The South Eastern Conference has dominated college football in recent years. Phrases such as “the SEC is by far the greatest conference” and “the SEC deserves to have top 5 teams” are ones I despise. Fans can be ignorant and not choose to see all of the facts. I hope to enlighten those fans and debunk the myth that Alabama is the greatest thing since sliced bread and prove how the SEC isn’t as great as one might think.

Alabama for one does not deserve to get all of this praise. Just look at their schedule. Only wins against Texas A&M (5-3) and West Virginia (6-2) are true quality wins. Why? These are the only teams that Alabama has beaten that currently boasts a winning record. That’s right, the mighty Crimson Tide has beaten up on a bunch of sub-par teams, and has also lost to a quality Ole Miss team earlier this season. So to see Alabama ranked No. 4 in the latest AP Poll is a travesty. A team such as No. 17 Nebraska, who has beaten McNeese State (5-2), Miami (5-3) and Rutgers (5-3), is ranked so much lower.  I believe that Nebraska not being in the SEC attributes to this. Granted, A&M and West Virginia are good teams, but this does not exclude the fact that favoritism is shown towards Alabama and the SEC.

The SEC currently has 6 teams in the top 25. These are all quality teams, but the hype is over-exaggerated. How does the thought of two, even three teams in the playoffs even remotely sound like a good idea? If this were to be the case, the new committee would have already failed in their first year of existence. Hate to break it to you, but there are other teams that play north of the states of Alabama and Mississippi. Teams like Michigan State, Texas Christian, Florida State, Oregon and Notre Dame all should still be in the conversation. More than one SEC team in the Final Four is just ridiculous. As highly publicized as the SEC is, the playoff committee need not only look towards the southeast for quality football teams.

Now teams like TCU and Notre Dame will not have as easy a road due to having no conference championship game. But this does not mean the polls cannot be fair. Alabama and other SEC teams are favored over teams of “lesser value” or “lesser conference prestige.” Some perspectives may never change, but a blind love for a certain team or teams is just wrong.

ESPN and other media, as well as those dreaded polls, need to stop with all of this SEC love. I can’t comprehend how the playing field is so uneven. This is not necessarily due to skill level, but outside forces impacting the sport. College football is an imperfect game, and seemingly always will be. Fans deserve better, and it starts with ending the SEC’s reign of terrorizing the polls. The game I love needs to be improved to enhance the game play and the viewing experience. Solution: stop the SEC.