SEC Can't Afford to Lose Tripleheader vs. Big Ten
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The Big Ten has won the past three national championships, an inescapable fact that will be repeated until it either extends that streak or another conference (hello, SEC) interrupts its reign.
Not only has the Big Ten surpassed its Southern counterpart on the field (and on the balance sheet) in recent years, it won the offseason war of words, too.
Illinois coach Bret Bielema said the SEC, where he coached for years, is “living in the past.” Indiana coach Curt Cignetti took his comments a step further. “We don’t run a hype machine up here in the Midwest,” said the leader of the 2025 undefeated champs. “We believe everything’s earned, not given. When we fall short, we say we fell short. We don’t cry a river, whine and complain. And that’s why we’re the best.”
Cignetti is correct. I wasn’t in Chicago in July for Big Ten media days when the conference collectively puffed its chest out. But I was in Tampa a week earlier for SEC media days, where coaches and commissioner Greg Sankey made a less-than-compelling case that their conference was still No. 1. They spoke of the grind of the SEC schedule rather than results, and the Big Ten was rarely mentioned by name
Admittedly, there was nothing the SEC could have done in the offseason to catch the Big Ten. Moves were made with that in mind, as the conference hired six new head coaches and signed the three best transfer portal classes. But this beef has to be settled on the field.
Although no definitive statements can be made until the College Football Playoff begins in December, the SEC at least has an opportunity to save face in Week 2. By the same token, the Big Ten can run up the score on Saturday.
There are three Big Ten-vs.-SEC battles on the schedule: No. 11 Oklahoma at Michigan (noon ET on Fox), Mississippi State at Minnesota (3:30 p.m. ET on CBS) and No. 1 Ohio State at No. 4 Texas (7:30 p.m. ET on ABC). All of these intriguing games matter for different reasons. But the Buckeyes’ return trip to Austin is the one observers will put the most stock in, regardless of the outcome.
Ohio State beat Texas in the 2024 CFP semifinal on the way to a national title. Then it happened again in the 2025 season opener in Columbus. Can coach Ryan Day’s Buckeyes make it three in a row? Or will coach Steve Sarkisian’s Longhorns defend home field?
There are Heisman Trophy implications afoot, as well, as quarterbacks Julian Sayin and Arch Manning — not to mention wide receiver Jeremiah Smith — rank among the favorites. These are two of the most recognizable brands in the sport, and they’re armed with rosters that reportedly top $40 million.
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Maybe they’ll see each other again in the postseason, but Texas — for its sake and the SEC’s — would do well to win this one. There’s less pressure on Ohio State going into this game. But it’s worth noting a loss would be the Buckeyes’ third in a row against a Power 4 opponent, which last happened in 2013.
Michigan’s poor showing — and controversial victory — against Western Michigan tamped down excitement for its visit from Oklahoma. Preseason projections favored the home team, but now the Sooners, who beat the Wolverines in Norman last season, are expected to win. The spread moved more than a touchdown from Michigan -2.5 to Oklahoma -5.5.
Strangely, the burden to win this one still falls on the SEC school. If the Sooners roll, that will simply mean they did what they were supposed to. But if the Wolverines look dramatically better than they did in coach Kyle Whittingham’s Michigan debut, that’s an indictment of Oklahoma and its conference, too.
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Similar to Ohio State-Texas, the quarterbacks are constant in this rematch. John Mateer played arguably his best game in a Sooners uniform against Michigan, as he accounted for all three touchdowns. Bryce Underwood, on the road in just his second career start, looked overmatched against coach Brent Venables’ defense. Then again, he didn’t perform much better against Western Michigan a year later.
Less stock will be put into the matchup between Mississippi State and Minnesota than the prior two. But the outcome still matters a great deal for the SEC’s prevailing argument that its depth is what sets it apart from the Big Ten.
The Bulldogs were picked to finish 15th in the preseason SEC poll and are coming off a five-win season. The Golden Gophers won eight games in 2025 and landed 10th in the Big Ten media projections.
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If there’s truly something to the argument that a bad SEC team is better than a middling Big Ten team, this is the time to prove it.
The issue for Minnesota is that Mississippi State might not be bad. Quarterback Kamario Taylor had over 400 yards of offense and five touchdowns in an evisceration of Louisiana-Monroe. Drake Lindsey and the Golden Gophers were similarly dominant against Eastern Illinois, though they did so without the wow factor Taylor brings to the table.
The SEC went 16-0 in Week 1, its first perfect record since 1997. Meanwhile, in the Big Ten: Rutgers lost to UMass, Wisconsin was dominated by Notre Dame, Oregon narrowly avoided an upset to Boise State, Washington struggled against Washington State and Michigan State had a close call against Toledo. That long list doesn’t even include Michigan’s litany of issues against Western Michigan.
These three games are the only time the sport’s top two conferences will meet before the postseason. If ever there were a time for the SEC to strike a meaningful blow against the Big Ten, it’s now.
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This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Sep 11, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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