re: Is this the golden age of the SEC?

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I think that the fact that 'SC was stripped of the '04 title for cheating has some bearing on the way folks feel.

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Auburn was a victim of the system at that time. Auburn did not deserve to get left out anymore than Oklahoma or USC would have had they been left out. It was going to suck for any of those 3.

I think at the time, the general consensus among most fans was that USC was the strongest team in the land. Would Auburn have defeated them? Who knows. I think most fans would have said, "no" at the time, but then after the SEC won National Titles every season between 2006 and 2012, history now looks back at that Auburn team and says, "yeah they probably had a real shot."

Interestingly enough, of the seven SEC teams to win consecutive National Titles from '06 to '12, only two finished the season unbeaten (Alabama in '09 and Auburn in '10). LSU in '07 even had two regular season losses. When you think about all that, unbeaten Auburn in '04 even looks more shafted.

Either way, the system back then just sucked big time. I can't believe after that fiasco, it took another 10 years before they did the right thing and made it a 4-team playoff.