For the first time in the College Football Playoff era, the SEC has gone two consecutive seasons without a team reaching the National Championship Game.
Meanwhile, Ohio State followed rival Michigan as the second straight Big Ten program to claim the sport’s top prize.
With the SEC’s recent struggles, many are questioning whether the conference can still claim supremacy over college football. But SEC Network host Peter Burns isn’t ready to cede the throne just yet.
Burns dismissed the idea that the Big Ten has overtaken the SEC, arguing that the past two seasons are an exception rather than the new standard.
“No, the Big 10 hasn’t surpassed the SEC as a football league… Two teams having historic runs in back to back seasons is a nice outlier rather than the norm… Incredibly top heavy league who’s had just two teams that have won a title in 35+ years… Stop this nonsense,” Burns confidently stated on X.
The SEC has long dominated college football, sending a team to eight consecutive National Championship Games from 2015 to 2022 and securing six titles in that span.
Even in a “down year,” seven SEC teams finished in the final AP Top 25 rankings.
However, recent results tell a different story. Ohio State dismantled Tennessee 42-17 in the first round of the playoff before handling Texas 28-14 in the semifinals.
Georgia, the SEC’s other playoff representative, was eliminated by Notre Dame in its opening game.
Last season, Michigan knocked off Alabama in a dramatic Rose Bowl before beating Washington – now a Big Ten member – for the championship.
Burns’ SEC loyalty may be unwavering, but even ESPN’s Paul Finebaum, often accused of SEC bias, acknowledged the Big Ten’s current dominance.
“The Big Ten, at the moment, owns college football. And there’s no way you can say it doesn’t,” Finebaum said Get Up. “When you go back-to-back, that’s generational.
“In Ohio State’s case, they beat two SEC schools along the way … It’s an uncomfortable feeling for the SEC, which has owned the sport, but it’s a reality this morning.”
While two years without a champion feels like an eternity for a conference accustomed to dominance, it’s too soon to declare the SEC’s reign over.
However, the Big Ten’s recent success has undoubtedly tightened the race at the top of college football.
Where do you stand on the whole SEC vs. Big Ten debate???
