"After decades of clearly establishing itself as the nation's best conference, both the top-end excellence and the depth of the league have fallen. The SEC's hopes now rest with Ole Miss, which is still going through coaching shake-ups and distractions heading into its semifinal matchup with Miami. It's not that the SEC isn't still "good" or even capable of winning a national championship -- Ole Miss might very well do it."
"The SEC ruled the old era of college football, where rosters were built through high school recruiting that favored proximity first, followed by opulent facilities and rabid fan bases. It was perfect for the SEC since the Southeast was rich with talent, and league schools invested heavily in infrastructure while playing in front of massive crowds (some of whom might have been willing to offer some under-the-table sweeteners)."
Indiana dominated Alabama 38-3 in the Rose Bowl, exposing the Crimson Tide and signaling a shift in college football power. After decades of top-end excellence and depth, the SEC's dominance has eroded. The conference's best remaining hope is Ole Miss, despite coaching shake-ups and distractions heading into a semifinal with Miami. The SEC can still produce national champions and may retain overall strength, but the era of complete domination and deep juggernaut teams appears over. Rosters once built on proximity-based high school recruiting, facilities and massive crowds have been unsettled by revenue sharing, the transfer portal and NIL, dispersing talent and weakening depth as athletes seek playing time, opportunity and open money.
Read at ESPN.com
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