College Football 2011: 25 Reasons the SEC Will Win the BCS Championship Again

Let's be clear here, folks: Someone from the SEC will win the national championship this year.

A bold statement, perhaps, but not one without plenty of justification.

Fall camps are just getting started and the start of the college football season is still a month away, but if folks can predict the Top 25 this early, then why not take it a step further and hand the crystal football to a whole conference?

The Southeastern Conference has dominated the college gridiron for the last decade or so, if not longer, and there are a number of reasons to think that run will continue in 2011.

Well, 25 reasons, in fact, if not more.

A Strong Presence in the Top 25

First and foremost, the SEC has two teams, Alabama and LSU, that are in the Top Five of just about everyone's preseason polls.

Expand the window a bit further and you'll find that Arkansas and South Carolina have also garnered consideration among the 10 best teams for 2011, with Florida, Mississippi State and Auburn rounding out the preseason Top 25. 

Alabama's Dominant Defense

Down in Tuscaloosa, there remains some concern as to how Alabama's offense will run with Greg McElroy, Julio Jones and Mark Ingram gone and an unsettled situation at quarterback even after spring practice.

That being said, there's still one big reason the Crimson Tide are considered one of the top two teams in the country this fall—defense.

Bama's D was pretty good, not great, last season, but will be among the best in the nation with linebacker Dont'a Hightower and safety Mark Barron back at full strength.

And, as the saying goes, "Defense wins championships."

LSU's Offense Under Steve Kragthorpe

On the flip side, LSU's offense should carry the Tigers much farther in 2011 than it did in 2010.

Les Miles brought in former Louisville head coach Steve Kragthorpe to revamp the team's attack, and if performance in spring practice is a useful barometer, then it appears that quarterback Jordan Jefferson will be better for Kragthorpe's presence.

The situation under center has been rather unstable in Baton Rouge in recent years. Assuming Jefferson's success under Kragthorpe's system extends to actual games, LSU may prove to be unstoppable on both sides of the ball.

Tyler Wilson Will Surprise People at Arkansas

The quarterback situation at Arkansas would seem a bit more unsettled than LSU's after Ryan Mallett left early for the NFL.

Yet, the Razorbacks offense should be as dynamic as ever, with Tyler Wilson stepping in to take his place.

Wilson has been touted as another potential NFL quarterback and he'll have a superb supporting cast with whom to prove his talents, including running back Knile Davis and one of the finest groups of receivers in all of college football.

The Dynamic Duo of Marcus Lattimore and Alshon Jeffery at South Carolina

If offensive weapons do a champion make, then look no further than South Carolina.

The Gamecocks return the terrific tandem of wide receiver Alshon Jeffery and running back Marcus Lattimore to a team that won the SEC East last season.

Now, if quarterback Stephen Garcia can finally get his head screwed on properly, Steve Spurrier could well be on his way to guiding another school to the national title. 

The Conference Is Absolutely Loaded with Terrific Tailbacks

Lattimore is one of a number of top-shelf tailbacks who will carry the SEC back to the top of the college football world.

He will be among four 1,000-yard rushers returning to the conference in 2011, along with Arkansas's Davis, Tennessee's Tauren Poole and Auburn's Michael Dyer.

LSU's Spencer Ware figures to join that group this season, though the best of all may in fact be Alabama's Trent Richardson. Many expect Richardson to contend for the Heisman Trophy after spending his first two seasons behind Mark Ingram, who won a Heisman of his own back in 2009.

The SEC Cleans Up in Recruiting

So why, pray tell, are there so many great tailbacks in one conference?

One word: recruiting.

The SEC has dominated the recruiting trail in recent years, placing three teams in Scout.com's top 10 in 2008, four apiece in 2009 and 2010, and now five for the class of 2011.

Alabama and LSU Have Stocked Up on Talent for Years

Only two SEC teams have pulled in top-10 recruiting classes in each of those years. Care to guess?

That's right, it's Alabama and LSU!

Nick Saban and Les Miles have both done a terrific job of luring the top high school talent to play for them since arriving at their respective schools.

Their teams figure to reap the benefits of their tremendous efforts this season now that their current stockpiles of talent have to compete at championship levels.

Tough Schedule Equals Tough Champions

Of course, even with all that talent, the Tide and the Tigers aren't about to waltz through the SEC unscathed.

In fact, only one of them can, as LSU is scheduled to play at Alabama on November 5th in a game that will likely decide the winner of the SEC West.

That matchup is only one of a number of tough tussles that each of these two will encounter this season and serves to underscore just how difficult it is to win what is undoubtedly the deepest conference in college football.

In most cases, the SEC schedule becomes a minefield in which championship dreams meet an explosive demise. However, for those fortunate enough to survive intact, ultimate victory is all but assured.

10 SEC Teams Played in Bowl Games Last Season

The depth of the SEC is underscored by the fact that 10 of its teams played in bowl games last season.

That's not a typo. The SEC sent 10 of its schools to the 2010 postseason.

Sure, they only went 5-5 overall, but that does little to diminish just how impressive it is for a 12-member conference to have 10 teams finish the season with at least six wins.

Especially when the conference's best teams—Auburn, Alabama, LSU, Mississippi State and Florida—all won their respective bowls.

Excellent Record in BCS Bowls Overall

When it comes to bowls, nobody really cares about how you do in December and January unless you're playing in a BCS bowl or the Cotton Bowl.

As far as the Rose Bowl, the Sugar Bowl, the Fiesta Bowl, the Orange Bowl and the BCS National Championship Game are concerned, no conference has fared nearly as well as the SEC.

College football's best conference sports a 15-6 record in BCS games, far and away the best mark of any in the nation.

