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How the SEC Became Goliath: The Making of College Football's Most Dominant Conference
How the SEC Became Goliath covers the Southeastern Conference and how the league became dominant in college football, winning six straight national championships. Size matters. That’s why the SEC is Goliath, because the Southeastern Conference, top to bottom, has better coaches, better stadiums, better bank accounts, and better weather, but the real difference maker is the bigger and better players.
For six straight years the SEC has walked off with the big crystal prize and will not give it back. The talk of “big boy football” grinds on the Buckeyes, Sooners, Longhorns, and Ducks. All they can come back with is “Wait until next year.” Then next year comes and the SEC tribe is chanting in the closing minutes of the National Championship Game, “SEC, SEC, SEC!”
The national championship trophy has been in the South for so long it has sunburn. That is why college football is thick with the SEC vs. Everyone Else. The dominance of the SEC has a lot more to do with the South’s culture than just the rock-’em, sock-’em of football played one day a week. The South lost the Civil War, and sociologists will tell you that there is still a regional angst, an “us against them” mentality, a spirit of “those damn Yankees.” It is not just about championships. The SEC is about culture and competitiveness. . . . It is about players.
***
How the SEC Became Goliath provides an inside look at college football’s most dominant conference. Four different schools in the SEC have won the last six championship
Florida vs. Ohio State in 2006
January 8, 2007 • The Zook-Meyer Gators embarrass the Big Ten.
Florida 41 Ohio State 14
LSU vs. Ohio State in 2007
January 7, 2008 • Unbeaten in regulation, the Tigers are good . . . and lucky.
LSU 38 Ohio State 24
Florida vs. Oklahoma in 2008
January 8, 2009 • One of the best teams in history, these Gators are all Meyer’s.
Florida 24 Oklahoma 14
Alabama vs. Texas in 2009
January 7, 2010 • The Tide make it four in a row for the SEC.
Alabama 37 Texas 21
Auburn vs. Oregon in 2010
January 10, 2011 • Cam Newton and Auburn cap a perfect season.
Auburn 22 Oregon 19
Alabama vs. LSU in 2011
January 9, 2012 • Saban wins his third title and the SEC makes it six in a row.
Alabama 21 LSU 0
For six straight years the SEC has walked off with the big crystal prize and will not give it back. The talk of “big boy football” grinds on the Buckeyes, Sooners, Longhorns, and Ducks. All they can come back with is “Wait until next year.” Then next year comes and the SEC tribe is chanting in the closing minutes of the National Championship Game, “SEC, SEC, SEC!”
The national championship trophy has been in the South for so long it has sunburn. That is why college football is thick with the SEC vs. Everyone Else. The dominance of the SEC has a lot more to do with the South’s culture than just the rock-’em, sock-’em of football played one day a week. The South lost the Civil War, and sociologists will tell you that there is still a regional angst, an “us against them” mentality, a spirit of “those damn Yankees.” It is not just about championships. The SEC is about culture and competitiveness. . . . It is about players.
***
How the SEC Became Goliath provides an inside look at college football’s most dominant conference. Four different schools in the SEC have won the last six championship
Florida vs. Ohio State in 2006
January 8, 2007 • The Zook-Meyer Gators embarrass the Big Ten.
Florida 41 Ohio State 14
LSU vs. Ohio State in 2007
January 7, 2008 • Unbeaten in regulation, the Tigers are good . . . and lucky.
LSU 38 Ohio State 24
Florida vs. Oklahoma in 2008
January 8, 2009 • One of the best teams in history, these Gators are all Meyer’s.
Florida 24 Oklahoma 14
Alabama vs. Texas in 2009
January 7, 2010 • The Tide make it four in a row for the SEC.
Alabama 37 Texas 21
Auburn vs. Oregon in 2010
January 10, 2011 • Cam Newton and Auburn cap a perfect season.
Auburn 22 Oregon 19
Alabama vs. LSU in 2011
January 9, 2012 • Saban wins his third title and the SEC makes it six in a row.
Alabama 21 LSU 0
- GenresSportsFootballNonfiction
258 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 25, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 25, 2012
It was an interesting book to read, he repeated himself multiple times when talking about people like Phil Savage, but nonetheless I learned some things I didn't know and can appreciate the dominance of the SEC.
January 14, 2019
Decent look into the SEC and it's dominance in the late 00s/early 10s. Some repetitive narratives and passable game recaps. The book heavily leans on teams that won titles (Alabama, LSU, Auburn, and Florida) as foreshadowed by the cover. The most interesting chapter depends on which team you like the best, although the look into Alabama's recruiting strategy is a good choice. Not recommended reading based on a focus of the then-current players and coaches and hiring/firing within college football. Written more as a news article than a go-to reference book. Still enjoyable to relive recent classic moments.
August 31, 2022
If you’re a SEC football fan, this book is a must read
October 19, 2014
Just trying to become literate in college football and so I picked this up given that this week, four of the top five teams in the country hail from the SEC. The SEC WEST to be more precise. That's one impressive division in one impressive conference.
The book was good, not great. I learned what the title promised I would, but the author was also fairly repetitive. It's also difficult to read a book about a particular conference and particular players when the landscape changes so quickly. The SEC, of course, is still dominant. But the book treats Ole Miss and Mississippi State like the whipping boys for the rest of the conference. That may have been true for the past few decades but not this season as some of last. Of course, the Magnolia State's success this year only strengthens the author's contention that the conference is so thoroughly dominant.
I also liked the book more as I read it. This is because the author's introduction and Chapter 1 read like a zealous fan or booster had written them. It's not until the later chapters that the tone reads like anything like semi-objective journalism.
The book was good, not great. I learned what the title promised I would, but the author was also fairly repetitive. It's also difficult to read a book about a particular conference and particular players when the landscape changes so quickly. The SEC, of course, is still dominant. But the book treats Ole Miss and Mississippi State like the whipping boys for the rest of the conference. That may have been true for the past few decades but not this season as some of last. Of course, the Magnolia State's success this year only strengthens the author's contention that the conference is so thoroughly dominant.
I also liked the book more as I read it. This is because the author's introduction and Chapter 1 read like a zealous fan or booster had written them. It's not until the later chapters that the tone reads like anything like semi-objective journalism.
October 14, 2013
Someone gave this book to my husband and I've been eyeing it for some time, even though it's not my typical genre. I'm glad I finally picked it up and read it! I learned a lot about how the SEC (and college football in general) operates. This book details how the SEC became so dominant and will likely remain so for some time. It has more money, the football culture, highest paid coaches, different and better weight training methods, precise (NFL) recruiting models and methods, and many other facets that allow the conference to reign supreme. Maybe I'm biased, being raised in Georgia country and having been married to an Alabama grad for 10 years, but I'm sold. This book was easy to read and not too technical. Some great stories and insight. Roll Tide!
April 10, 2013
Not a bad read, but not a particularly good one either. Focuses heavily on a handful of figures and doesn't give much of a broad read. Also odd to read the exact same paragraph twice in one book (it appears verbatim toward the middle about 30 pages apart-- pages 128 and 159, if my memory serves).
A decent read, but nothing more.
A decent read, but nothing more.
March 13, 2013
Very interesting even for a non-sport literate person like me
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews