Big Ten and SEC Reign Supreme in College Football Discussions

The Southeastern Conference (SEC) and Big Ten are increasingly recognized as dominant forces in college football. Recent comments by James Franklin, head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions, have further fueled this perception. Following Penn State’s victory over Purdue, Franklin stated that the talent within the Big Ten and SEC surpasses that of other conferences nationwide.

«You look at our conference from top to bottom, I know everybody, all coaches, kind of get up to talk about their conference, and they’re biased, but I think the metrics and the data speak about it,» Franklin commented. «You better be ready week in and week out.»

The strength of the SEC and Big Ten is reflected in rankings, with the Associated Press Top 25 featuring 12 teams from these conferences. Furthermore, the College Football Playoff (CFP) Selection Committee has ranked 13 teams from the SEC and Big Ten, reinforcing their status as powerhouses.

Despite their stronghold, other conferences such as the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and Big 12 are not to be underestimated. With emerging programs, these conferences continue to demonstrate their competitive edge in college football.

Franklin suggests that while the ACC and Big 12 have talented teams, they lack the depth found in the SEC and Big Ten. «You see some of these schools that maybe have one or two big games a year that they got to get up for. That’s different,» Franklin remarked.

As discussions around the expanded College Football Playoff format continue, Franklin believes that the SEC and Big Ten deserve substantial representation due to their performance throughout the season. «To me, the right thing to be talking about is the two best conferences in all of college football is the Big Ten and the SEC,» he asserted.

The upcoming playoff scenario hints at matchups such as Penn State potentially hosting the Georgia Bulldogs. Head coach Kirby Smart from Georgia has expressed concerns about the rigorous schedule impacting his team’s rankings, despite their strong season performance. «I don’t think we need to take shots in the Big Ten at the SEC because that’s been proven over time, and I don’t think the SEC should be taking shots at the Big Ten,» Franklin concluded.