UGA Football Coach Kirby Smart Sounds Off On SEC, Big 10 Rivalry

Kirby Smart didn't hold back recently when asked about which conference truly is the best across college football.

Kirby Smart | Dawg Post

ATHENS - After two decades of completely dominating college football, the SEC has gone three consecutive years without winning a national championship. The game has changed and evolved drastically over the last several years in relation to NIL, conference realignment, and the expanded playoffs. Now, it appears the SEC's dominance could be over. The Big 10 is extremely top heavy with several of the nation's top programs, but top to bottom, Georgia football coach Kirby Smart continues to believe that he's coaching in the toughest conference in college football.

“I asked every NFL scout and every NFL coach which league produces the best players and it’s not close," Smart said on the Stephen A. Smith show on XM radio. "I’ve got coaches in the Big 10. They’ll tell you the difference between the SEC and the Big 10. They’ll never admit it openly, but they tell me that."

@georgiafootball Head Football Coach Kirby Smart stands firm in his belief that SEC football is the BEST conference!

Let's talk about it...drop your thoughts in the comments and listen to the full interview on @siriusxm x @maddogradio today! #CollegeFootball #SEC #Big10 pic.twitter.com/0kAZkyt7RF

— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) September 3, 2026

“I have a lot of confidence in this league," Smart added. "This league is really tough and physical. Those teams have an opportunity to schedule games and play us just as well. They have done a phenomenal job winning those national championships and I have nothing but respect for those programs. But I can promise you, this is the toughest in college football.”

The Big 10 should get credit for what they've done. Several programs in the conference have done a great job of using the transfer portal and NIL effectively to change the trajectory of their program. They have about four or five teams that have realistic national championship odds. But they also have a low bottom. Purdue? Rutgers? Northwestern? Wisconsin? Yes, you can throw Penn State, Illinois and Nebraska in there, too. The Big 10 has a lot of really good teams. But they've got some awful teams too.

If we're talking about the "toughest" conference, Smart says it's "not even close". From an overall talent perspective, the numbers and data indicate that the SEC is the more "talented" conference. It may not be the "best" conference, whatever that means, but you can certainly make the point that the SEC is the "deeper" as a whole.

The stadiums are not getting smaller in the SEC. The passion isn't shrinking. The talent isn't going anywhere. It's tougher to play on the road at Mississippi State or Arkansas than it is to play at Rutgers. Playing at Illinois isn't the same as playing at South Carolina. Would you rather play an average 5-5 Florida team in the Swamp or a 5-5 Michigan State team in East Lansing? Most are taking heir chances against the Spartans. Or the Badgers. Or Cornhuskers. You get my point.

Thankfully, talking season is official over. It's time to tee it up and we'll continue to agument in January.