When the latest BCS standing were announced, with all the upsets and “shoot yourself in the foot” losses by the nation’s best teams, the top three teams in the BCS are all from the SEC West division. (And everyone complains that the SEC gets too much favor) LSU, Alabama, and Arkansas are ranked numbers 1, 2, and 3 respectively in the latest BCS poll, which only gives us evidence as to just how dominant the SEC has been in college football in recent years. The South Eastern Conference has won the past 5 BCS National Championship games, and overall has won 7 of the 13 BCS titles. To really put this into perspective, the SEC has won more BCS titles than the other 5 BCS conferences in the country. (I think there may be a reason why the polls tend to favor the SEC, just maybe.) Truthfully, each one of these three teams is playing like they want to take home the hardware at the end of the season.

Why does the AP poll, Coaches’ Poll, BCS poll, and damn near every poll tend to favor the SEC so much?

Here’s why:

Les Miles, nicknames the “Mad Hatter,” has brilliantly guided the LSU Tigers to an 11-0 record thus far, with wins over both Oregon to open the season, and in a #1 vs. #2 showdown with Alabama more recently. More impressive than just their record is the way in which LSU has been winning. LSU currently has the second ranked defense in terms of points allowed per game, allowing on average only 10.0 points per game to opponents. Most notably, LSU’s defense allowed only 6 points to Alabama, a team that was averaging just under 40 points per game entering the game against LSU. Although their offense is not the most dominant in the country, LSU is playing championship caliber football, relying on a defense that does not bend or break. (The old expression, “Defense wins championships” is very appropriate here.) LSU is the only BCS conference team remaining who can boast an unblemished record, and is more than well deserving of the number 1 ranking in the BCS.

Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide are currently ranked just behind LSU in the BCS, with a record of 10-1 with big wins over Arkansas, Florida, and Penn State. Their one loss of the season was a 9-6 OT heartbreaker against, who else but LSU. The Crimson Tide has been playing at a very high level all season long. Alabama has used two very important aspects of their game to get to where they are now, their defense and their rushing attack. The Crimson Tide currently have the top ranked defense in terms of points allowed per game, allowing only 8.4 points per game. On offense, Alabama is averaging over 220 rushing yards per game, led by Heisman hopeful Trent Richardson, who has rushed for 1380 yards thus far. (He puts the team on his back though) Alabama punishes opposing defenses, pounding the ball for tough yards, which only helps them set up the passing game. With only one loss, against the top ranked team in the nation, Alabama is well deserving of the number 2 rank in the BCS.

Bobby Petrino and the Arkansas Razorbacks are the current number 3 team in the latest BCS rankings, and they are well deserving of this rank. The Razorbacks currently boast a 10-1 overall record, with their only loss being to Alabama, whose only loss was to LSU (Are you starting to notice a trend here?) Arkansas has been playing impressive football, with signature wins over Texas A&M, Auburn, and South Carolina, and a season best 52-3 win over the University of New Mexico. Their QB, Tyler Wilson, has passed for 3215 yards on the season including 21 TDs. Along with Alabama, Arkansas’s only loss on the season was to a team in the top 2 of the BCS standings, which makes them a very deserving team for the number 3 spot in the BCS.

What about all the other teams in the country who have only one or two losses and are also playing high caliber football? Lets go down the line and see some of the other teams who deserve consideration. Number 4 in the BCS standing is Oklahoma State, and the Cowboys are currently 10-1, but their lone loss on the season came this weekend against a 6-4 Iowa State team. (Hardly Alabama or LSU) Number 5 in the BCS standings is Virginia Tech, whose only loss this year came to Clemson, and impressive team, but then again, they play in the ACC. (Hardly the SEC, or even the Pac 12 or Big 10 for that matter.) Number 6 in the BCS is the Stanford Cardinal, whose lone loss this year came to Oregon, a team who lost to LSU (impressive) but then lost to USC. (womp womp)

Truthfully, if you go down to line in the BCS standings, there are one and two loss teams who have not lost games, instead they’ve just plain shot themselves in the foot. Those teams did not lose to better teams, they were the better team who just didn’t show up that night ready to play.

The two combined losses between LSU, Alabama, and Arkansas came against better teams, which is to say, those teams did not throw the game away, they were outmatched and bested by the 11 players on the other side of the field. So for all you Pac 12, Big 12, Big Ten, ACC, or Big East fans, before you start cursing the polls for favoring the SEC, make sure you realize that they do it for a reason.