SouthEastern Conference (SEC) History
The establishment of the Southeastern Conference in 1932 created what would become arguably the strongest athletic conference in college football. The SEC is comprised of fourteen schools competing in a total of twenty-one NCAA athletics. Ten of the SEC’s teams were charter members in 1932, while the conference expanded twice with the additions of Arkansas and South Carolina in 1991 and Missouri and Texas A&M in 2012. No university has left the SEC since Tulane in 1962. This stability can be attributed to both its role as a power conference in college football and the unmatched revenues the SEC brings in. The conference is highly regarded for its football pedigree in particular; SEC universities have captured a total of thirty-seven BCS National Championships. Alabama alone has won fourteen National Championships and is one of the nation’s powerhouses (Tennessee is second in national titles with six). Consistently strong recruiting classes as a conference have made the SEC a breeding ground for many of the nation’s best players and top available NFL talent. The SEC has won over ten Heisman Trophies collectively, with recent winners including Cam Newton, Mark Ingram, and Tim Tebow. The SEC has a reputation as a remarkably fast conference, often outmatching their opponents’ athleticism. In today’s college football, perhaps no other conference is able to maintain the high year-to-year success displayed by the SEC.
SEC Teams and Structure
The Southeastern Conference has fourteen universities divided into two divisions. The SEC’s Western Division includes Auburn, Alabama, Ole Miss, LSU, Mississippi State, and Texas A&M. The Eastern Division includes Georgia, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina, and Missouri. Alabama, Florida, and LSU have been among the NCAA’s most dominant football programs in recent decades, while many of the SEC’s other universities are consistently in or near the top tier of the BCS rankings. The SEC has a number of historic and heated rivalries, the most famous being Alabama vs. Auburn.
SEC Championship and Bowls
The two divisions are used to determine the SEC’s champion, as the winners of the Western and Eastern (determined by conference record) square off for the title. The SEC Championship Game has been played since 1992 and takes place in Atlanta at the conclusion of the regular season. The Florida Gators have the most Championship Game wins, with seven. In addition to the SEC title the winner of the SEC Championship Game is awarded either the Sugar Bowl or the BCS National Championship Game if selected. Other prestigious bowls affiliated with the SEC are the Capitol One and Outback Bowls against Big Ten opponents and the Cotton Bowl against the Big 12. In total, there are ten bowl games associated with the SEC.
SEC Region
The Southeastern Conference’s fourteen universities are spread over eleven states, with the states of Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee each containing two schools. The conference is primarily confined to the Gulf region and Atlantic Coast, with Missouri and Kentucky the two northern most universities. The southeastern region of the US places the SEC amidst some of the best high school talent, serving the conference well in local recruiting.
SEC Betting
The SEC is one of the most wagered on conferences in college sports, providing a seemingly endless number of bets. These vary from prop bets on the Sugar Bowl to futures betting on SEC Heisman hopefuls at the beginning of every college football season. As an SEC university is frequently one of the representatives in the BCS National Championship game, the conference can be highly profitable when locating futures bets for the upcoming college football season. Correctly determining the NCAA’s champ can result in great odds and a huge payout for savvy gamblers, particularly those following college football’s best conference. FootballBetting.org has available odds for SEC futures going into the season. Many of the nation’s top recruits and best NFL prospect enter and come out of the Southeastern Conference. Track their progress at FootballBetting.org to know how these stars will impact the college and pro game alike. Containing many of the game’s best teams and most exciting games, don’t miss out on earning big money through the SEC.