What are the indicators that the SEC is down this year?

5 bowls on January 1

SEC is still super strong.

I’m ready for Georgia to win it all

Then see how the pundits explain the Bama carries the conference” narrative

I am guessing the narrative mostly stems from these factors:
1. A&M blowing the game against UCLA
2. LSU losing to 10-2 Troy
3. Florida imploding

While LSU redeemed itself by winning all but one game after the Troy loss, A&M and Florida continued to stink it up.

I don’t agree with you that the narrative mostly stems from those three factors, but they certainly didn’t help.

In addition to the variables you cited ... Tennessee woefully underperformed, Ole Miss was plastered across the headlines in negative ways, and one-half of the conference’s coaches were on the proverbial “hot seat” throughout the season.

But—despite multiple issues that could’ve hit other conferences much harder—an argument can be made that the SEC showed great resiliency in 2017.

quote:

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During bama's run it was

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We are still there, bro.

Don’t fall for it EKG!

Yankees have to come up with these kinds of excuses to feel better about themselves and their laughable conferences.

Out of conference record is average. Top heavy conference.

Down vs other seasons-

#1 in the ranking/seed isn't from the SEC (SEC usually #1 going back to the BCS era; the goal had been to "knock off" the SEC team. Isn't the case this playoff).

Perception of vulnerability/transitive property: there are 2 teams, yes. Both lost games to Auburn in fairly convincing manner. Clemson beat Auburn, and Auburn also lost another game (LSU). This ties into the first reason.

Big 6 and A&M overall didn't perform to standards. This is the "depth" argument, that the SEC forges in fire by having a brutal stretch of games for teams to run.
LSU lost at home to a Sun Belt team, A&M lost a couple extra games compared to prior seasons, 2 time East champ Florida (usually a marquee team) collapsed and fired their coach, Tennessee regressed and went winless in conference when last season they had supposed to have "returned to prominence", etc.

It's a strange season, really- EVERYBODY is down. With the SEC showing it's not an NFL division, you'd think there would be a lot of other teams making waves, but USC, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan and Florida State all failed to reach their goals too. Wisconsin made a run in the Big 10, but showed that like always, they don't have the athletes to be elite. Miami resurged, but that looked like smoke and mirrors against Clemson.

Bowl eligibility is not always the great indicator of strength; you just need to get to 6 wins, which is considered mediocre for most good programs.

I still think Georgia/Auburn/Alabama is the best top tier, ahead of the Big 10 with Ohio State and Wisconsin. Other conferences might match or surpass us at the next tier, that of good/not elite teams. The skewed perception of "down" is because the SEC used to have both the single best, and the best overall group.