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It wouldn't be the college football offseason without some spirited debate over the quality of different conferences. Not only has this offseason not been any different, it might feature more debate than a typical year.
For most of the past decade, the SEC has been the unquestioned leader in the sport, thanks to Nick Saban's Alabama dynasty and the consistent excellence of Kirby Smart's Georgia Bulldogs teams. But for three years running, the SEC has not been able to reach the National Championship game, let alone win one.
Instead, the Big Ten has staked its claim as the best in college football. Michigan won in 2023-2024, Ohio State in 2024-2025, and in a stunning 16-0 season, Indiana steamrolled its way to a title in 2025-2026. Three in a row, and arguably the top two teams heading into 2026-2027 are Ohio State and Oregon. Perhaps even worse, there's a case to be made that Notre Dame and Miami might be bigger threats to the Big Ten's dominance this year than Georgia or Texas.
PERCEPTION IS REALITY, AND THE SEC NEEDS TO START WINNING AGAIN BEFORE IT CONTINUES TO PUFF OUT ITS CHEST
For Big Ten fans or former coaches, this recent run of success has created an opportunity to, shall we say, gloat over the SEC's apparent decline. And former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer and Colin Cowherd are no exception.
Cowherd asked Meyer when he started to believe that Big Ten rosters and talent had caught up to the SEC, which he explained happened towards the end of his career at Ohio State. But he went further, saying it's not just the athleticism and depth where the Big Ten's caught up. It's everything.
"But I'm gonna add this, Colin, also the Big Ten stadiums are very SEC like," Meyer said. "They were not. When I was hired in 2012, it wasn't even close, man. The teams weren't close. The venues weren't close. The passion of the fans wasn't close, it's caught up. And like you said, last year it bypassed the SEC."
Is "it just means more" on life support?
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It's impossible to doubt the passion and support SEC fans bring to their teams, from intimidating night games at Death Valley in Baton Rouge to The Swamp, Neyland Stadium against a big opponent, Texas A&M's 12th Man in College Station, Alabama, Oklahoma, Williams-Brice Stadium, Auburn, Ole Miss, the cowbells at Mississippi State and Georgia's raucous student section.
But the Big Ten has developed plenty of impressive atmospheres too, with Oregon, Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State and Nebraska leading the way. Others like Washington, Iowa and Illinois frequently fly under the radar as tough places to play, and home games in Bloomington are going to reach a whole new level now that the Hoosiers are defending champs. USC in its heyday was a very difficult place to play, and will have several opportunities for big home games this year with the Ducks and Buckeyes coming to town.
At the end of the day, both conferences feature great fanbases, historic, iconic venues, outstanding crowd atmospheres and elite, blue blood programs. And that's what makes college football so great, what you prefer or think is superior is up to you. Thankfully, we're spoiled for choice.
