The Decline of the SEC (Rise of the Big Ten)

"It Just Means More". The official slogan of the SEC. An expression meant to give the impression that the South Eastern Conference is "better". Through the first 4 weeks of bowl games, the expression has held its own. The SEC is currently 2-4 in their bowl games confirming it does, in fact, just mean more in the SEC.

Taking a glance at the results of the first month of bowl games you'll notice the Big Ten is currently 5-0 while the SEC is 2-4. This can't be. I was told the SEC is the best conference. I was told the SEC has the best coaches, players, and fans. I'm beginning to think the tides have turned.

Before we go any further, please restrain yourself from saying "bowl games don't matter". What a preposterous claim. Tell that to the players who spent the last 16 weeks training every single day. Tell that to the coaches fighting to keep their jobs and seeing promotions. Tell that to the millions of dollars that teams receive for playing in and winning bowl games. Knock that off.

The reality of the SEC conference is playing out right before our eyes. We're seeing Houston and Virginia beating LSU and Missouri. The same LSU and Missouri who were ranked throughout the season. We're seeing Texas A&M losing a home playoff game. The same Texas A&M who lead the SEC for most of the year. We're seeing the only wins coming from the SEC coming against a G5 team that had no business in the CFP, and a SEC vs SEC matchup. It is, in fact, different in the SEC.

There's a patter starting to form. The lack of bowl game success in the SEC is nothing new. We've seen the SEC struggle to go .500 over the past 5 years, and 2025 is showing more of the same. I think we need to take a look in the mirror and start giving credit to conferences who actually succeed.

The Big Ten is currently 5-0 this bowl season. That's it. Case and point. No sweet sounding sayings to give off a perception here. Just winning. Higher bowl game win percentage and back to back National Championships should be enough for SEC bias to take a backseat and reflect.

Unfortunately, humility is not a virtue for the SEC. The only comeback that seems to be gaining attention is because the SEC is so "deep", they're getting uneven matchups. Texas A&M losing to Miami was unfair because it should've been our best against theirs! LSU shouldn't have lost to Houston because they shouldn't have played! "It's not fair" the SEC claims. Unfortunately, the rest of College Football is unsympathetic. But in the SEC, It Just Means More ™️.

In the end, you can't argue with irrational. We know the SEC historically has had eras of College Football where they dominated. The SEC won 7 out of 10 championships in the 2010's (thank you Nick Saban). The point I want to make is simply the SEC is seeing a decline in success, and this decade's bowl game performances show the reality of what conference is truly on top.