Best/toughest is open to interpretation. At some point you have to stop weighing the 7 straight wins so heavily in the argument. That's now two recruiting cycles ago since that run started. Much of that has no bearing on today. Today, the SEC has 1 team starting in the top 5. Today, the SEC has gone two years without winning a title. In those two years, their grip on the other P5 conferences has softened. The SEC win record vs the ACC 10-9, B10 6-4, P12 1-1, B12 8-4. Are they still the best overall conference? Probably, but how much longer before we have to give pause before answering? Would another year do it? What if no SEC team makes the playoff?