SEC commissioner Greg Sankey believes his conference still reigns supreme over the Big Ten despite not winning a national championship over the last three seasons.
"If you look at the entirety of our league, we are by far the most competitive, the strongest football league," Sankey told reporters after the second day of SEC spring meetings, according to ESPN's Heather Dinich.
"But you're going to lose games when it's close and competitive like that. So why have they surpassed us? It's an oddball; it's bounced a couple times the wrong way."
The Big Ten has secured each of the last three national titles, including Indiana's dominant last season. During their championship run, the Hoosiers defeated Alabama 38-3 in the quarterfinals. It was their only SEC opponent in the playoffs.
Georgia was the last SEC school to reach the national title game after winning it all in back-to-back years during the 2021-22 campaigns. The SEC is 0-4 against Big Ten schools in head-to-head matchups in the College Football Playoff since 2023.
The Big Ten has also dominated off the field, leading all conferences with $1.4 billion in revenue last year, according to Sports Business Journal. The SEC ranked second at $1.1 billion.
"From a big picture, the breadth, the depth of this league, this league stands alone," Sankey said. "In fact, we saw metrics out of the College Football Playoff presentation where there's no doubt we're the strongest league."
He added, "Now, there's some segments of other leagues that are toward where we are, but not nearly the entirety of a conference like the Southeastern Conference. It's a pretty special place."
Sankey's conference will feature some of college football's biggest storylines next season, including Lane Kiffin taking over as LSU's head coach. Arch Manning, who is a Heisman favorite and one of the top quarterback prospects in the 2027 NFL Draft, will lead a revamped Texas squad in his second season as the Longhorns' primary starter.
