How the SEC Became Goliath The Making of College Football's Most Dominant Conference

A veteran sports journalist explores the real reason why college football can't shake the attitude of "SEC vs Everyone Else": size does matter. The national championship trophy has been in the south so long it has sunburn. For six straight years the Southeastern Conference has walked off with the big crystal prize. Why? Because the SEC, top to bottom, has better coaches, better stadiums, better bank accounts, better weather, andlast but not leastbigger players. The dominance of the SEC has a lot more to do with Southern culture than the rock-em, sock-em football played once a week. The south lost the Civil War, and sociologists will tell you there is still regional angst and a spirit of "those damn Yankees"147 years after the war ended.It's not just about championships. The SEC is about culture, climate, and competiveness. Six of the top ten states that have the most players in the NFL, per capita, are within the SEC footprint. And the SEC states have better players where it counts in today's game of the quarterback-centric spread offense: defensive linemen. How the SEC Became Goliathis not a celebration of the Southeastern Conference's golden era and six milestonesit is about the winning journey to those titles.

Ray Glier is a freelance journalist in Atlanta. He contributes to USA TODAY, The New York Times, and The Miami Herald, among other publications. He has covered the Southeastern Conference since 1986 and is the former executive sports editor of The Knoxville Journal.