In the SEC, football teams must have a win-at-all-cost mentality. But “winning a battle but losing the war” still applies.

It particularly applies to teams facing the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Over the last six years, 18 teams have taken their bye week prior to playing Alabama, giving themselves more time to prepare.

This season, four opponents had an extra week before playing the Tide. In addition, Georgia, Ole Miss and Auburn had non-conference patsies scheduled the prior week.

It makes sense. The Tide is a perennial national power, and the extra rest and preparation should help their chances at claiming a signature victory.

Though the SEC office sets the schedule for conference games, each team sets its non-conference dates first. Many conference games tend to be played around the same time in the schedule every year. Plus, schools can lobby the league office.

So schedules aren’t made entirely at random.

The strategy seemed to work well in 2010 when six SEC teams took a bye week before playing the defending national champion Tide, which lost three of those to South Carolina, LSU and Auburn.

The problem, however, is after facing Alabama, opponents are often experience an emotional and physical letdown the following week.

In 2010, those six teams that had an extra week before the Alabama game went 2-4 the next Saturday, including LSU’s triumph over Louisiana-Monroe.

Since 2008, teams are just 21-25 in the week following Alabama. But over the same span, the eight teams that took their bye week after playing the Crimson Tide went 6-2.

Of course, the quality of the post-Alabama opponents is a major factor. Still, devoting extra rest and preparation time for Alabama can result in “winning a battle but losing the war.”

While a victory over Alabama might be worth the effort, a loss to the Tide — no matter how close — followed by another loss that could have been avoided with a bye week is a poor investment.

SEC teams with a bye week prior to facing the Tide are 5-20 since 2008. Without a bye week, SEC teams are 3-33 versus Alabama over the last eight seasons.

Though teams may have a better chance against Alabama with the extra week, it’s not often enough to justify the strategy. Even with a bye, most teams will lose to Alabama and risk repercussions the following week.

Perhaps SEC teams have realized taking the week off before playing Alabama is a questionable risk. Only Texas A&M and LSU will try it next season, though the Tide will also take a week off before playing LSU.

For comparison, this season only Notre Dame and Virginia Tech face as many as three teams coming off a bye. Ohio State faces none.

It might be better to follow the lead of Arkansas, which played the Crimson Tide tough, but eventually fell 27-14 to Alabama back in Week 6. Following a week off, the Razorbacks knocked off Auburn in four overtimes.