THE CONFERENCE YOU LOVE TO HATE

Oh SEC haters, how short sighted you have become. If you love college football you definitely love the SEC. No doubt that the SEC's dominance has grown the college brand. The excitement around what national championship contending team(s) the SEC produces, at the same time heightens curiosity of what Big 12/PAC 12/B1G will try to beat them. The BCS tried hard to stop from putting two SEC teams in the title game in 2012 and unsuccessfully in 2011. The SEC being so dominant kept your favorite teams and favorite conferences relevant. Tell the baby NFL, I mean the SEC thank you, they're used to it. Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Texas A&M last year. Alabama and LSU the year before. With teams like OU, USC, Texas, and Michigan down, the SEC keeps us glued.

The last 7 champions hail from the SEC. Florida in '06 & '08, LSU in '07 Alabama in '09, '11-12 and favorites in 2013. Auburn's burst onto the scene in with Cam Newton and Michael Dyer in 2010. We have watched the SEC win championships year after year beating perennial powers such as Ohio State, OU, Texas, Notre Dame and recent giant Oregon. I see why the hate for SEC teams continue to grow. It's not their 2.25 billion dollar tv deals or their highest number of players taken(a record 63 last year) in the NFL draft. Not even all the recent Heisman trophy hoisters like Tim Tebow, Cam Newton, Mark Ingram, and Johnny Football himself. No, no, that's not why, those things only hype up the college football brand. The fact the Alabama's of the world are pushing out you're favorite Big East, ACC, B1G, Big 12 and Pac 12 teams out of the spotlight. Even academically prestigious Vanderbilt is on the rise under fiery coach James Franklin. Newly hired Mark Stoops at Kentucky, a traditional basketball school is reeling in top recruits, the most highly touted in the schools history. Lowly Ole Miss, yes Ole Miss has top rated kids flocking down to Oxford to get a taste of the SEC.

Marvel at it all. The crystal balls, the Tebows and Manziels, the massive first round pick lineman, the speed at every position, Alabama's all-star running backs. Be jealous. As a fan you can't help but love it. College football is thriving. Every week there are key championship incentive match ups and sell out crowds. According to a census done by the NCAA in 2011, 5 of the top ticket selling school were from the SEC (Alabama, Florida, LSU, Georgia and Tennessee). Recent addition Texas A&M was also in the top 10. 

Johnny Manziel

Often times the SEC championship game is seen as a semi-final game to the national championship. It might as well serve as the pre-crowning of college football's best. The excitement of the SEC brand of football will keep you interested. Don't worry, maybe your team will rise to the top of their conference visibly untouched with a shot at knocking off whatever SEC power has fought their way out of the conference with the least amount of bruises. Maybe the SEC is overhyped, the numbers say otherwise. What do you say about the SEC? ... I just tricked you into thinking your opinion matters. While you were thinking Alabama just won another title and the whole first round of the NFL was from the SEC. It must be tiring to watching the phenomenal athletes of the SEC on national tv every year. Oh well, you'll watch anyway. You can't watch or talk college football these days without the SEC. You might not like 'em, but boy the SEC sure is a sight to see. College Football 1, SEC 7, and the fans infinity. Enjoy your college football this year. Someone just may dethrone the SEC but I doubt it.

Allen Collins (@AC_Writer) is a sophomore media studies major at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah. He is an obsessive sports fan and  a proud, diehard OU Sooner supporter. His friends and family describe his love for sports as "a bit over the top" and that's putting it mildly. With any academic success Allen plans to be a sports journalist, author and a member of a sports talk radio show. Allen can be a handful to tolerate so just bear with him.