AUBURN AMONG SEC'S TOP PROGRAMS OVER PAST 10 YEARS
BACK-IN-TIME: Brad Lester Celebrates Clinching TD in 2007 Win over Alabama at Jordan-Hare.
Here are the SEC's top teams over the past 10 years (1998-2007), according to Southern Pigskin:
"We added the win totals of the each of the SEC schools from the past 10 years and compiled a top-to-bottom ranking. While this list does not take into account variables likes out-of-conference games and bowl opponents, it does provide a basic foundation for who has had the most success over the past 10 years."
SEC DECADE OF DOMINANCE: 1998-2007
1. GEORGIA: 97 wins. The Bulldogs have been remarkably consistent at a high level the past 10 years, having won eight games or more each year of that period. Georgia won SEC Championships under Mark Richt in 2002 and 2005.
2. FLORIDA: 93 wins. The mighty Gators have two SEC championships in the past ten years, 2000 and 2006, and of course a national title in 2006. Steve Spurrier won 10 games four of his past five seasons in Gainesville. Urban Meyer has won 31 games and a national title in two years.
2. TENNESSEE: 93 wins. Phillip Fulmer has had five double-digit win seasons since 1998, a run which includes a national championship in 1998. The Volunteers slipped to 5-6 in 2005, but rebounded to win nine games the next season.
4. LSU: 89 wins. Les Miles just added a national title to his resume. Nick Saban won a conference championship in 2001 and a national championship in 2003. LSU last had a losing season in 1999.
5. AUBURN: 83 wins. Chalk it up to the system, but in 2004 the Tigers went 13-0 en route to a conference championship. However, Auburn didn't get a chance to play for it all. Tommy Tuberville & and Co., have won 42 games since 2004.
6. ARKANSAS: 75 wins. Houston Nutt went 74-49 in 10 seasons with the Razorbacks. His tenure included runs to the SEC Championship Game in 2002 and 2006. Enter former Louisville and Atlanta Falcons coach Bobby Petrino.
7. ALABAMA: 69 wins. The Crimson Tide has had four coaches during this period and has been up and down the past 10 years. The Tide rose to 10 wins three times, but fell to losing records three times as well. Alabama last won the SEC championship in 1999. Nick Saban has the program headed in the right direction.
8. OLE MISS: 60 wins. With David Cutcliffe calling the shots and Eli Manning under center, the Rebels surged to 10 wins in 2003. Cutcliffe suffered just one losing season in Oxford -- his last. Former Arkansas coach Houston Nutt takes over for the fired Ed Orgeron.
9. SOUTH CAROLINA: 55 wins. The Gamecocks struggled at the end of the century, winning one game in two years under Brad Scott and Lou Holtz. South Carolina has averaged nearly seven wins a year since that point. Steve Spurrier missed the postseason for the first time in his SEC tenure last season.
10. MISSISSIPPI STATE: 51 wins. Jackie Sherrill won 33 games from 1997-2000, earning a Western Division championship in 1998. From 2000-2006, the Bulldogs did not win more than three games. Sly Croom and State rallied to seven wins last season.
11. KENTUCKY: 49 wins. The Wildcats have four bowl appearances the past decade, including two consecutive wins in the Music City Bowl the past two years. Kentucky won nine games in 2006, the most since 1984.
12. VANDERBILT: 32 wins. Though the Commodores have come close twice, they have not had a winning season over the past 10 years. Vanderbilt jumped off to a great start with Jay Cutler at quarterback in 2005, only to finish 5-6.
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** Florida goes ahead of Tennessee in the order because they have a more recent SEC and national championship.
