SEC National Title Drought to Continue? Expert Sounds Alarm on Texas, Alabama and Their CFB Championship Hopes

The SEC might still walk like it’s the king of college football, but lately? It’s been sitting at the dinner table without a crown. For the first time in two decades, no SEC squad has even sniffed the national championship game for two straight seasons. That’s right—zero title shots since Georgia ran the table in 2022. And the folks up in the Big Ten? Oh, they’re flexing hard and snatching back-to-back natties. So when Josh Pate jumped on the mic recently, hinting at another dry year for the SEC? Well…that didn’t sound so wild.

The facts aren’t lying. Since 2022, the national championship has been anything but SEC territory. Michigan took it all in 2023. Ohio State brought the smoke in 2024. That’s two straight for the Big Ten, and suddenly, it feels like the power has shifted. “The SEC hasn’t won a national title in—what is it—two years? Could be a third year this year,” Pate said on his podcast, raising eyebrows and a few SEC loyalists’ blood pressure. “Ten of the top 21 teams in the odds to win the national title are from the SEC,” he added, “but how many elite teams are we talking about?”

And that’s the money question, isn’t it? Depth’s one thing. Star power’s another. Alabama hasn’t sniffed the big game since 2020, and Georgia? Sure, they owned 2021 and 2022. But since then, nada. No playoff wins. Just a quiet Sugar Bowl exit in 2024 after Notre Dame sent them packing. LSU hasn’t been in the natty convo since Joe Burrow in 2019. Texas is new to the SEC block, but they were the last hope in 2024, and got muscled out by the Buckeyes in the Cotton Bowl.

Now, nobody is saying the SEC is washed. Pound for pound, the SEC is the most stacked conference in America. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. This isn’t the 2000s anymore. The Big Ten has officially passed the aux cord, and they’re playing their victory tunes on repeat. While Ohio State and Michigan stay stacked—thanks to big boosters, NIL bankrolls, and NFL-ready recruits—the SEC is finding itself on the wrong end of the scoreboard. And no, NIL isn’t the scapegoat here. Because schools like Oregon (Nike-backed), Michigan, and Ohio State are just as loaded on cash and flash as the SEC giants. As a matter of fact, the Buckeyes spent $20M on their 2024 roster—and cashed in with a natty.

Josh Pate isn’t just spitting hot takes. He’s watching a slow shift in the football food chain. When he said, “How many elite quarterbacks are we talking about?” he was not throwing shade—he was throwing a flare into the fog. Because let’s be real, the SEC’s QB play recently? Kind of mid. The top-tier Heisman-level guys just haven’t been there consistently. Georgia and Alabama used to print NFL QBs. Lately? They’re getting outgunned by Big Ten arms and Pac-12 transfers. The problem is, SEC teams don’t have that clutch factor like Big 10 teams. Look at Ohio State. They got humiliated by Michigan and clutched up and won the natty. Even Michigan, despite not making the playoffs, came in clutch and handled Bama in the bowl game.

Meanwhile, the Nittany Lions are low-key stacked, with the best shot in 30 years to finally bring home the bacon. And Oregon? They’re not just running cool jerseys—they’re running elite NIL deals and elite talent. Even Notre Dame is creeping back into the national convo. So when Pate name-dropped those schools as legit natty threats while downplaying the SEC’s top dogs, that wasn’t hate; that was data.

And Texas? They showed fight in 2024, no doubt. But that Cotton Bowl L to Ohio State stung. Still, the Longhorns are coming heavy for 2025. According to 247Sports’ post-spring ranking, the Longhorns are low-key ranked No.1. Word on the street? They’re dropping $40 million on their roster through NIL. If Texas can’t push through next year, questions about the SEC’s crown status won’t just be whispers—they’ll be roars.

Do or die for the SEC? Is NIL fueling the conference’s downfall?

The first 12-team playoff was supposed to be a party for the SEC. Instead, it turned into a wake. Bama missed the whole thing. Tennessee got thrashed. Georgia got bounced early. And Texas, the conference’s golden ticket, got turned away at the door by Ohio State. It was the type of postseason that makes boosters sip their bourbon a little slower.

Even the conference’s middle class is feeling the squeeze. Ole Miss? No SEC title since 1963. That’s civil rights era. Arkansas, Mizzou, South Carolina, A&M, Vandy—they’ve never won an SEC championship. Not one. So when the blue bloods fall short, the rest of the league isn’t exactly there to pick up the slack. The drought becomes a flood.

SEC programs still got deep pockets. Don’t get it twisted. These boosters got everything from oil money to crypto money. But it’s not about having money—it’s about using it smart. Look at Ohio State’s ROI: they dumped $20M into their 2024 roster, landed Jeremiah Smith and a squad of killers, and walked out national champs. That’s business done right. SEC schools are catching on. Texas leading the NIL arms race in the South is a big deal. But money only gets you to the table—it doesn’t guarantee you the feast. You still have to win in December. You still have to hit when it counts. And lately, the SEC has been swinging and missing.

So here we are, heading into 2025. The SEC’s got pride on the line and a target on its back. Alabama needs a resurgence. Georgia needs to look like Georgia again. Texas needs to prove that they can hang with the best team in the country. Because if the Big Ten three-peats? Whew. That isn’t just a drought—that’s a full-blown identity crisis.