It is a logical error to focus on how good a team can play (ceiling) without also recognizing how bad a team can play (floor). Fans/media that give SEC teams credit for the high ceilings typically don’t acknowledge how low the floor is.

IMO that floor matters more than the ceiling. It is about who you can loose to on any given day as much about who you can beat. Football does not play best of 7 series, it is win or go home. You can’t have a bad game.

Teams below BYU might have had better games than BYU, but they typically also have had worse games (Alabama vs South Carolina, Notre Dame vs NIU, etc).