I am not an SEC alumni, but eight games of SEC games is the equivalent of 12+ Big Ten or PAC 10 games. An Ohio State or Stanford MIGHT have 3-4 games a year in the conference that pose a real challenge. SEC team have 6-7 per year minimum.
I actually agree with you. Between Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU and South Carolina, they’re all potentially top-caliber teams. And even the “lesser” teams in the SEC aren’t pushovers in recent years, either.