SEC Quarterback Who Lost To Mediocre Big Ten Team Says SEC Is Toughest Conference

There is nothing members of the SEC love more than telling everyone how difficult it is to play in the SEC – even if they lose to mediocre programs in other conferences.

In yet another example of this bizarre phenomenon, LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier spoke about the rigors of his conference at SEC Media Days on Wednesday. It was Nussmeier's Tigers who lost to USC at home in the first game of the 2024 season, and it was the SEC team that went 1-3 overall in the College Football Playoff. And Nussmeier still said it's "evident" the conference is the best in the nation.

"It is the toughest conference in all of football and I think that’s pretty evident. I don’t really care what anyone says about it," Nussmeier said. "To play an SEC schedule week in and week out, you don’t get any rest. … When you go from what we did, playing [Texas] A&M to Alabama to Florida. Like, it doesn’t get easy. So, definitely a learning experience."

Sep 1, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; LSU Tigers quarterback Garrett Nussmeier (13) throws the ball in the first half against the Southern California Trojans at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

SEC Is Tough, So Are Other Conferences

The SEC schedule is a grind. The conference is full of big-name programs and difficult road environments and tough teams. So are other conferences, which is why the SEC did not dominate bowl season, saw programs like LSU lose non-conference games, lost out on the season series to the Big Ten, 6-4, saw Auburn lose to Cal, Louisville dominate Kentucky, Miami obliterate Florida, Alabama lose to Michigan in a bowl game, and so on. 

Like, Ohio State dominating Tennessee, Notre Dame beating up on Georgia, USC beating Texas A&M, Illinois beating South Carolina. 

Still, there is no result, or series of results, that will convince SEC fans, players or coaches that it's also difficult to play in the Big Ten. Because moral superiority is apparently what they need to sustain themselves. 

Again, none of this is to say that playing in the SEC is easy, or that LSU did not play a tough schedule. It's just that the absurdity of how they approach these conversations has reached new levels. Particularly after the results of the 2024-'25 season. 

Nussmeier, for his part, also said that he learned what he needs to improve on moving forward, including personal and on-field growth.

"Being able to watch an entire season, correct mistakes and to go back and see my weaknesses and see things that I need to improve on, find the tells that I may have been giving to defenses and things like that. It’s a totally different ballgame, to have a full season to be able to watch and correct," Nussmeier said. "Also, just from my personal growth as a player and having those experiences under my belt, I’ve seen a lot."

Maybe that'll be enough to beat a team that went 7-6 and 4-5 in the Big Ten … and 2-0 against the SEC.