Oregon can beat an SEC team in the Playoffs this year, even more will question.

Regardless, the SEC remains the top recruiting conference and holds the highest number of traditional, championship winning programs. So for this season and for the seasons in the near future, the Southeastern Conference still holds the title of No. 1 conference.

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