They beat Cincinnati by 21, and beat Georgia by 17 in the SEC Championship. So it's not that big of a difference. Alabama also barely beat bad Florida, LSU, and Auburn teams that year, and lost to and average Texas A&M.
Like others have said, why play the games if none of it matters? The SEC was 7-9 vs other Power 5 conferences this year. OSU won the Championship, and beat Alabama, with a 3rd string QB.