Who would have thought that one day SEC teams would fight for relevance in the league? For decades, this conference has dominated both basketball and football, but it turns out not anymore. Looking at the March Madness Final Four, it seems like a done deal for the SEC. On top of that, a Nebraska booster is already drawing comparisons between their basketball and football programs.

“Looks a lot like college football,” Nebraska’s booster Will Compton said on X.

This March Madness has been rough for all SEC teams. It started with Michigan beating Alabama 90‑77 in the Sweet 16, then defeating Tennessee 95‑62 in the Elite Eight. Nebraska also won in the second round against Vanderbilt 74‑72. Purdue beat the Texas Longhorns 79‑77 in the Sweet 16, and Iowa won against Florida 73‑72 in the second round. Overall, SEC teams have struggled in close games throughout the tournament.

Compton took full advantage of this opportunity to make a subtle dig at SEC teams and their performance in college football. Last year, five SEC teams: Georgia, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Alabama, and Oklahoma went to the playoffs, but none of them could reach the finals. The Big Ten had three teams in the playoffs: Indiana, Ohio State, and Oregon, and Indiana reached the finals, defeating Miami.

One of the heartbreaking losses they suffered was Alabama’s 3-38 loss to Indiana, and then Ole Miss’s 27-31 loss to Miami completely ended their hopes of winning the national championship. Now, it’s not just about Big Ten teams dominating SEC teams in the playoff field but also about winning national titles. Since 2022, when Georgia won the title, none of the SEC teams have won or reached playoff finals.

In 2023, Michigan won the title, taking down the Washington Huskies; in 2024, Ohio State faced Notre Dame; and last year, it was Indiana vs. Miami. So, Compton is not wrong in comparing the SEC’s troubling situation in both basketball and football. In the final four of March Madness, there are no SEC teams. UConn will face Illinois, and Arizona will face Michigan.

Now, one of the main reasons behind this shift is NIL and the transfer portal. Teams that are investing heavily in their rosters are taking up the first position, whereas other teams are fighting for relevance. Just take Ohio State’s example: they invested $20 million in their roster in the 2024 season, which led to a championship win. The same goes for teams like James Madison and Tulane, who went into the playoffs last year.

Players constantly move to teams that can pay them big time. Even teams tamper with them, like Lane Kiffin taking Princewill Umanmielen and Devin Harper from his former team to LSU. Even Ole Miss did the same with Clemson linebacker Luke Ferrelli. That’s when Dabo Swinney lashed out at the entire broken system and pleaded for a better rule.

What’s worse is that three teams were better off before this NIL era took over college football.

SEC’s three most successful teams before the NIL era

Alabama shows how the NIL era makes things harder for football teams. Since 2021, they have made several playoff appearances but haven’t won a championship. From 2009 to 2020, Alabama won six titles, but things have dropped off since the NIL rules went into effect. After Nick Saban retired in 2023, new coach Kalen DeBoer has struggled to keep Alabama’s high standards because booster donations are lower and the team focuses more on strategy than hard work.

Alabama’s basketball team also affects the football program’s finances. The basketball program under Nate Oats has grown, so the school has to share funds between sports. This means the football team has less money for training players and recruiting top talent, making it harder to compete at the highest level under NIL rules.

The Auburn Tigers have faced similar problems. They used to play bowl games almost every year, but now they struggle to qualify for them. Since 2020, Auburn has fired three head coaches, Gus Malzahn, Bryan Harsin, and Hugh Freeze, so that they can reach the playoffs, but that clearly didn’t happen. Now, Alex Golesh came in to make that dream a reality, bringing his USF players into the team, but it all depends on how well they perform.

Florida has also had trouble, despite having resources and strong recruiting. The Gators fired Dan Mullen without a viable replacement, leaving new coach Billy Napier to adjust. The result of that move was pretty evident with all the losing seasons the Gators have faced. Now, under Jon Sumrall, they are trying to find relevance, but it’s going to be a tough stretch.