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The SEC is once again the king of the basketball world, but make no mistake, football is still the South’s one true king.
Florida’s march through the NCAA Tournament was magical. Its 12-game winning streak, which included the most second-half rallies in the last 10 years of March Madness and the 12-point comeback against Houston to win the national title, is the stuff of legend.
In the South, where college football is the No. 1 sport and spring football might be No. 2, the SEC’s dominance on the hardwood has placed more pressure on the conference to deliver on the football field, where it desperately needs to rebound after being shut out of the College Football Playoff the last two years.
College basketball was a nice distraction for the SEC, but soon, the buzz will fade.
A record-breaking 14 teams in the NCAA Tournament? Awesome.
Seven teams in the Sweet 16? Fantastic.
A national champion from the SEC for the first time since 2012? Nice.
But who’s winning the quarterback battle at Alabama? Is Kirby Smart poised to push Georgia back into the title picture? Heck, can Billy Napier turn things around in the shadow of Todd Golden at Florida, where winning seasons have been inexplicably tricky to attain the last several years?
Listen, the SEC’s football product is not in a dire situation, but the conference is losing steam. The Big Ten, which has won back-to-back national titles, has surpassed the SEC as the sport’s thoroughbred and is on pace to widen the gap with Ohio State reloading for another run and Penn State in its best position in 30 years to make history.
Meanwhile, the SEC has failed to reach the national championship in back-to-back years for the first time in 20 years.
The landscape has shifted because of NIL collectives….
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/pressure-slightly-mounts-on-sec-football-amid-cfp-title-game-drought-as-league-conquers-basketball-world/
Author : Brandon Marcello
Publish date : 2025-04-08 16:47:00
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