Let's Just Admit It: The SEC Is Overrated

I stayed up to watch Auburn play West Virginia on Thursday night.

And here's what I took away from that game: Auburn is really, really bad. But here's the thing the Southern media (and ESPN, for that matter) won't tell you: In the much-hyped SEC, the Tigers are hardly alone in their troubles. Fact is, this is a very overrated conference this year.

Tennessee? Horrible. Arkansas? A train wreck. Vanderbilt? They were never good to begin with and we certainly know they're not very good now. Even the media darling that is LSU has to be considered one of the nation's most overrated teams at this point. Want proof? Just look at their schedule to date, and how they've fared. You may be surprised.

The Tigers' "signature" win? A 26-21 win over Auburn. Hardly impressive, given how bad we now know Auburn to be.

It seems to me that the crux of the "SEC is superior" argument has rested on the idea that there are no truly bad teams in the conference. To hear SEC apologists tell it, their league is so incredibly deep that even conference bottom-feeders like Vandy and Mississippi State are tough to beat. And in years past, maybe that's been true.

But this year, it's simply not. Even worse, some of the supposed SEC elite aren't so elite—Auburn and Tennessee, most obviously.

At best, there are three Top 20-worthy teams in the SEC right now: Alabama, Florida and Georgia. That's it. LSU is not Top 20 worthy. Kentucky is not Top 20 worthy. Vanderbilt is certainly not Top 20 worthy.

Most any college football fan with a lick of sense can see this. It's as plain as day. And yet, the national media continues to talk about this league with reverence.

Well, it's time to wake up, America. It's a new day in college football. And the SEC—no matter what you read or hear elsewhere—is simply not very good this year.

There, I said it.

Anyone care to argue?

Photo: Tommy Tuberville and Auburn are having a bad year—but they're hardly alone in the SEC. (Doug Benc/Getty Images)