Kirk Herbstreit Makes His Big Ten and SEC Championship Picks Official

Kirk Herbstreit believes these two college football powerhouses are primed to win the Big Ten and SEC in 2026.

Jan 17, 2026; Miami Beach, Florida, USA; ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit at media day for the 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship at Miami Beach Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With the final week of the offseason underway, college football media pundits are finalizing their projections for the 2026 season.

Over the course of seven months, these pundits have projected everything from College Football Playoff brackets to Heisman Trophy predictions to the bottom 10 teams in FBS in an effort to build up anticipation for this season in the midst of the tedium.

Former Ohio State quarterback and lead ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit revealed his projected Big Ten and SEC Championship winners on a recent edition of "Nonstop" with fellow ESPN analyst and Buckeye teammate Joey Galloway.

Herbstreit picked a pair of powers that have dwelt near the top of their conferences the last two seasons.

Herbstreit picked Indiana to repeat as the Big Ten's champion

Indiana Head Coach Curt Cignetti and the Hoosies celebrate after the Indiana versus Ohio State Big Ten Championship football game at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Herbstreit acknowledged Ohio State's potential with his Big Ten championship pick, but he also highlighted the probability of growing pains with a young defense against elite competition early in the season.

"I think Indiana wins the Big Ten, and I think it has a lot to do with getting Ohio State at home," Herbstreit said. "I don't think there's going to be a significant drop-off from this team. I think Curt Cignetti's not just an outstanding coach, but I think he may have the best tandem of coordinators in the entire country."

Quarterbacks have kept their turnovers at a minimum in Mike Shanahan's system, something of importance with a turnover-prone signal-caller in Josh Hoover. Indiana strategically portalized for key fits across the offense and managed to retain over half of its defensive starters from last season.

The Hoosiers should have no issue winning their first six games of the season. Ohio State is the only true College Football Playoff contender present on Indiana's schedule; teams like Michigan, USC and Washington are dark horse candidates to make the 12-team field.

Herbstreit picked Georgia to win a third consecutive SEC Championship

Jan 1, 2026; New Orleans, LA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Gunner Stockton (14) scrambles from Mississippi Rebels defensive end Princewill Umanmielen (1) in the third quarter during the 2026 Sugar Bowl and quarterfinal game of the College Football Playoff at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Bulldogs have played in eight of the last nine SEC Championship games and have firmly established themselves as the league's top power in the years following Nick Saban's retirement from Alabama.

"I'm going to give Georgia the nod," Herbstreit said. "They win back-to-back (national) titles in '21 and '22, they get left out in '23, and the last couple of years, they're not able to do what we're all used to them doing. I feel like there's so much pride within that program; I can only imagine what the offseason's been like in Athens. I feel like Kirby's going to play up the disrespect card even though they're third in the country."

Georgia fielded one of the SEC's strongest offenses in 2025, but the defense was inconsistent for the first half of the season. The offense lost a handful of pieces but retained key leaders like quarterback Gunner Stockton, tight end Lawson Luckie and center Drew Bobo, and the defense is filled with veteran contributors from a season ago.

The Bulldogs' schedule presents a trio of College Football Playoff participants from a season ago in Oklahoma, Alabama and Ole Miss, all of which feel they have a decent chance to make it back this season.

Arkansas, Auburn and Florida hired new coaches in the offseason, South Carolina could have an interim if it spirals in the first half of the season, and Missouri and Vanderbilt have major question marks scattered across one side of the ball.