HOOVER, Ala. — Just six months ago, longtime employees of the Southeastern Conference were picking confetti off the floor of a stadium in Arizona, smiles beaming as Alabama’s razor-thin victory in the College Football Playoff championship game had ended any narrative of the league’s decline.
After two years without a title — a sacrilege in the recent history of the SEC — the league gathers for its annual media days this week with a sense of order restored. No more questions about whether the Big Ten or Pac-12 have caught up. No more anemic bowl records to explain away.