Paul Finebaum Says Big Ten Is Now College Football's 'Supreme Power' After SEC Playoff Disaster

How the mighty have fallen.

Paul Finebaum, the head of ESPN's SEC promotions department, has admitted defeat. Finally.

The SEC has, for years, enjoyed the protection of its media relations group at ESPN, with Kirk Herbstreit for example, going on a rant after the Indiana-Notre Dame game in the 2024-2025 edition of the College Football Playoff. 

"I hope next year the committee won't get caught up and what the social media and a lot of people who are fringe fans get caught up in, which is wins," he said. "'They had 11 wins. They must be good.' Who did they beat I think is much more important than how many wins you have," he continued. 

Then, in a not-so-veiled push for more SEC teams, he added, "I don't want to hear about wins, how many wins. Winning is obviously important, but just because you have 11 wins doesn't mean you're better than a team that maybe had a tougher road that had nine wins."

Well, we got more SEC teams in the playoff this year, and every single one of them lost. It got to the point where Finebaum, an even bigger SEC cheerleader than Herbstreit, couldn't defend their performances. Now he's gone one step further, and even showed a willingness to give the Hoosiers a historic title, should they beat the Miami Hurricanes on Monday night.

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Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti. (© Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Finebaum Acknowledges Big Ten Is Better Than SEC

When talking about what Indiana could achieve if they win a National Championship and complete a 16-0 season, Finebaum admitted they'd be right up alongside previously dominant championship teams. 

On a new episode of "SportsCenter," Finebaum was asked if the Big Ten is now the "supreme power" in college football. "Yes," he answered, "And even though I'm sitting across the street from SEC headquarters, they know it. There's no escaping what has happened, and it's been one of the most dismal bowl seasons ever for the SEC," he continued. 

"But where it really hurt was in the CFP, the only game the conference won other than against one another was Tulane. The big games, they lost, and that's why they're sitting home today."

Oh my. Paul Finebaum admitting the Big Ten is the "supreme power" in college football? Stop the presses! 

Here's the thing; he's right. And it's been brewing for quite some time, which is what makes the 2025-2026 playoff field so frustrating. The SEC had no business getting five teams in, and the only reason they did was because of lobbying efforts from people like Finebaum and his network, ESPN. Every win between SEC teams is treated like a monumental accomplishment, and more evidence of their hypothetical dominance in hypothetical games.

Except on the field, particularly over the last few seasons, the results haven't matched up to the hypothetical expectations. And it's clear the Big Ten has passed them by, both at the top, and increasingly in the "middle class" that was supposed to define the SEC's superior depth. 

Finebaum also said this year's Hoosiers team could prove themselves to be one of the best teams in recent history, should they do what's expected and beat Miami. 

"They have a chance to be among the very best, and a week from today we may declare them that," Finebaum said, when comparing them to teams like 2019 LSU and 2020 Alabama.

This is remarkable. It's like seeing pigs fly. Hell has frozen over. Paul Finebaum is talking about Indiana…INDIANA! As comparable to his precious Alabama Crimson Tide teams, or Joe Burrow's LSU Tigers. He's admitted that the Big Ten has passed the SEC. What's next, ESPN demanding more Big Ten teams make the playoff next year over SEC teams? 

Well. Let's not go too far. There's a difference between unlikely and impossible.