It IS more compelling than saying, "we are the best because all our top teams beat each other," but only slightly, because college schedules are like choose-your-own-adventure books: Teams can fill their non-conference schedule with schools worse than many HS teams, only facing subjectively "good" non-conference opponents if they think their own team legitimately good. Oklahoma was particularly notorious for that over the years, because, combined with the fact their only quality conference opponents were (usually) Texas, Nebraska and (occasionally) Colorado, they could cruise to 8+ wins with minimal talent.

The bottom line remains that if college football instituted a playoff tournament pitting the conference winners against each other in elimination games until the last two contested the national championship, I and many others would take it seriously. I would actually follow and enjoy the sport. As it stands, I have nothing against the SEC with the very notable exception of the fact they and Notre Dame are the two biggest symptoms of the root problem. The National "Championship" will probably come down to the SEC Champ vs. Notre Dame, a year after it was a rematch of the SEC Championship? Color me (completely un)shocked.