the problem I have with it is not the strength of the SEC (which I believe is severly overrated), it is the weakness of the Big 12, the ACC, and the Pac 10. at least one if not two of the participants always seems to be whoever wins USC/Cal or Oregon (depending on the year), FSU/Miami, and Oklahoma/Texas, while those teams trounce the also rans in their weak conferences. the thing about the SEC is they are no different than the Big Ten other than perception. year after year, regardless of what the teams actually look like, the SEC heads into the year with 6-7 teams in the top 25, thus 'strength of schedule' is a self fulfilling prophecy. also between those 6-7 teams, they may play 3 or 4 non-conference games against non-patsies, solidifying their those pre-season rankings. year in, year out, the difference between Fl, GA, Auburn, LSU, TN, AK/AL/SC v. OSU, UM, IA, WI, PSU, NW/MSU/PU is minimal, accept in the perception of the people who vote for these teams.