The Houston Chronicle rated the nation's top 20 programs -- 6 SEC programs

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A Chronicle panel of 10 writers and editors put their noggins together to come up with a catalog of the most important factors making a program great.

The Top 10:
1. Facilities.

2. History (recent and past).

3. Money (that a school spends -

and not on recruits).

4. Recruiting (the area from which

to draw).

5. Conference.

6. Attendance/game day atmosphere/campus geography.

7. Brand name/prestige.

8. Exposure/TV.

9. NFL draftees.

10. Coaching (stability).

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Rankings:
1. Alabama (146)

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Anyone who's been to Tuscaloosa, Ala., knows how crazy that place is for college football. Combine that with the history of Bear Bryant, Forrest Gump and Nick Saban, and it's a runaway No. 1.

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2. Ohio State (133)
3. Texas (100)
4. Oklahoma (97)
4. Southern Cal (97)
6. Michigan (90)
6. Notre Dame (90)
8. Clemson (78)
9. LSU (68)

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By itself, witnessing "Callin' Baton Rouge" in a raucous Tiger Stadium propels the program into the top 20. LSU's success in the past 15 years (with two of its three national titles coming in that span) and the Cajun-flavored tailgating scene shoves it into the top 10.

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10. Texas A&M (59)

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As the unnamed Chronicle staffer who pegged A&M No. 1 said, "Follow the money." No program has generated more over the past couple of years, and Aggies support their team win, lose or draw (even though there are no more draws). Now A&M just needs to win some titles.

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11. Florida State (54)
12. Florida (39)

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The Gators have more recent success than just about anyone around (national titles in 2006 and 2008), but coach Urban Meyer retired and then moved on to Ohio State, and frankly, "The Swamp" needs a serious draining (aka updating).

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13. Georgia (37)

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Still best known for Herschel Walker and his (alleged) thousands of daily pushups and situps, the Bulldogs might be much higher on this list in a couple of years. Second-year coach Kirby Smart already has Georgia in the College Football Playoff.

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14. Auburn (31)

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Perpetually second fiddle to the Crimson Tide, the Tigers fight the same battle as the Aggies in their home state. Still, Auburn owns a better recent track record than A&M, with a national title in 2010 and another title-game appearance in 2013.

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15. Miami (26)
16. Oregon (25)
17. Penn State (18)
18. Wisconsin (6)
19. Nebraska (5)
20. UCLA (4)

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