SEC Commissioner Says Conference Remains Strongest Despite Big Ten Titles

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said Wednesday that his conference remains the strongest in college football despite the Big Ten winning the past three national titles. Speaking after the second day of SEC spring meetings in Miramar Beach, Florida, Sankey described the Big Ten's recent success as a "pretty narrow band" of results.

"If you look at the entirety of our league, we are by far the most competitive, the strongest football league by far," Sankey told reporters.

The Big Ten holds a 4-0 record against the SEC in head-to-head College Football Playoff matchups over the past three seasons. Michigan defeated Alabama 27-20 in overtime in the 2024 CFP semifinal, Ohio State beat Texas 28-14 in the Cotton Bowl, and Miami defeated Ole Miss in the Fiesta Bowl. Sankey noted that several of those games were decided by small margins on the final play.

Research, the SEC appeared in 16 of 17 national championship games from the 2006 through 2022 seasons. The conference has not reached a national title game in the past three seasons. Sankey said metrics presented during the College Football Playoff process showed the SEC as the strongest league overall.

"I can assure you that everyone in this league is trying to figure out how to come up on the top end of that in the future," he said.