From 2006 on, the SEC held a stranglehold over college football as it felt like the best team in the Country was constantly coming out of the conference. Florida kicked off a run of 7 straight National Championships for the SEC with 4 different teams taking home BCS National Championships. From 2015 though 2022, the SEC went on another run, winning 6 National Championships.
Ever since Kirby Smart won his back-to-back National Championships, there's been a seismic shift in the college football landscape. Ole Miss' loss to Miami on Thursday Night confirmed that the SEC's run as college football's unquestioned king is over.
The SEC's grip on college football has vanished
While most SEC fans didn't realize it, they all should've been pulling for the Ole Miss Rebels to at least make the National Championship Game, if not win it all. The loss confirmed a trend that's been going on in this new era, as it's becoming clear that the SEC has real competition now with the other conferences.
Ole Miss missing out on making the National Championship Game marks 3 straight seasons without making the National Championship Game. The last time the SEC even went 3 seasons without winning a Championship came during the stretch from 1999-2002.
The ACC and the Big Ten will be represented in the National Championship Game, as Indiana or Oregon will face Miami. If either of the Big Ten teams wins the National Championship, it'll mark 3 straight seasons winning it all for the conference with 3 different National Champions.
If the Big Ten wins three National Championships in a row, there's no question that they're the new power in College Football. Comparing the runs both leagues have had in this postseason alone shows it in a way.
The SEC won 3 games in the College Football Playoff, with Alabama and Ole Miss each beating another SEC team, while the only win that didn't come against a league opponent came against Tulane. Indiana dismantled Alabama in the Rose Bowl, while Oregon has beaten James Madison and Texas Tech.
Even from the ACC, Miami has knocked off a pair of SEC teams in Ole Miss and Texas A&M along with a win over Ohio State.
The truth is that the SEC may not ever get its stranglehold over the sport back, at least in this current era of the sport. NIL and the Transfer Portal have become the great equalizer, spreading talent all over the Country. Programs like Oregon and Texas Tech have become the biggest faces of this NIL era, proving what the right investment can do.
The SEC will certainly win a National Championship again, and the league could even dominate the sport next season. The truth is that any conference dominating the sport now is impossible, as these rosters turn over at an incredible rate.
In the end, this run may affect the SEC in the short term, making it even harder to win a National Championship. The Playoff committee can no longer give the SEC teams the benefit of the doubt, and it may even start going in favor of the Big Ten. The league is going to need to find a way to start preparing itself better for the stretch run because right now they can't seem to bounce back.