7-0 in BCS Championship Games

Break the numbers down even further and you'll find that the SEC has never lost in the BCS title game, going 7-0 since the BCS was born in 1998.

SEC Teams Have Won Each of the Last Five BCS Titles

What's more, an SEC team has captured the BCS National Championship in each of the last five seasons.

The streak began with Florida in Arizona in 2007 and continued with LSU in 2008, the Gators again in 2009, Alabama in 2010 and, of course, Auburn this past January.

The Best and Most Experienced Coaching

A huge part of that success, of course, has been the coaching in the SEC, which now stands among the most experienced in championship situations.

The retirement of Urban Meyer deducts two titles from that total, though the conference still has Les Miles at LSU, Nick Saban at Alabama, Steve Spurrier at South Carolina and Gene Chizik at Auburn, who've won it all in their careers.

And when it comes to winning championships, experienced coaching can make all the difference in those high-pressure moments.

The BCS Championship Game Is Being Held in SEC Territory

Experience can be a huge boon to championship hopes, as can home-field advantage, of course.

And while the BCS National Championship Game won't exactly be held at Bryant-Denny Stadium or Tiger Stadium in January or 2012, it'll be at the next best place as far as the SEC is concerned—the Louisiana Superdome.

For LSU fans, the trip from Baton Rouge to New Orleans is a relatively short one down I-10.

That same trek may not be as short for Alabama, Arkansas or South Carolina, though the travel rates for fans from SEC cities are easily more affordable than for the members of just about any other BCS conference.

SEC Fans Follow Their Teams, Wherever They Go

Of course, SEC fans don't need their teams to play close to home to provide support.

The American South is known for the veritable flocks of football fanatics that follow their favorite teams in droves all over the country during bowl season.

The fact that the BCS National Championship Game will be played in Louisiana this season only further ensures that the stands will be chock-full of SEC fans when the crystal football stays in the South in 2012.

The SEC Practically Owns the Sugar Bowl

By now, fans all over the SEC fans are eminently familiar with the best routes to New Orleans.

After all, the SEC has sent teams to the Sugar Bowl on 70 occasions in the past, largely as a function of the conference's long-standing champion tie-in with the game but impressive and worth noting nonetheless.

Alabama and LSU Know the Territory Better Than Anyone

Of those teams that have set up second homes in New Orleans, no two schools have played in the Sugar Bowl as many times as (you guessed it!) Alabama and LSU, with the Tide winning eight times and the Tigers winning six.

In fact, only two teams in the 10 most frequent visitors to the Louisiana Superdome, Oklahoma and Florida State, don't currently swear their allegiance to the SEC.

Oklahoma Hasn't Done so Well Against the SEC in Bowl Games

Speaking of Oklahoma, the Sooners come into the 2011 season as the preseason No. 1 team in America, though there is plenty of historical evidence to suggest they won't be able to beat an SEC team in the title game.

In 13 previous bowl games against SEC teams, OU sports a less than satisfactory record of 5-7-1, with two losses to SEC teams (LSU and Florida) in BCS championship games.

Florida State Hasn't Fared Much Better

As for Florida State, their record against the SEC in bowl games isn't exactly sparkling.

The Seminoles are 3-5-1 against SEC teams in bowl games, including an 0-2 mark of their own in national title games.

What's more, the Noles are 3-5 all-time in the Sugar Bowl, pitting history against them to an even greater extent. 

Oregon Doesn't Fare Well in Bowl Games

Oregon could very well win the Pac-12 and lose in a bowl game for the third year in a row.

Considering the Ducks roster and their history of paltry postseason performances, such an outcome wouldn't be particularly surprising.

All told, Oregon has played in 24 games in school history, losing 15 of them.

Expect that record to worsen if they get back to the BCS National Championship Game in 2012 to face another SEC team.

The Ducks Will Get Quacked If They Face an SEC Team for the Title Again

The Ducks suffered that same fate this past January, when Auburn tore to shreds one of the best offenses in all of college football.

Chip Kelly's club returns the dynamic duo of Darron Thomas and LaMichael James, but will be hard-pressed to do any better against a top-flight SEC defense after losing three starting linemen and the top two receivers from a group that managed only 19 points against a stout group.

Therefore, I say to Ducks fans expecting retribution against the SEC this season: Don't hold your breath.

Andrew Luck Can't Do It by Himself

If Oregon doesn't run the table in the Pac-12, that distinction could instead fall to Stanford.

However, terrific as Cardinal quarterback and Heisman Trophy favorite Andrew Luck may be, he'd have a tough time handling an SEC defense on his own, especially without Jim Harbaugh on the sidelines and a slew of key offensive players gone from last year's 12-1 team.

Boise State Is Still Unlikely To Play in a National Championship Game

As long as we're looking out west, we might as well give some consideration to Boise State, a team once again touted as a Top Five team.

Tremendous a preseason ranking as that may be for the Broncos, they still face an uphill battle against the BCS powers that be to keep a good team from a Big Six conference out of the big game in New Orleans, much less take out an SEC juggernaut once there. 

Nebraska Will Win the Big Ten but Not the National Title

Nebraska is considered by some to be the preseason favorite to win the Big Ten, despite being a newcomer to the conference, which now deceptively sports 12 member schools.

However, don't expect them to win a national title in their first season outside of the Big 12.

For one, the Huskers didn't exactly shine in their last bowl appearance, a 19-7 loss to Washington in the 2010 Holiday Bowl.

As far as history is concerned, Nebraska has split its only two BCS bowl appearances and, should Big Red reach the title game in New Orleans, would be shouldering the burden of a conference that is a mere 10-12 all-time in BCS bowl games.