The SEC has won between 28 and 40 college football national championships — depending on your source and school colors. Saturday Down South is ranking the conference’s 10 greatest national champions, acknowledging history while bowing to progress.

The countdown continues …

No. 2: 2009 Alabama

Record: 14-0

PPG: 32.1

Allowed: 11.7

SRS: 23.69. SRS combines margin of victory and strength of schedule, where 0 is average. The higher the number, the more dominant the team.

Statistical oddity: Greg McElroy was a first-year starter at quarterback, which meant Alabama kept it conservative. The Tide threw just 17 touchdown passes, second-fewest among Saban’s championship teams.

Their case for greatness: When you’re battling for the top spot among the greatest teams in SEC history, individual players often make the difference.

That certainly was the case with the 2009 Tide, which many view not only as Saban’s crown jewel on a hand full of championship rings but also the SEC’s best.

Al.com ranked the 2009 Tide team the best in program history. So did Athlon Sports, though its ranking occurred before the 2015 championship season.

CBS Sports ranked this Tide team No. 4 overall among overall BCS-era champions, but first among SEC teams.

Absolutely there was plenty to like about this Tide team, which revolved around Heisman winner Mark Ingram but included Trent Richardson and Julio Jones — even if the future Pro Bowler was mostly an afterthought. (One catch in the championship game?)

But … best ever? With a one-dimensional offense?

The most obvious rationalization is that this Tide team never lost. It came close, though, twice — against two unranked teams.

It escaped a last-second home loss against Tennessee when All-American defensive tackle Terrence Cody blocked a 44-yard field goal attempt on the final play.

“You talk about how fragile a season is,” Tide coach Nick Saban told reporters after hanging on for a 12-10 victory in which Alabama’s only points came on field goals. “You’re controlling a game, even though you may say it’s winning ugly. We’re still ahead 12-3 and totally controlling the game with 3 minutes, 29 seconds and the ball. That’s how fragile a season can be. You make one mistake and you have to go overcome it.

“I hope that there’s a lot of lessons our team can learn from this.”

Only the most important.

Alabama cornerback Javier Arenas told FoxSports it taught the Tide “how to win, no matter what.”

The Tide drew on that “no matter what” a month later in the Iron Bowl.

The Drive to greatness

Alabama entered Jordan-Hare Stadium 11-0 and ranked No. 2 behind undefeated and defending champion No. 1 Florida.

The hype already had begun to build about an SEC Championship Game rematch.

It’s impossible to believe that either team could ever look beyond the Iron Bowl, but Bama struggled mightily from the outset.

“We didn’t play with a lot of passion, and I don’t understand that,” Saban told reporters afterward.

Ingram was held to 30 yards — the second-fewest single-game yards by a Heisman Trophy winner.

Auburn forced a three-and-out and promptly drove 80 yards for a touchdown.

It recovered an onside kick — and drove 58 yards for another score.

The Tigers led 14-0 before Alabama recorded a first down. They led 21-14 before Alabama kicked two field goals to close the third quarter.

“That Tennessee game made us realize you can’t take any team for granted,” Arenas told FoxSports. “By the time it came to Auburn, we were immune to all that. We were immune to being too nervous if we fell behind early.”

After forcing a punt with 8:03 left, Alabama began a championship march to save its perfect season.

Twice McElroy found Jones on third down to extend The Drive. He hit Richardson for 17 yards to convert a 2nd-and-9. Alabama, so reliant on the running game all season, was finding another way.

On 3rd-and-3 from Auburn’s 4, with Ingram watching from the sideline, Alabama came out of a timeout in an offset power I formation. McElroy settled in under center. Roy Upchurch lined up in front of Richardson, the deep back. To their left was Cody — a 354-pound decoy.

Auburn stacked the line — all 11 defenders inside the tackles.

Big boy football at its best.

McElroy wheeled and extended the ball toward Richardson. Upchurch, the lead blocker, raced past Auburn corner Neiko Thorpe, who came crashing down to seal the edge. The play-action stunned everyone, and McElroy hit Upchurch for the game-winning touchdown with a minute left.

It was the only receiving touchdown in Upchurch’s career.

“You have to pick your medicine,” Ingram told reporters afterward. “If you want to stop one thing, we have to execute other aspects.”

Alabama executed just about everything the following week in dismantling Tim Tebow and top-ranked Florida to win the SEC Championship — flipping the script from the previous year, when Florida handed No. 1 Alabama its first loss in the SEC title game.

The BCS championship game brought about more of the same. Alabama knocked Texas quarterback Colt McCoy out of the game on the Longhorns’ first possession and rolled to a 37-21 victory.

Nick Saban, hired in 2007 to rebuild Alabama, secured the program’s first national title since 1992.

“We’re back,” Ingram told reporters.

All the way to No. 2 on our list of the 10 greatest SEC national champions.

TOP 10 SEC NATIONAL CHAMPIONS

No. 10: 1961 Alabama: Greatest defense gives Bear first title

No. 9: 1980 Georgia: Herschel Walker and Run, Lindsay, Run

No. 8: A battle of Alabama caps golden era

No. 7: Super Cam and 2010 Auburn

No. 6: 2011 brings Saban sighting

No. 5: 2012 a repeat of 2011 — only better

No. 4: Spurrier’s Fun-N-Gun brings first title in 1996

No. 3: Saban’s latest masterpiece