College is still first and foremost (except for the rare world class level track athlete - which the SEC does have from time to time - particularly in the sprints) about going to school and what one can both put in and get out of the school in terms of human capital and educational development. The difficulty is that at 18 (even sometimes those with caring parents) it is difficult to properly look out for your own long term interests, and one can end up doing things like choosing a school based on elliptical information provided on a message board about a school's running program.
My suggestion is to set a goal about where you would like to be five years from now, and choose a school based on that goal. Don't sell yourself short, and look into an academic program that is both a skill and achievement match (Cal Tech is only for a select few) and has assets and departments that can fulfill your interests. Running fast is nice, but that will only come about with patient, measured training, which has to take place wherever you attend. And that patient measured training can only be successful if one has their life in balance - which means - keeping studying in line, limiting partying to that which is moderate (yet still have fun) and gaining a sense of self.
I have been a critic of some of the lesser SEC schools in terms of academics...but in fairness all of the SEC schools have strong programs in areas - and any search should focus on those areas and your interests - and should include non-SEC schools as well.