Big Ten Has Already Proven Itself As New Best Conference In College Football

For most of the last 15 years, the SEC established itself as the best conference in college football. 

Led mostly by Nick Saban's Alabama Crimson Tide teams, the SEC had several programs over the years win National Championships in the BCS or College Football Playoff era. But in recent seasons, it's started to become clear that the SEC's grip over the sport has been weakening. Michigan won a title after the 2023 season. Then Ohio State backed it up by winning a title after the 2024 season. 

This postseason, though, has revealed that the SEC has officially been usurped as the dominant force. Somehow, the SEC went just 1-8 against non-SEC Power 4 Conference teams in all bowl games. The SEC didn't win a single playoff game against a non-SEC Power 4 team, despite having nearly half the field. Alabama was humiliated in the Rose Bowl by the Indiana Hoosiers, to the point where even SEC-partner ESPN said it was "embarrassing." 

RELATED: SEC Humiliation Is Complete, As Ole Miss Loss Moves Conference To 0-3 In Playoff Against P4 Teams

But it's easy to say that the SEC has been dethroned. A bigger question? Who's replaced the SEC? And regardless what happens in this year's National Championship Game, there's a pretty clear answer: the Big Ten.

Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti looks over the field Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, during the Peach Bowl and semifinal game of the College Football Playoff against the Oregon Ducks at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. (© Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Big Ten Picking Up Where SEC Left Off

Since virtually unrestricted NIL took off and the transfer portal became an even bigger free for all, the SEC has lost control of college football. Some have suggested, or even outright stated, that this is because other conferences were suddenly able to pay players in a way that SEC teams already had. Or that geographic concerns became less important than financial ones. 

Then there's an even more obvious explanation, that highly-regarded recruits who would go sit on the bench at Georgia or Alabama now no longer need to. Instead of being stuck on the depth chart, waiting to get a turn to play after two or three years, those players can now enter the portal every year jump to greener and more opportune pastures. That has spread the talent out across the sport much more evenly than in years past. 

But whatever the reasons, it's abundantly clear to everyone not wearing an SEC patch that the tide has turned. And that the Big Ten has picked up where the SEC left off. 

Over the last two playoffs, the SEC is 2-6 against teams from Power 4 conferences and 3-6 overall. Georgia, the back-to-back SEC Champion, hasn't won a playoff game in the last two years, scoring just 10 points against Notre Dame in the 2024-2025 edition and losing to Ole Miss in this year's tournament. Against Power 4 teams in this year's playoff, SEC teams were outscored 79-33. 

The Big Ten though? It has thrived. 

In the 12-team playoff, the Big Ten is 8-3 against other conferences. Thanks to the Indiana Hoosiers advancing, the Big Ten now put a team in the National Championship Game for three straight years. Three straight years in which the SEC hasn't made it. The Big Ten is now 8-2 against the SEC in head-to-head matchups in postseason play the last two years. 

Last year, a 6-6 USC team was 2-0 against the SEC, winning more SEC conference games than multiple teams who actually played in that conference. And the same number of conference wins as an Oklahoma team that beat Alabama. 

Per the latest update of analytics ranking system SP+, three of the top four teams in the country are from the Big Ten. Iowa, Washington, Penn State and USC all sit in the top 16 as well, ahead of Texas, Alabama, Tennessee and Missouri, giving the Big Ten arguably a deeper "middle class" than the SEC. Even the Miami win over Ohio State was fluky, with the Hurricanes having just 30 percent win expectancy. The offensive and defensive efficiencies actually pointed to a four-point Buckeyes win, instead of a 10-point loss. That's football, but it's an indication that the Big Ten teams could easily have made up three of the four spots in the semifinals.

These are the kinds of stats SEC fans and promoters would point to when they were at the top of the sport. But that's clearly no longer the case, and even if the Hurricanes pull an upset in Miami, the Big Ten has clearly established itself as the best conference in college football. What remains to be seen is if the Big Ten is treated that way by ESPN, commentators, and the selection committee. Based on their behavior this year, that seems unlikely.