For the better part of the past few decades, the title of the premier conference in college football belonged to the SEC. But those days are over.
The Big Ten has firmly taken over the throne and is now college football's top conference thanks to winning each of the last three National Championships starting with Michigan, followed by Ohio State, and then by the Indiana Hoosiers this past season.
The Big Ten's recent dominance on the national stage is a tough pill to swallow for the SEC, and especially SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey.
Greg Sankey won't admit that the Big Ten is on top of the college football world
At the SEC meetings this week, Sankey made it clear that he is still of the belief that his conference is on top. "If you look at the entirety of our league, we are by far the most competitive, the strongest football by far," said Sankey.
Greg Sankey asked about the SEC in CFP against the Big Ten: "If you look at the entirety of our league, we are by far the most competitive, the strongest football by far."
— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos) May 27, 2026
Sankey uses the phrase "by far" twice when assessing the SEC's dominance, which the numbers don't support. The SEC is still full of talent and competitiveness, but when looking at performance under the brightest lights, it's the Big Ten that reigns supreme.
The Big Ten's three-year national title streak speaks for itself, and it's worth noting that the SEC hasn't even had a team in the National Championship Game during that span either. Until that changes, Sankey's comments aren't landing the way he would like them to.
Urban Meyer uses Indiana to explain why the Big Ten is better than the SEC
At this point, Indiana fans may be asking Sankey if he watched the Rose Bowl. Indiana dominated the SEC's Alabama Crimson Tide from start to finish en route to an emphatic 38-3 victory. The game was never close, and Cignetti and company made light work of the darlings of the SEC. Sankey can say the SEC is the most competitive conference out there, but that game wasn't too competitive.
Indiana's historic season continued the Big Ten's college football dominance
Sankey and the SEC can't ignore Indiana's historic 2025 season. In his second season in Bloomington, Cignetti led Indiana to a perfect 16-0 season that culminated in the school's first National Championship in football.
Along the way, Indiana won the Big Ten Championship Game, Rose Bowl, Peach Bowl, CFP National Championship Game, and boasted the Heisman Trophy winner in the form of QB Fernando Mendoza. If that isn't taking the college football world by storm I don't know what is.
Looking ahead, Indiana should be among the national title contenders again in 2026. So should Ohio State, Oregon, and Michigan. With coaches like Cignetti, Ryan Day, Dan Lanning, and Kyle Whittingham battling it out, the Big Ten has a solid chance to make it four in a row this season. Furthermore, don't be surprised if a team like Penn State makes some College Football Playoff noise in Year 1 with Matt Campbell at the helm.
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