GatewayRedbirds.com

It's kinda hard to judge just what exactly defines "perennial power" but I don't think the Vols have been that since their run from '95-98. They haven't played in a BCS Bowl, haven't won an SEC championship since 1998 (Hello, Tee Martin) and they won't win an SEC East title as long as Urban Meyer is at Florida.

Lets see some of those SEC teams go into Lincoln or Boulder (if CU ever regains a clue about football) or Columbia on a cold windy, rainy/snowy November night and play good football.

MrCrowesGarden wrote:I don't really consider Penn State on that level yet because they had prolonged struggles before the last two seasons.

Their "prolonged struggles" lasted only a few seasons. Before that, they were a contant fixture in the top 10 since they joined the conference (and before that too). To me, they're no different than a Tennessee.

The SEC is probably a better overall conference. I just don't like when people insinuate that the Big Ten is only about 2 schools. It's an incredibly tough conference to play in.

--P--

The bottom line is that it's cyclical. Early on in its existence, the Big XII was pretty tough, with K State, Nebraska, Colorado, Texas, and Texas A&M (Oklahoma was in a dry spell at that time). Now, it's a pretty mediocre conference. The Big Ten has had its share of down time as well.

That said, I can't think of a time when the SEC was down.

RC21 wrote:
That said, I can't think of a time when the SEC was down.

Unless you're a Vanderbilt fan.