On New Year's morning 2004, the SEC had an image problem.
The SEC had won just one of the five Cotton Bowls since signing on to play a Big 12 team in the Dallas classic.
But it went beyond the Cotton Bowl and the Big 12. On that morning, the SEC had won three of the previous 22 national championships.
The SEC superiority complex that permeates college football today? The hype machine fueled by multiple networks? Not even a gleam in Paul Finebaum's eye 12 years ago.
But that New Year's 2004 produced a 31-28 Ole Miss victory over OSU in the Cotton Bowl.