re: Is there a consensus #2 football program in the SEC, historically?

This is true but polls are also silly. Either the AP is the standard or it isn’t. It was the most relevant perhaps from say the late 50’s until 98 but it wasn’t even a thing until the 1930’s and it’s never been the thing because it has no more credence than the UPI/coaches poll. It’s awarded by sportswriters, before and then after bowls and it’s a totally bogus measure to base your argument upon.

The better method is to evaluate the consensus NC based on the most electors and total resume. It’s also quite obvious that all polls had a bias towards the Midwest and northeast at least until the 1970’s.

The BEST method is to evaluate SEC Championships because everybody played for those. It’s not perfect but it’s the best.