SEC Network Host Paul Finebaum Admits Big Ten Currently Owns College Football

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It took Ohio State winning a national championship for him to cave, but SEC Network host and ESPN college football analyst Paul Finebaum is finally willing to admit that the Big Ten is the best conference in the sport. At least for the moment.
Monday night, Ryan Day led the Buckeyes to a 34-23 win over Notre Dame, claiming the school's ninth national championship. On Tuesday, Finebaum made an appearance on ESPN's Get Up and said that he believes the Big Ten is currently the best conference in college football.
The Big Ten has now won each of the last two national titles, with Michigan claiming last year's championship.
"The Big Ten, at the moment, owns college football," Finebaum said. "There's no way you can say it doesn't. When you go back-to-back, that's generational. In Ohio State's case, they beat two SEC schools along the way.
"It's an uncomfortable feeling for the SEC, which has owned the sport, but it's a reality."
Paul Finebaum: "The Big Ten, at the moment, owns college football. And there's no way you can say it doesn't... it's an uncomfortable feeling for the SEC, which has owned the sport. But it's a reality this morning." pic.twitter.com/B1KR8efVDS
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 21, 2025
The Big Ten had four teams reach the College Football Playoff this season. After going 13-0 and winning a conference championship, Oregon earned the No. 1 seed and the league's automatic bid. Ohio State, Penn State and Indiana all received at-large bids.
Indiana lost in the first round to Notre Dame, while Penn State reached the semifinal round before falling to Notre Dame. The Nittany Lions defeated SMU and Boise State to become on of the last four teams in the playoff.
Ohio State defeated Tennessee in the opening round then knocked off Oregon in the Rose Bowl. The Buckeyes then took down Texas before defeating Notre Dame to win a national title.
In addition to the Big Ten's College Football Playoff success, it also enjoyed a really strong postseason against the SEC, posting a 5-1 record. Those results included Ohio State's wins over Tennessee (42-17) and Texas (28-14), Michigan's victory over Alabama (19-13), Illinois taking down South Carolina (21-17) and USC beating Texas A&M (35-31).
Missouri's 27-24 win over Iowa was the SEC's lone victory against the Big Ten in the postseason.
Yes, for many years, the SEC was the most dominant conference in college football. It had won 13 national championships in the span of 17 seasons (2006-22). But over the last two years, the Big Ten has been the most dominant conference in the sport.
It's surprising that Finebaum, well known for promoting the SEC as the best conference in football, finally acknowledged that the Big Ten has emerged as the best league in the sport.
Better late than never.
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