SEC Still Feels Like the Kings of College Football (Sorry Big Ten)
ATLANTA (AP) — There was not a Big Ten player, coach or fan was in sight this week as the College Football Hall of Fame hosted SEC Media Days. Still, the SEC’s No. 1 rival found its way into conversations all week long.
It’s no secret the rivalry has intensified in recent years. Over the last decade, the SEC has won six of the 10 national championships. Two were won by Clemson in that stretch but the last two were won by Big Ten rivals, Michigan last year and Ohio State in January.
The recent success has put a dent in the SEC’s reputation as the nation’s dominant conference. SEC coaches, players and Commissioner Greg Sankey have no question they’re still No. 1.
“For all those of you who like to speculate about super-conferences, welcome to one,” Sankey said to open this week’s event. “We have common-sense geography, restored rivalries, record-breaking viewership. If you take the consumed viewership hours on linear TV, almost 40% of that viewership was focused on games involving Southeastern Conference universities and teams. Big Ten was next, right around 30%.”
The SEC also boasted 79 NFL draft picks in 2025, more than any other conference and beating the Big Ten by eight.
No one put it more plainly this week than Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz when asked if he thought the SEC was the top conference in college football.
“The top? The top, as in number of draft picks in the NFL? Top as in most viewership? Overall top, deepest conference in college football? Look, the more teams you add to the tournament, there’s greater variance to it,” Drinkwitz said. “You’ve got 16 of the toughest competitors in the world who are head coaches in this league. We’re all driven to achieve the best, whether that’s internally or externally.”
