Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl has entered the ongoing debate between the SEC and Big Ten regarding which conference is stronger in college football. His comments come after back-to-back national championships for the Big Ten, breaking the SEC’s long-standing dominance.
Over the past two seasons, the Big Ten has produced the national champion, a shift from the SEC’s typical reign over college football. In 2023, Michigan defeated Washington—then still in the Pac-12—to claim the title. In 2024, Ohio State won the championship by beating Notre Dame in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff.
Despite the Big Ten’s recent success, Pearl, a prominent SEC basketball coach, came to his conference’s defense during an appearance on *The Gary Parrish Show*. He argued that while Big Ten teams may have won titles, SEC teams face significantly tougher schedules throughout the regular season.
“Now, you’re at Ohio State, or you’re at Penn State—two teams that got deep into the playoffs… They only had two or three games on the entire schedule that were about seven or eight games for Ole Miss or Alabama or Auburn, or any of the SEC teams. And I think those football guys were exhausted,” Pearl said.
His point is backed by statistics. According to *Sports Illustrated*, six of the top 10 toughest schedules in 2024 belonged to SEC teams, including the top six hardest schedules overall. The Big Ten also had challenging schedules but didn’t rank as highly, with their toughest schedule coming in at No. 7.
However, despite the SEC’s grueling schedules, the conference struggled in postseason matchups against the Big Ten. The SEC finished bowl season with an 8-7 overall record, but against Big Ten opponents specifically, they went just 1-5.
When comparing the two conferences in terms of depth and performance, the SEC had more teams making bowl games, with only three teams failing to qualify. Half of the SEC teams (eight) won at least nine games. Meanwhile, in the Big Ten, five teams did not make a bowl game, but five others reached at least 10 wins—more than the SEC’s three teams that accomplished the same feat.
Pearl’s argument holds weight regarding the strength of the SEC’s schedules, but the Big Ten has produced the past two champions, suggesting that the best individual teams in recent years have come from that conference. With the new 12-team College Football Playoff format still undergoing adjustments, it’s possible the SEC is experiencing an unusual dip in dominance rather than a permanent shift in power.
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