Conference power rankings: SEC outspends Big Ten, but are they better?

The Big Ten and SEC are in a constant arms race for college football supremacy. The SEC has long been the top dog in college football but the Big Ten has won the last three national championships. What’s changed? The SEC is outspending the Big Ten in terms of average roster budget, yet the Big Ten is still winning national championships. Money can buy you a lot of things, but it can’t buy you a national championship. 

So in the bigger picture, what does the SEC’s financial dominance over the Big Ten actually mean? The Athletic did a deep dive on the Power 4 team that spent the most money on their rosters. Here’s the power ranking for the most expensive conferences and how it translates to being a national powerhouse.

Conference power rankings: The SEC spends more but the Big Ten wins

The most jarring statistic in The Athletic’s research is that the highest estimated average spending for the Big Ten doesn’t even meet the baseline for the lowest estimated average for the SEC’s roster spending. Yet, the Big Ten has improved drastically with the influx of NIL and the transfer portal when it comes to competing for national championships. The Athletic’s research also showed why the Big 12 and the ACC are in a tier below both the SEC and the Big Ten. 

The SEC doesn’t have a team that spends less than an estimated $22 million (Arkansas). The Big 12’s average is $18-22 million, far less than the SEC. There are seven teams spending less than $20 million on their roster in the Big 12, which is a big disparity between the top four conferences. The ACC’s average for roster spending among its affiliate schools is $21-25 million.

It explains why the ACC and the Big 12 get the short-end of the stick in terms of CFP discussions.

Why the SEC’s spending habits don’t translate to national championships

The SEC has dominated college football for years. Only when the scales were balanced with NIL, player compensation and the transfer portal has the Big Ten tilted that scale. The Big Ten generates enough revenue to keep up with the SEC and disperse toward their roster each year. Remember Ohio State’s championship run in 2024? The administration came out and said the school used $20 million in NIL spending on players.

Texas Tech is another example of why investing into the roster is important. Before their College Football Playoff appearance a year ago, Texas Tech wasn’t spending like a top program. Last season, it reportedly spent $28 million on their roster and this year, an estimated $38-42 million. That’s the importance of investing into your roster.

Per The Athletic, the teams with a roster budget of $41-46 million have at least a 50 percent chance of making it to the College Football Playoff each year. That features seven teams: Ohio State, Oregon, Texas, LSU, Texas A&M, Miami and Notre Dame. If your average budget is anywhere from $37-41 million, you have anywhere from 25-50 percent chance of getting into the CFP. Getting there doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed a national championship though.

The money you spend gets you to the CFP, not win it

Teams in the SEC spend the most money on average each year, per The Athletic, but just because you have the spending power, it doesn’t mean you are the best college football program. The SEC is outspending every conference in college football, it’s the Big Ten that’s had the most recent championship run. 

There’s no secret to getting to the college football playoff. You just have to win and invest in the roster. Teams like Texas Tech and Miami have joined the CFP conversation in recent years because they’re spending on the roster like the top teams. Miami’s estimated budget is $44-50 million and Texas Tech’s is $38-42 million. Getting to the CFP is a goal, but it’s not the goal. Winning a national championship is – and the Big Ten is proving not even money can buy one.

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