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BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott last week called his conference's strength of schedule "unrivaled" in college football. Then he took an implied dig at the SEC's nonconference scheduling.

"It's a point of pride that our teams not only host these games (against opponents who played in BCS bowls)," Scott told reporters at Pac-12 Media Day, "they go on the road and play at neutral site venues against top-quality opponents."

Scott said the Pac-12's scheduling "moves us into position" heading into the college playoffs next year, "where it's been made clear" that the selection committee will emphasize strength of schedule.

And there's the rub for the SEC. Nonconference scheduling could be used against the SEC starting in 2014 and prevent the conference from getting multiple teams into a four-team playoff in some years.

Since the 12th game started in 2006, the Pac-12 (which plays nine league games) has produced the most challenging nonconference schedule based on frequency of games against major-conference teams. Forty-four percent of the Pac-12's nonconference games have come against BCS-conference opponents, just ahead of the ACC (42 percent).

Among the five major conferences, the Big 12 has played the fewest percentage of nonconference games against BCS opponents (28 percent). Next are the SEC (30 percent) and Big Ten (31 percent).

The SEC has lived up to its stay-at-home reputation, which is worth to its schools millions of dollars by playing an extra home game. Since 2006, the SEC has played 17 percent of its nonconference games at opposing campuses. True road games for other leagues: Big Ten, 21 percent; Big 12, 25 percent; ACC, 29 percent; and Pac-12, 32 percent. SEC supporters would say their conference schedule is the toughest in the country.

The SEC plays nine true road games this season out of conference: Ole Miss at Texas; Arkansas at Rutgers; Georgia at Clemson; Georgia at Georgia Tech; South Carolina at UCF; Florida at Miami; Tennessee at Oregon; Vanderbilt at Massachusetts; and Missouri at Indiana. The SEC also has some attractive neutral-site games, such as Alabama-Virginia Tech and LSU-TCU.

The Pac-12, with two fewer teams than the SEC, also plays nine road games in 2013. Since the 12th game started, the most road nonconference games the SEC has played came in 2008 with 12.

Three SEC teams -- Alabama, Auburn and Vanderbilt -- are ranked by CBSSports.com's Bruce Feldman among the 10 softest nonconference schedules this season. (The Big 12 also has three on the list.) Florida and South Carolina are in the group of 10 toughest nonconference schedules.

The SEC has won seven straight BCS championships. But change is coming to the postseason, and SEC Commissioner Mike Slive said this spring he made clear to coaches they have to upgrade their nonconference schedules. Several athletics directors have said Slive wants teams to have 10 quality games between SEC and nonconference opponents.

"I don't know that nine (SEC) games is the answer," Alabama Athletics Director Bill Battle said in May. "What I think is that we really need to play at least 10 good games."