Alabama's Ingram is tackled by Duke's Butler during their NCAA football game in Durham

Sports aficionados love a good dynasty. 

Even casual followers can name the most famous ones: the 1970s Steelers, 80s Niners and 90s Cowboys in the NFL; the Gretzky-led Oilers of the 80s in the NHL; the Yankees of—any decade, really in MLB; and the Michael Jordan Bulls and Red Auerbach Celtics, and the perennially title-bound Lakers in the NBA. And NCAA football has…well, come to think of it…nothing (unless you count Princeton and Yale in the 19th century and it’s safe to say most football fans don’t).

That’s why it’s remarkable to see what the South Eastern Conference has achieved in recent years. The SEC may not be a solo team but for a single conference to produce so many champions is unprecedented in the BCS era.  

Let’s take a look at some figures:

The current AP Poll Top 25 list has six SEC teams in the top 17 (No. 1 Alabama, No. 9 Florida, No. 10 Arkansas, No. 12 South Carolina, No. 15 LSU, No. 17 Auburn). By comparison, the Big Ten has six teams in the top 25 but just two ranked higher than 20th.

Since 1990, the SEC can claim eight national champions.  The next winningest conference has six (Big 12).

The last FOUR consensus national champions were SEC teams (a record streak).

Those sure are some dynasty-like statistics.  Numerous theories have been tossed around to explain the SEC’s dominance, namely:

- Other conferences are known for a trademark offensive or defensive style, SEC teams tend to give equal credence to both. 

- There is a conference-wide low tolerance for losing -- fans are already starting to turn on Les Miles even though he coached LSU to a national championship in 2007. 

- SEC teams are notorious for holding practice nearly year-round.  

- This is the big one: In the convoluted system of BCS voting, each SEC team plays a tough conference-heavy schedule.  As we learned last year from the Utah/Alabama Sugar Bowl debacle, regular season schedule is everything. 

So what can teams from the seven other conferences in the Top 25 do to get a piece of the pie?

Big 10 (No. 2 Ohio State, No. 11 Wisconsin, No. 18 Iowa, No. 21 Michigan, No. 23 Penn State, No. 25 Michigan State):

Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson has been getting press for his physical play and intense rushing game (shades of Michael Vick, anyone?). But the real reason this conference has the best shot at giving the SEC a run for its money can be summed up in four words: Ohio State’s Terrelle Pryor.

WAC (No. 3 Boise State):

If the Broncos get a spot in the championship this year, it will be one of the best up-from-nothing stories in BCS history. To compensate for the lack of difficulty in their schedule, they need to not only win but to numerically crush opponents. Otherwise, they’ll be unable to edge out teams from stronger conferences when it’s time for BCS voting. 

Mountain West (No. 4 TCU, No. 13 Utah):

Like last year, neither TCU nor Utah can hope to surpass SEC teams when it comes time to vote. But both teams returned a lot of starters from last year and should make a strong case for bowl appearances.

Pac 10 (No. 5 Oregon, No. 14 Arizona, No. 16 Stanford, No. 20 USC, No. 24 Oregon State):

No one wants to hear the words “Jeremiah Masoli” or “USC sanctions” again this season (apologies for using them here).  The most exciting team in this conference might be Arizona. Nick Foles is arguably the best quarterback they’ve had in years and the Wildcats are ready to break the Keanu Reeves curse of ’94.

Big 12 (No. 6 Nebraska, No. 7 Texas, No. 8 Oklahoma):

It’s never wise to discount the Big 12.  Nebraska, which had something of a mini-dynasty in the mid-90s, is poised to make a comeback under coach Bo Pelini, a defensive genius. If Nebraska continues to trounce opponents to the tune of 30 points a week, they’ll be in the title conversation all season.

ACC (No. 19 Miami):

This talented group of Hurricanes had the misfortune of being pitted against Ohio State in Week 2. After that loss, they’ll need to win out and win out hard to be considered for the title game. 

Big East (No. 22 West Virginia):

WVU has hovered at the bottom of the rankings these first four weeks. One loss will take them out of the equation.  However, senior running back Noel Devine is an explosive player who just might be able to help the Mountaineers keep climbing.

To reach writer Kate Rooney, click here.

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