Georgia Football: The SEC is only Dawgs and Tide

The SEC has been known as the best conference in college football. However, is that changing? Is the SEC as deep as some think it is? Right now its Alabama and Georgia football who are the most relevant, can others join?

In the last few years, the SEC has lived off of their reputation as a whole and not so much on the merit of each team.

For example, only four teams from the SEC have been in the top ten in recruiting since 2017. Only Alabama and Georgia football have been in the top 10 each of those three years.

Alabama has won four of the last five SEC Championships, with Georgia winning the other.

In 2016, the SEC had just one team ranked in the top 10 in the final poll. That went up to three in 2017 and four in 2018.

Alabama has been said to have been worn down by their “SEC grind, and that is why Clemson beat them in the College Playoff National Championship.

Dabo Swinney was not buying this narrative at all. Here is what Swinney told Chris Low, of ESPN:

"“Listen, the SEC is a great conference, but I don’t think they’ve been as deep the last few years. I think they’ve had two or three really good teams and then it’s kind of been hit or miss from there. It’s an awesome league, for sure, and I know people say that Alabama was tired because they went through the grind and had to play all these teams,” Swinney told ESPN, discussing a narrative he has heard mostly in media circles. “Well, they won by an average of 33.1 points per game [going into the playoff], so they ought to be well-rested.“My thing on that is, ‘Are you serious? They’re tired?’ Then you look at Clemson, and we won 12 games by 20-plus. Who really challenged Alabama in the SEC? They didn’t get challenged by anybody until the Georgia game [for the SEC championship].”"

To Swinney’s point, in 2017 the two teams that met in the College Football National Championship Game both came from the SEC. So if the grind was so hard, how did they both have the stamina to make it to the final game?

So, is the SEC as deep as some seem to think?

I would have to say, no. The SEC has, at best, four solid programs, just one of them being elite, Alabama.

Where does Georgia fall into all of this?

Well, in my opinion, Georgia is nipping at the heels of being elite themselves. Their only real competition is Alabama. Georgia has beaten its SEC East rivals by an average score of 40-15 the last two years.

Proving there is no competition in their division. Until that changes, which I believe it will in the next year or two, Id have to say that the SEC is no longer the powerhouse it once was.

Kirby Smart has done a really good job of building up this program since taking over. Since 2016 Georgia has had four top ten recruiting class, and three of those were top five.

They have been to the College Playoffs and a New Year’s six bowl. The only thing keeping Georgia from being an elite team is beating Alabama.

Even after clearing that hurdle Georgia and Alabama would be the only elite teams in the SEC. Can any of the other ten teams eventually join them?

Sure, I believe LSU, Florida, Kentucky, and Auburn (possibly with a different coach) could join those ranks shortly, or at least be very good to great.

However, as we stand now, the SEC is a two-team race, at best.