three minutes of research- over the past ten years the only time an SEC team did not play for, win or share a national title in football was 2005 (Texas)....2004’s title went to USC but was later vacated...but i guess the SEC is overrated...
It does raise an interesting question though. If two teams are hand selected by a panel to play for a national championship, is it more likely to introduce bias into the process than if four are (or eight ... Or sixteen)?