Interesting to see how fan attitudes in the SEC are turning to panic.

The SEC Confronts a New College Football Opponent: Panic - WSJ

“Even being an SEC guy, the Big Ten keeps getting better and better,” said Jordan Rodgers,

a former Vanderbilt quarterback and now a college football analyst.

“The SEC is different. The Big Ten, you’ve just got your big three: Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon. That’s it. Penn State? They’re mediocre.”

Ever since playing for a national champion instead of voting for one, the system has clearly been slanted in the SEC direction.

Start with only 8 conference games. Add in preseason biased rankings and top with ESPN being conference broadcasting and very unclear committee voting, you get a definite SEC advantage.

When Natty's were voted on more conferences won more frequently.

Now that everyone can throw $$ around, it should make it more difficult for the SEC to win it all. Until every conference plays same number of games in conference, the SEC will get the preseason ranking advantage.

Got to admit, reading about their 'panic' is hysterical.

Wait A Minute! I thought every SEC schedule was a brutal challenge like no other in the known universe!

Wisconsin, Rutgers, Northwestern, and Purdue would be happy to swap schedules with Mizzou, Ole Miss, and Tennessee.

The man below is laughing, even without a Drink in hand. 😁

Saturday Blitz

Missouri’s soft 2025 schedule could be their ticket to th...

At the start of the 2024 College Football season, Eli Drinkwitz had his most talented roster yet at Missouri making the Tigers a College Football Playoff conten

Finebaum, who has spent months listening to SEC fans vent about the 2024 season on his radio show, insists that the majority of college football followers aren’t ready to write off the conference just yet. But another underwhelming season would leave them truly shaken.

“I understand the narrative, but for now I think it’s way premature. A two-year sample is simply not enough,” he said. “[But] if we’re sitting here having a cup of coffee at the national championship game and the SEC isn’t in it, that will be the moment. The angst will come.”

A "two years sample" isn't enough, but 3, that would be definitive? What if it's 3, then 4? Gosh PAWL, what happens then?

'Facts are stubborn things.' John Adams

On3's list of the most difficult and the easiest out-of-conference (OOC) schedules in 2025 does not bolster Greg Sankey's argument that the SEC should continue to play eight conference games and four games OOC.

Florida is the sole SEC team with one of the eleven most difficult OOC schedules. Deservedly so as the Gators play Miami and Florida State OOC. No B1G teams make the list. However, one-third of Michigan, Ohio State, and Wisconsin's OOC schedules are against SEC teams, Oklahoma, Texas, and Alabama.

In 2025, two SEC teams play 10 Power 4 opponents, and Florida plays 11. 13 B1G teams play 10 Power 4 opponents.

The SEC captures six of the 11 easiest OOC schedules: Vanderbilt, Georgia, Tennessee, Missouri, Ole Miss, and Auburn. The B1G's Indiana, Maryland, and Penn State make the list.

It's frustrating, but not surprising, that the majority of 'sports journalists' report Greg Sankey's SEC SOS stuff as gospel.

On3

Toughest, easiest nonconference schedules of 2025 season

With the season just five weeks away, On3 is looking at the toughest and easiest nonconference schedules of the 2025 season.

SEC apologists will look at strength of schedule and say 9 of the top 10 hardest schedules are SEC teams. Ohio State is the first B1G member at number 8.

My problem with this is the numbers are skewed because if you have the 9 best rated teams than of course the SOS is going to be higher when they play each other. Many SEC programs get overrated because of the myth of the league. Truth is the those sos numbers are a joke when 3 loss teams are viewed as top 15 teams.

Ole Miss, Missouri, Texas A&M, LSU, South Carolina, Tennessee,Texas, Georgia, and Alabama were top 15 most of the year. But teams lost to the likes of Kentucky, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Florida, and Vanderbilt.

Oregon went undefeated. Ohio State lost at Oregon, and in a rivalry game to Michigan. Penn State lost to Oregon and Ohio State. Indiana lost at Ohio State. If Ole Miss, South Carolina, Alabama, or LSU belonged in the playoff they wouldn't have lost three times. Each having a far worse loss than anything the four B1G members had.

People in Dixieland are so used to Sankey getting his way that it's almost incomprehensible that Petiti won't just give in. There's no way the SEC will lose in this battle of the wills. There's too much money to be lost, so Petiti needs to fold completely for the good of everyone. You know why?

Because all the SEC coaches told Greg that going to a nine game schedule would cost them their jobs. It's just too hard to drop SunBelt November and play an extra conference game. I mean it's just the way it is🥸

Please. I hope Petiti stands his ground, more SEC programs need the expanded revenue than the B1G. Florida has to play FSU every year while Georgia gets Georgia Tech and everybody outside South Carolina doesn't have to worry about a big time OOC rivalry game.

Who does Ole Miss play? Alabama at least usually schedules one tough game in September, but nobody else does. Everybody else has their rivalries included in those 8 conference games. I'd welcome the ninth game, I mean Florida already plays Georgia, LSU, and Tennessee every year. Ditching Miami for Arkansas or Missouri wouldn't be too terrible.

Stand your ground B1G. Make the SEC give up something to get the format it wants. Sooner or later the pressure will build.

Edited 6 hours ago6 hr by GatOrlando

Colin Cowherd lays out case for Big Ten over SEC as best conference in college football

Two consecutive national championships from the Big Ten have shaken up the conference power in college football. After a dominant stretch from the SEC, Michigan and Ohio State finally broke through after long title droughts. Now, people out there, such as FOX’s Colin Cowherd, believe all the momentum is shifting away from the SEC and to the Big Ten.

“Something’s changing and what’s changing is money,” Cowherd said. “Big Ten schools are bigger. They have more graduates. It’s easier to raise money for NIL. You add in Phil Knight and the Nike money, add in USC and the LA economy money, the Big Ten cities, LA, New York, Rutgers, Chicago, Northwestern, Minneapolis, DC, Seattle.

“Big Ten money is Hollywood, tech, and financial centers. A lot of car dealerships in the SEC and car dealerships are running on razor-thin margins. So right now, the top spenders in college football, according to the On3 poll, four of the top seven are Big Ten and that’s not changing.”

Money is one thing but on-field results is where the conversation began and will ultimately be decided. Some College Football Playoff wins, mainly by Ohio State this year, highlights recent head-to-head victories. And ational championship are the major gauge. However, some early preseason matchup will provide quality Big Ten vs. SEC matchups.

Two sets of rivals square off in the first two weeks of the season. First, the Texas Longhorns head up to Columbus to face Ohio State. Then, the Buckeyes’ arch-rival, Michigan, will make a trip to Norman to play the other half of the Red River Shootout, the Oklahoma Sooners.

Maybe in a year’s time, opinion on where the power dynamic changes. For now, Cowherd believes a ton of momentum is behind the Big Ten with an opportunity to only grow moving forward.

On3

WATCH: Colin Cowherd lays out case for Big Ten over SEC a...

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1 hour ago, NJDuck said:

“Something’s changing and what’s changing is money,” Cowherd said. “Big Ten schools are bigger. They have more graduates. It’s easier to raise money for NIL. You add in Phil Knight and the Nike money, add in USC and the LA economy money, the Big Ten cities, LA, New York, Rutgers, Chicago, Northwestern, Minneapolis, DC, Seattle.

“Big Ten money is Hollywood, tech, and financial centers. A lot of car dealerships in the SEC and car dealerships are running on razor-thin margins. So right now, the top spenders in college football, according to the On3 poll, four of the top seven are Big Ten and that’s not changing.”

Hey SEC, wassssupp? You've got VCR's, the B1G is streaming.