Greg Sankey insists SEC is ‘strongest league’ despite Big Ten winning three straight national championships
It’s clear to most objective fans that the Big Ten has surpassed the SEC as the dominant conference in college football. Don’t talk to SEC commissioner Greg Sankey or the conference’s coaches about the importance of on-field results. They referred to these definitive results years later.
Speaking at the SEC’s spring meetings on Wednesday, Sankey once again struck a harsh and inaccurate tone. College Football Playoff executive director Rich Clark met with the conference and its coaches this week to explain the “benchmarks” that go into the committee’s decision-making and selection process. The SEC has been confirmed as the “strongest league,” according to Sankey.
“We saw metrics in the College Football Playoff presentation that there was no doubt that we were the strongest league,” Sankey said. “But I think looking at the big picture, looking at its breadth and depth, this league stands alone.”
Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey listens to a reporter’s question during Southeastern Conference Football Kickoff Media Day at the Grand Hyatt Nashville on July 17, 2023 in Nashville, Tenn. (Matthew Maxey/Icon Sportswire)
He repeated the same mantra when discussing the latest results. “If you look at our entire league, we are by far the most competitive, strongest football league,” he told reporters. “But when things are this close and competitive, you’re going to lose games.”
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The Big Ten has won three consecutive National Championships with three different schools. The Michigan Wolverines won in 2024, followed by the Ohio State Buckeyes in 2025 and the Indiana Hoosiers in 2026.
As for why this happens, Sankey took an interesting route. “So why did they pass us? It’s weird, it jumped the wrong way a few times.”
What’s interesting about this tactic, saying the games are close even if the SEC team ultimately loses, is that other teams and conferences have never been able to use this justification. Did the ACC take credit when Clemson lost 45-40 to Alabama in 2016? Oklahoma put up 507 yards of offense against Nick Saban’s Alabama defense in the 2018 Orange Bowl. Georgia beat Ohio State by one point in the 2022 Peach Bowl after trailing for most of the game. Did the Big Ten or Big 12 get credit for the ball bouncing “the wrong way a few times” in these games? Or was their eventual win just further proof of the SEC’s dominance?
Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti watches the College Football Playoff National Championship Game against the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida on January 19, 2026. (Icon Sportswire via David Rosenblum/Getty Images)
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The SEC has failed to advance to the championship game for the third year in a row. SEC runner-up Alabama Crimson Tide lost 38-3 to Indiana in the Rose Bowl. It wasn’t that close; The Tide had only 193 yards of total offense and 11 first downs. The previously dominant Alabama running game produced only 1.4 yards per carry.
Texas A&M lost at home to Miami, scoring just three points at Kyle Field. The SEC went 1-8 in bowl games overall and 0-3 in the 2025-2026 Playoffs against other Power Four teams. And Sankey claims the league’s “depth” and “breadth” are head and shoulders above others. Meanwhile, coaches were angry that the committee did not put more SEC teams on the board.
“He was in a no-win situation with all the SEC coaches, a couple there thought they should be (in the CFP),” new LSU coach Lane Kiffin said. “It probably wouldn’t have been a great meeting for him.”
After years of claiming the SEC is the best conference, these results no longer matter. Georgia athletic director Josh Brooks was even worse.
Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway gestures before the game against the Florida State Seminoles during the second half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on November 29, 2025. (Matt Pendleton/Imagn Images)
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“Look, I’m biased,” Brooks said. “I spent a lot of time in the SEC. I was part of the trial (CFP selection committee) run a few years ago, and one of the things that brought me back was people saying things like, ‘That was a bad loss,’ or ‘That wasn’t a great win.’
“To me, it’s hard to tell when you go to some of these fields, especially at night. When you judge Texas based on the loss they had at Florida last year and say that’s going to be a big hit to their resume. Florida is a really tough team and a really tough place to play.”
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Florida lost to USF at home in an unimaginably difficult quagmire. They went 4-8. They fired their coach in the middle of the season. Does anyone here have any idea what they’re talking about? Do they watch the matches? Do they really think Florida is a good team despite going 4-8 and losing to USF? This cannot be explained.
That’s why other conferences have problems with the SEC. They relentlessly promote mediocre teams because of their historic brand names, even if the results don’t match their reputation. As Sankey said, by all objective “measures” Iowa was a very good team, but because they are Iowa, they don’t hold Tennessee or other SEC teams in the same respect. Just as an example. Crowd support does not mean quality product on the field.
The SEC will introduce itself. This is not surprising. But the Big Ten and other conferences also need to try to promote themselves. Because Kiffin, Sankey, and the rest of these personalities will continue to influence the committee to get undeserving teams like Alabama into the playoffs because Nick Saban had a dynasty in the 2010s.
