It seems like every week, there is a debate as to which college football conference is the best, the Big Ten or the SEC. The ACC and Big 12 are certainly behind the two conferences, and it feels like it’s a wider gap than most want to admit.
Which conference is the deepest is always a hot topic of discussion. The Big Ten has produced the last two National Championships with Ohio State and Michigan. Before that, the SEC won four in a row with Georgia winning twice and Alabama and LSU once.
On Friday, former Alabama coach and current ESPN analyst Nick Saban slammed the Big Ten on the Pat McAfee Show.
Nick Saban Slams Big Ten
Saban joined the show for his weekly hit from Oregon, where College GameDay will be on Saturday ahead of Indiana visiting the Ducks. He was asked about Ohio State’s matchup at Illinois, and during his answer, he broke down the depth of the Big Ten.
“I don’t think the Big Ten is really that deep,” said Saban. “I think Illinois does have a pretty decent team. It’s not like the SEC, where you’ve got eight or nine teams that can beat you; there might be three or four teams in the Big Ten that can beat you.”
Co-host A.J. Hawk responded to Saban that the Big Ten is deeper following conference realignment. That didn’t stop the seven-time National Champion from continuing to slam the conference.
“Deeper by what,” said Saban with a smile. “I mean, Penn State? I mean, tell me the good teams. Maybe Michigan. Well, we’ll see tomorrow (about USC), they’re alright, but alright is not really what we’re not talking about. I mean, you think USC is going to beat Ohio State? You think that would be a game if they played, really?
“You have Oregon and Indiana, legit so far, and we’ll see how legit Indiana is (Saturday). I mean, Illinois got beat like a redheaded stepchild, you know, down at Indiana, so are they legit? I mean, c’mon. Ohio State is great.”
He went on to name Georgia, Alabama, Ole Miss, Missouri, and Texas A&M as teams in the SEC that have a chance.
SEC/Big Ten Debate Will Continue Until After National Championship Game
This will be debated until the National Championship Game is decided. The Big Ten and SEC will likely end up with the most teams in the 12-team College Football Playoff and likely have a say in the championship game. Then the debate will be settled. It will be settled before the game if one conference has two teams in the championship game.
The SEC has always been seen as the top conference in college football, but there is no doubt that the Big Ten is closing the gap. Ohio State picked up a season-opening win over Texas at home, 14-7, on Labor Day Weekend. Oklahoma has a win over Michigan, and Alabama has a win over Wisconsin this year.
There is still a lot of football to be played in 2025. The debate of which conference is better will continue until things are decided on the field by the end of January.
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