SEC + RPI = Strength

Back in the not-so-distant day, there usually was a dominant team or two in SEC baseball. Whether it was LSU or South Carolina or Alabama, year in and year out, you could count on some team separating itself from the pack.

The standings this season bear that out somewhat. Arkansas is emerging as the dominant team in the West, same for Vanderbilt in the East.

But where the SEC is showing its real strength is in the offical RPI rankings which can be found here. Sure the RPI can be manipulated, just ask the Missouri Valley Conference basketball schedulers.

The most important number, however, is 7. That's how many years it has been since LSU brought the conference its last national championship.

For all its talk about being the best college baseball conference in the country -- and, for what it's worth, I agree -- the SEC needs to end its title drought sometime in the next two or three seasons. Otherwise, all that talk will lead to another label for the conference in the postseason -0 chokers.