This is impossible! You can't level the playing field by making all out of conference schedules tougher! That's already been explained to you. Ironically, what you are arguing against is the only way to level the playing field. The other conferences must upgrade and the SEC must not upgrade and then and only then are things level. That's what you seem to be oblivious to. You also seem to be missing a lot from that 1978 season, like for instance the fact that Alabama has a nice long break after they played Nebraska, or before they played Auburn. Where do you fit those breaks into your imagined schedule? You can't!
The rest of your argument seems to be built on this naive notion of how things are. It's just not like that, and that's all there is to it.
An easier one, because they play in the Big 10.
You have that now. Haven't we spoken ad nauseam about the relative difference in SOS conference?
For 2016, Ohio State and the big ten have agreed not to play anymore FCS teams. On top of that, they are strengthening their SOS schedule by going to 9 conference games. The big ten closed the SOS gap by mandatorily taking off one of their cupcakes. Give the big ten a ton of credit, they are proactive about changing some of this environment.