re: Top to bottom SEC has always been the best conference in college football.

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2) The SEC was essentially a zero-team league for MOST of the 1980s. Yes, Georgia was good in the early 80s, but that was because of one player and they fell off dramatically once he moved on. Yes, there were some other good teams (Auburn, Florida, LSU) -- but they were plagued by probation and/or inconsistency.

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80's were a weird decade in college football. The SEC and SWC were both good but plagued by inconsistent programs, rampant cheating (that they were caught for), and increasing picking off from their traditional talent pools by other national powers.

The B1G was solid but unspectacular. The PAC 10 was basically UCLA and Washington until SC was able to emerge again from their late-70's induced probation in the late 80's, but they weren't the machine they were before.

The Big 8 was good, and Nebraska, Colorado, and Oklahoma were all nationally relevant.

Really, the period between UGA's title in 1980 and Nebraska's emergence in 1994 was dominated by independents. It's not an apples to apples comparison, but Miami, Penn State, Notre Dame, and FSU were the baddest boys on the block in that era.