The vaunted SEC has been sick to its stomach listening to all the bragadoccio from the Big 10:  3 straight National Championships, blah, blah, blah.  As a result, the Odyssey has been very concerned with the well being of the Mouth of the South, Paul Finebaum.

The SEC’s retort, “Yeah, but we have more depth than you.”  In other words, if the best measurement as to “the best” is how much depth a conference has, the SEC has had a strong argument despite its absence from the last 3 championship games.

Their latest data point:  The SEC has 10 of the top 25 teams in the latest poll.  Ten is a staggering number given that the SEC has played a lot of meaningful non-conference games compared to the Big 10.  The Odyssey is well aware that early season polls are about as flawed as Joe Biden’s 2024 campaign.  How can Texas A&M be ranked after it just got bashed at home by a Kentucky team (one of the few SEC teams still unranked)?

Pre-season biases still have a toxic impact on polls.  Mississippi State is ranked behind Missouri despite being about the only team to have triumphed in 2 road games over Power 4 foes.  No worries, though! If our assessment is correct, Mississippi State will beat  Missouri on Saturday (the other team besides A&M whose ranking is questionable).

The depth of the SEC shows itself in many ways.  Ole Miss has beaten two vaunted opponents but finds itself as an underdog in Saturday’s team at the Swamp against a supposedly rebuilding Gator squad.

The Odyssey is convinced!  The SEC’s 9th best team trumps the Big 10’s 9th best team.  We leave it to others to decide if this is the ultimate litmus test as to superiority.