Kirby Smart Drops Oregon Detail in SEC vs. Big Ten Debate

The Oregon Ducks have reached the 12-team College Football Playoff in both of their seasons as members of the Big Ten, but the program has fallen short of the ultimate goal of winning a National Championship, losing Big Ten rematches to Ohio State and Indiana in the postseason.

Oregon is part of a Big Ten conference that has risen to the top of the college football world, but the SEC is not going away quietly. The addition of the Ducks into the Big Ten has played a role in tipping the scales, at least according to Smart.

oregon ducks georgia bulldogs kirby smart big ten sec debate nfl draft dan lanning college football playoff schedule — Georgia head coach Kirby Smart looks toward the field during the Sugar Bowl and College Football Playoff quarterfinals at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La., on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. | Ayrton Breckenridge/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Kirby Smart Weighs in on Big Ten vs. SEC Debate

Georgia Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart, Oregon coach Dan Lanning's former boss, recently shared his opinions on the debate between the SEC and the Big Ten, wondering what the potential reasons are behind the Big Ten's success over the SEC in winning the last three national championships (Michigan, Ohio State, and Indiana).

Smart singled out Oregon as a team that has changed the game for the Big Ten. Here's what Smart had to say on "The Next Round" at The Regions Tradition Celebrity Pro-Am:

"I can't figure out what it is. I just think they have a more competitive conference. Like the top of their conference, there's more good teams," said Smart. "It used to be Ohio State was good, well Michigan was really good when (Jim) Harbaugh, he had a great team. Indiana's good, now they got Oregon. They got a draw. They have an ability to attract good players. Now, NIL has a factor, too, for sure, but so does Miami. People have money, people have more money, so I think the talent is spread out thin."

With Oregon now apart of the Big Ten, the Ducks have become a consistent contender on the national stage and part of the conference's elite teams. Smart including Oregon among the top Big Ten teams is a far cry from the old Pac-12's label as a weaker conference.

The program has improved under Lanning, yes, but perception is almost everything in a sport that has a playoff selection committee. Smart's recognition of the Ducks signals a change in the way others view Oregon.

"The other theory is, this is one nobody likes to hear. It's a lot of the SEC coaches say this in my meetings, they say, 'They don't have the grind we do. There's no way. They play three of their nine games are hard. Their bottom four games are not our bottom games," Smart said. "I'm going to play Starkville and Vanderbilts in my bottom four, and I'm holding onto my butt to be able to play at noon on Saturday at Starkville and play a good team who beat Arizona State, who goes and plays these other teams. . . ."

The SEC's strength of schedule has become a major point of focus in the debate between the two top conferences, and Lanning has also weighed in in a moment that went viral.

Analyzing Oregon and Georgia's Schedules

Taking Oregon as an example, the Ducks finished 4-1 in arguably their toughest Big Ten games in 2025: Penn State, Indiana, Iowa, USC, as well as a rivalry game with Washington. Oregon beat Northwestern, Rutgers, Wisconsin, and Minnesota by an average of 29.8 points, reaching the CFP with one loss.

Using ESPN's Billy Connelly's final SP+ rankings, Oregon's five highest-ranked opponents in the Big Ten were No. 1 Indiana, No. 12 Iowa, No. 13 Washington, No. 15 Penn State, and No. 16 USC. The bottom of the Ducks' schedule featured No. 51 Northwestern, No. 70 Minnesota, No. 72 Rutgers, and No. 85 Wisconsin.

Georgia, on the other hand, faced No. 7 Ole Miss, No. 17 Texas, No. 19 Tennessee, and No. 20 Alabama in the SEC. The Bulldogs also beat No. 35 Georgia Tech in a rivalry matchup.

The weaker SEC teams that Georgia faced were No. 29 Auburn, No. 58 Mississippi State, No. 63 Florida, and No. 67 Kentucky.

In the regular season, Georgia's four lowest-ranked opponents in the SEC had a higher average ranking (54.25) than Oregon's four lowest-ranked opponents in the Big Ten (69.5). However, the top of Oregon's Big Ten schedule held an average ranking of 11.4 compared to 19.6 for Georgia's top five opponents, and the overall schedules are fairly similar.

According to the SP+ strength of schedule metric from the end of 2025, Oregon held the No. 5 spot while Georgia's schedule ranked No. 8. Georgia and Oregon might not paint the entire picture though, as the Bulldogs avoided top-ranked SEC teams like No. 10 Texas A&M, No. 11 Vanderbilt, and No. 14 Oklahoma.

Still, Smart makes an interesting point as Oregon prepares for a season schedule that features USC, Ohio State, Michigan, and Washington. Some of Georgia's marquee opponents in 2026 include Oklahoma, Vanderbilt, Alabama, Florida, and Ole Miss.

NFL Draft Debate

More recently, the Big Ten led the SEC with 10 picks in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, marking the first draft since 2015 that the SEC hasn't had the most first rounders. However, the SEC's quality depth was proven in the later rounds as the conference set a record with 87 players drafted. The Big Ten had 67 total selections.

"Their players get a mental relief, and then it's like, boom, they get to go to the playoffs and crank it up. Miami beat, what, three or four SEC teams. They beat three or four SEC teams, but they didn't play the gauntlet that they played earlier in the year," said Smart.

Smart's argument has been extended to the Big Ten, although the conference has proven itself in recent NFL Drafts, and the Oregon Ducks have done their part in sending top prospects to the league under coach Dan Lanning.

Meanwhile, Indiana and Penn State had eight players drafted in 2026 while Washington and Iowa tied Oregon with seven draft selections.

The Ducks' roster health also reveals a potential hole in Smart's argument. Oregon battled injuries at wide receiver throughout the season, and the Ducks' running back room was a shell of itself against Indiana in the College Football Playoff. Playing the Big Ten regular season certainly played a role.

Moving forward, both Oregon and Georgia are expected to continue representing their conferences at the top of college football as they navigate the 2026 season.

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