BRISTOL, Conn. -- They marched in, one by one, taken down a notch by what happened last season yet steadfast in their belief that they compete in the best and toughest conference in America.

All 14 of the SEC’s football coaches came to ESPN’s headquarters in Bristol last month for their annual preseason get-together, and all 14 spoke of the conference's standing in relation to the College Football Playoff.

But instead of vying for two teams to make the four-team playoff, as the coaches did last season, this time it was about explaining why just one should get in.

Of the challenges the SEC presents, Arkansas' Bret Bielema said, "Cannibalization is No. 1. There are no bye weeks in SEC play."

The former Wisconsin head coach explained, "In my other league [the Big Ten], there were two or three teams every year you had to bubble up to play. You had to shoot for them, aim for them, train for them. [The SEC] is a totally different league in that regard."

Said Missouri’s Gary Pinkel: "I don’t know if everybody gets it or not, but the strength of schedule -- I don’t know that it’s ever realized. ... There are so many good teams battling each other that you can knock yourself out."

That’s only a sampling of the response, but you get the idea: We’re so good top to bottom that it actually hurts our cause.

It was playoff politicking in its purest form. Some coaches, like Auburn’s Gus Malzahn, said an eight-team playoff would be a better, more inclusive option. Maybe then the SEC’s true strength would be felt.

Never mind that last season the SEC's three highest-ranked teams heading into postseason play went 0-3, including No. 1-ranked Alabama’s loss to 4-seed Ohio State in the playoff.

With USC and UCLA rising, the Pac-12 is coming on strong. Baylor and TCU have the Big 12 on the map again. And the Big Ten has the reigning champion, Ohio State, and a well-documented sleeping giant, Michigan, which has been buoyed by the hiring of Jim Harbaugh.

The ACC isn’t being talked about much right now, but if Clemson runs the table, it’s hard to imagine the ACC will be shut out.

So where does that leave the SEC when it comes to the playoff this season? Though it might be early to predict the league will get shut out of the four-team tournament, it’s not impossible when you consider how difficult it will be for the West to produce even a one-loss team.

"I don’t think there is any team in the West that doesn’t think they can win it," said Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen, whose Bulldogs were picked by the media to finish last in the division despite last season’s success and the return of quarterback Dak Prescott, who finished eighth in the Heisman Trophy balloting.

That runs contrary to other leagues, Mullen said, where coaches might halfheartedly say, "Hey, we feel great about this year! We’re going to find a way to win!"

"I bet if you took a poll in the Big Ten of … whether anybody can win the championship in that league, they’re probably not going to say that," he explained. "Then you look at the SEC West, and you can probably make an argument of how every team could win."

But that’s a double-edged sword when it comes to the playoff. Creating separation will be difficult, and zeroing in on one clear candidate might take all season. That team might end up with multiple losses when you consider that it will have to compete in a division with five teams in the Top 25 of the Amway Coaches Poll. Mississippi State and Texas A&M, the sixth and seventh teams in that mix, were the first- and second-leading vote-getters outside the Top 25.

All five of the ranked teams have the potential to be great, but none has the earmarks of perfection. Alabama, Arkansas, LSU and Ole Miss have quarterback issues, and Auburn hasn’t proved it can play any defense.

We’re neglecting the East, of course, but where is the strength there? It’s the opposite of the West, with Georgia as the top dog and a series of question marks trailing behind. Florida is starting over under first-year coach Jim McElwain, Missouri lost its best player on defense before camp began, and Tennessee is still in "prove it" mode because of its youth and lack of depth.

Georgia is the clear favorite, but can the Bulldogs be trusted? It’s been a decade since Mark Richt last won an SEC title. Though Nick Chubb might be the most talented running back in college football and the defense is loaded with pass-rushers, there’s no quarterback to feel good about.

Could a two-loss SEC team be kept out of the playoff?

"Oh, absolutely," Bielema said. "If it’s the wrong two losses, without a doubt."

This might seem to be harping on the negative, but the perception of the conference isn’t what it once was. This isn’t the seven-consecutive-defending-champion league of two years ago.

The SEC isn’t quite back at square one, but there’s a lot to prove this season.

Just think: At this time a year ago, the college football world was debating whether the SEC would get two teams in the playoff, and other conferences were actively politicking against the idea.

Now that talk is gone. It’s disappeared. Now we’re left to wonder if even one team from the SEC will be in good enough shape when the time comes.