Parsing the SEC’s best all-time programs requires close examination of minor details.

There’s not much that separates Auburn, Florida and Georgia, not even with more than 100 years of history between some of those teams. (The all-time Tigers-Bulldogs series record is 55-55-8.) They’re all fantastic programs, some of the most accomplished second-tier teams in the nation when we’re talking all-time accomplishments.

We’ve ranked every current SEC team since the inception of the programs across five major categories: national titles, conference titles, all-time winning percentage, Associated Press Top 25 finishes and consensus All-Americans.

We’ve already revealed the teams we rank No. 11-14 as well as No. 7-10. Today we’ll uncover three teams we slotted in the top half of the SEC all-time.

T5. AUBURN

Total Points: 28
Claimed National Titles: 2 (T7th)
Conference Titles: 12 (9th)
All-Time Winning Percentage: .633 (5th)
Top 25 Finishes: 37 (T3rd)
Consensus All-Americans: 30 (4th)

Playing in the hardscrabble SEC West, the Tigers need to add more championships to the mantle in order to slide up this list. (Ironically, the Tigers recently decided not to claim additional national titles, so for the purposes of this list Auburn probably should get some extra credit.)

Auburn also is two SEC championships away from leaping from ninth to third in terms of all-time conference titles, as there’s a logjam of teams just ahead of them in that category.

But even when the Tigers haven’t hoisted an SEC title, Auburn frequently wins a lot of football games and produces a lot of All-Americans. (For example, Tommy Tuberville won one SEC title, but his Auburn teams finished ranked in the Top 20 on six different occasions.) Few teams in the country, let alone the SEC, can match Auburn in terms of consistent winning and talent.

T5. FLORIDA

Total Points: 28
Claimed National Titles: 3 (T3rd)
Conference Titles: 8 (10th)
All-Time Winning Percentage: .629 (6th)
Top 25 Finishes: 29 (6th)
Consensus All-Americans: 31 (3rd)

Whereas Auburn has been a model of consistency, Florida’s success has come in spastic, intermediate-term spurts. Charley Pell and Galen Hall strung together some good seasons.

But Gators history starts with Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer, and no one else compares. (Spurrier and Meyer are responsible for 23 of the school’s 31 consensus All-Americans, including Spurrier’s own selection in ’66. The two coaches also have claimed all eight of the school’s SEC championships.)

Florida hopes that Jim McElwain can one day ascend that Mount Rushmore, but he’s got a long path ahead of him right now. Many of the SEC’s elite far outpace the Gators in conference titles, Top 25 finishes and all-time winning percentage. But Florida can claim some fantastic, all-time great teams under Spurrier and Meyer.

4. GEORGIA

Total Points: 26
Claimed National Titles: 2 (T7th)
Conference Titles: 14 (T4th)
All-Time Winning Percentage: .648 (4th)
Top 25 Finishes: 35 (5th)
Consensus All-Americans: 24 (T6th)

The Bulldogs boast a much better winning percentage and more conference titles than their two rivals ranked below them on this list. Just imagine how many conference titles Georgia would boast about if coach Mark Richt won every big game, right?

Surprisingly, the team hasn’t produced all that many consensus All-Americans relative to the other SEC teams, even though players like Frank Sinkwich, Herschel Walker and Terry Hoage are all-time greats. And UGA claims just two national titles, in ’42 and ’80.

Overall, though, the Bulldogs are one of the winningest programs in college football history, and at this point it’s a surprise when UGA finishes a season outside the AP Top 25.