🏈 very good read - "Seat of power: How the SEC came to rule college football"

[planomateo]

Picked this up via twitter, an article outta Omaha, Nebraska - this guy did some research and puts alot of data into a single read - love when they do this.

What I do find rather interesting, is this guy suggests that the gap between the SEC and the other confs could grow over the next 5 years. Granted, holding the crystal ball for 6 years in a row will pay huge dividends in the future, but I would also guess this to be justification from the other confs to step it up.

http://www.omaha.com/article/20111231/SPORTS/712319797#.TwCAYdXCopc.twitter

During a 10-season span from 1985-94, the SEC produced one team — one! — that finished top-3 in the AP poll. The past five years, it has produced eight; all other conferences combined have seven. And that's before LSU and Alabama finish top-3 this year.

Never in college football history has one league been this good for this long. It's not just postseason rankings and honors.


Look at budgets: Last year, 13 college football programs generated revenue exceeding $50 million. Seven were from the SEC. Ten programs had expenses exceeding $20 million. Six were from the SEC.


Look at coaching salaries: In 2006, five of the 20 highest-paid coaches in the country were SEC coaches. In 2011, the SEC has 10 of the top 20 — and seven of the top 11. Eight college football assistants made $700,000 or more this season. Seven coached in the SEC.


Look at crowds, both in the living rooms and the stadiums: The three highest-rated college football games of 2011 were SEC games: LSU-Alabama, LSU-Arkansas and LSU-Georgia. And six of the top 11 attendance leaders in the country are SEC schools.


Look at talent: Per capita, all nine SEC states are among the top 20 nationally in Division I-A football recruits. Four (Louisiana, Florida, Alabama and Georgia) are top-5. Those kids generally stay home. Each of the last five years, the SEC has led all conferences in NFL Draft picks.


It's easy to identify why the SEC is better. What's more complicated is pinpointing what changed in the last decade. What prompted the surge?


Even the most sophisticated SEC observers aren't exactly sure. It's like looking at a strand of Christmas lights and trying to find the beginning.


But the SEC's rise to powerhouse is no fluke. And the reasons behind it — the power sources — suggest that the gap between the SEC and its competitors may actually grow over the next five years.