re: Is there a consensus #2 football program in the SEC, historically?

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it was my understanding "Big Six" means nothing more than the last and possibly only six teams to win the conference since Kentucky shared the title with Alabama in 1977

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No. Not at all.

The conference underwent immense change in the mid 1960s with multiple major events taking place:

1. The implosion of Ole Miss football
Ole Miss was arguably the SEC’s premiere program up through the early 1960s

Weeks ranked in AP poll (1936-1963):
Ole Miss- 146
Georgia Tech- 135
Tennessee- 132
Alabama- 129
LSU- 89
Auburn- 77
Kentucky- 49
Georgia- 45
Miss St- 40
Florida- 38
Tulane- 33
Vanderbilt- 24

The Rebels were punished by AP voters in 1963 for the racial riots taking place in Mississippi. Beginning in 1964, Ole Miss began to fall towards the bottom of the SEC standings and it was evident their program had hit the skids.

2. Georgia Tech leaves the SEC after 1963

That same year, Georgia Tech left the SEC to join the ACC. The jackets were undoubtedly one of the SEC’s premiere programs so this was a huge deal.

3. Tulane leaves the SEC after 1965

This was not a big loss for the SEC as Tulane had largely struggled for the 15-20 years prior. Nonetheless it dropped the SEC to just 10 teams

All of these major changes happened during a 2-3 year period, and the fallout resulted in six programs rising to the top. Ole Miss settled out at a clear #7. And the three perennial doormats (Miss St, Kentucky, and Vandy) were almost constantly 8-10 in the standings except for a few fluke years (re: Kentucky in 1976).

Yes, it is true that only the Big 6 have won SEC titles since 1977, but the roots of the Big 6 began to sprout in 1964 with the exit of GA Tech and the struggles of Ole Miss.

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"Big Six" means nothing more than the last and possibly only six teams to win the conference since Kentucky shared the title with Alabama in 1977 (6-0 v. 7-0 conference record)

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Kentucky was on NCAA probation in 1977 and not eligible for the title.

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I've never heard anyone other than Tiger Droppings posters reference the "Big Six." I honestly think the concept primarily exists on this message board.

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Actually, your own Tuscaloosa newspaper coined the term back in the 1980s:

"SEC still a Big 6/Little 4 league" -sports editor Billy Mitchell's column on p. 1-B of the July 31, 1988 issue of the Tuscaloosa News.

"SEC is still Big 6, Little 4" article on p. 2-C of the July 26, 1989 issue of the Tuscaloosa News.