The SEC clearly has its friends in the media, and the Big Ten, while also well supported, is already crying foul about disrespect. It's only Week 6 of the college football season.
On Monday, Northwestern head coach David Braun — whose team whooped Penn State in the inaugural game at the program's newly constructed Ryan Field on Friday — didn't hold back when asked about his feelings on not being ranked in the newest AP Top 25 poll. The Wildcats (3-1) received 59 votes, which would place them unofficially at No. 30 in the country. But Braun seemed more unhappy about the SEC getting nine teams on the list compared to his conference's six.
"What the outside says about the league, I mean check the receipts. Last three national championships have come out of this league," he told reporters defiantly. "Let people chatter and the Big Ten will settle it on the field."
Braun is correct. The Big Ten has had the three last national champions — Indiana (2025), Ohio State (2024), Michigan (2023) — but this sport is also about what have you done lately. That being said, the SEC is getting a lot of credit for something that used to be frowned upon when done by other leagues.
Big Ten actually has a leg to stand on with complaints about SEC bias
Of the nine SEC teams that were ranked leading into Week 5, two lost and another three were idle. Let's just focus on the two losers for a second. That would be Florida and Mississippi State: The No. 16 Gators (then No. 8) were dethroned by No. 25 Missouri (now No. 14) after a 45-17 drubbing on the road; No. 17 Mississippi State (then No. 16) was humbled by No. 6 Alabama (then No. 7) by a score of 56-23 at home.
There's way too much overreaction and stock being put into SEC potential when these rankings come out. The conference has entered a cannibalistic cycle — LSU was upset by Ole Miss who was then upset by Florida who just lost to Missouri — and it's being rewarded by AP voters. Heck, one voter decided Mississippi State deserved to be moved up from No. 17 to No. 10 after the beatdown it suffered against Alabama.
Power conferences well known for having deep memberships that constantly beat each other up, specifically the Big 12 and the old Pac-12, were never rewarded like the SEC has been. In fact, they were constantly punished and labeled as inconsistent or weak. SEC teams are only regarded as strong across the board in this case because the media says so. That's what a lucrative television contract with ESPN will do for you.
The Big Ten will have its opportunities to shut the SEC up when it matters most. Actually, it already had one that Ohio State blew in the fourth quarter to Texas while practically ceding the No. 1 ranking for the conference for the rest of the year. However, no trophies are handed out for regular season wins (outside of rivalry games). Postseason silverware will continue to dictate this debate no matter what and the SEC is severely lacking in that category lately.
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