Ryan Day’s Ohio State Buckeyes reclaimed glory by hoisting the National Championship Trophy after defeating the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Jan. 20. Last season, Ohio State’s arch-rivals, the Michigan Wolverines (whom the Buckeyes also lost to this year), won the title, indicating that the Big Ten has surpassed the SEC as the top conference.
Paul Finebaum Caves in and Calls Big Ten the Better Conference
On Jan. 21, ESPN’s “Get Up” host Mike Greenberg asked SEC fanatic and analyst Paul Finebaum whether the Big Ten owned college football in terms of national championship domination.
Finebaum responded, “The answer, Greeny, is yes. The Big Ten, at the moment, owns college football. And there’s no way you can say it doesn’t when you go back-to-back; that’s generational.
“In Ohio State’s case, they beat two SEC schools along the way, and there’s an old saying that it was emanated in 1828 when Andrew Jackson was elected president, a senator from New York said, ‘To the victor belongs the spoil,’ and that’s exactly where the Big Ten is this morning.
“It’s an uncomfortable feeling for the SEC, which has owned the sport. But it’s a reality this morning.”
Paul Finebaum: "The Big Ten, at the moment, owns college football. And there's no way you can say it doesn't… it's an uncomfortable feeling for the SEC, which has owned the sport. But it's a reality this morning." pic.twitter.com/B1KR8efVDS
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 21, 2025
Before the two Big Ten teams took home the trophy, SEC programs — Georgia Bulldogs, Alabama Crimson Tide, and LSU Tigers — had taken home the title the previous four years and showcased as college football’s powerhouse conference.
This season, four Big Ten teams made it to the College Football Playoff. The Oregon Ducks, with an unbeaten record heading into the playoff, were the top-ranked team. Ohio State, the Penn State Nittany Lions, and the Indiana Hoosiers were the other programs.
Indiana lost to eventual finalist Notre Dame in the first round, but it could have been an all-Big Ten finale had Penn State not lost to the Fighting Irish in the semifinals.
Defeating two SEC teams, Texas and Tennessee, in the playoffs, the Buckeyes went on to win their ninth championship — their first since 2014.
For years, the SEC was regarded as the powerhouse conference of college football, winning 13 national titles in 17 years (2006-2022). However, for the last two years, the Big Ten has taken over.
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The Big Ten also had a great showing in 2024-25 postseason games against the SEC, winning five out of six contests. The only win for the latter came from the Missouri Tigers, who beat the Iowa Hawkeyes 27-24 in the Music City Bowl.
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