In 2016, Alabama football and 10 other SEC teams entered the season without a proven or healthy quarterback. Only Tennessee, Missouri, Texas A&M and Ole Miss began 2016 with experienced and capable signal-callers.
Given such inexperience and in some cases, inferior talent, it is no surprise the SEC did not dominate college football.
Quarterbacking in the SEC should be better in 2017, but all that counts for Alabama football fans is the improvement of Jalen Hurts. Not that Hurts did poorly in 2016. He passed for close to 2800 yards, ran for almost 1000 more and was the SEC Offensive Player of the Year.