SI

Colin Cowherd Makes Bold Declaration About SEC's Reign of Dominance

Indiana’s blowout victory made a loud statement.

Kyle Koster

Colin Cowherd sees a dynamic shift in college football.
Colin Cowherd sees a dynamic shift in college football. / The Herd on X
In this story:

Indiana housed Alabama in the Rose Bowl to advance to the College Football Playoff semifinals. The Hoosiers looked like a peak Nick Saban team as they dominated a traditional SEC powerhouse and added another data point to suggest that Curt Cignetti’s remarkable rise may not be stopped until it results in a national championship, which would be the third straight for the Big Ten following trophy-hoisting runs from Michigan and Ohio State over the last two years. Conversations about a passing of the torch from the SEC, which ruled the sport for nearly two decades, to a new ruling class up north have grown louder.

Colin Cowherd amplified the discussion on his show Friday, saying that the Hoosiers statement victory signals the end of an era.

“Indiana sent a sport-wide message,” Cowherd said. “The SEC dominance is over.”

He very well may be right. There is the pesky business of Ole Miss remaining alive and looking like a team of destiny. It’s entirely conceivable that the Rebels could beat Miami and then either Indiana or Oregon in the title game the SEC would once again be able to thump its chest.

Cowherd pointed out that the Big Ten is now 4–0 against the SEC in the playoff, which is a small sample size but another reason to suggest there's been a shifting of the tide. He also suggested that Indiana is an example of the American Dream still being very much alive—excellent sports punditry by anyone’s metric.

The great part about this take is that one can completely disagree with it, say it’s way too early to make such a statement or suggest that it’s too late to make it. And it could be totally invalidated in a few weeks.

So no pressure, Ole Miss. You're playing with an entire conference on your back. One that does not want to give up its place atop the mountain. Or desperately wants to claim it back, depending on one's persepctive.

More College Football on Sports Illustrated

FREE NEWSLETTER. SI BTN Newsletter. Start off your day with SI:CYMI. dark

feed

Published
Kyle Koster
KYLE KOSTER

Kyle Koster is an assistant managing editor at Sports Illustrated covering the intersection of sports and media. He was formerly the editor in chief of The Big Lead, where he worked from 2011 to '24. Koster also did turns at the Chicago Sun-Times, where he created the Sports Pros(e) blog, and at Woven Digital.

Home/College Football