Why Tennessee's Josh Heupel didn't join Kirby Smart in Big Ten criticism

Tennessee football coach Josh Heupel isn’t ready to call half the Big Ten teams weak like Georgia’s Kirby Smart did, choosing instead to accentuate the positives of the Vols’ challenging SEC schedule.

During a radio interview, Smart said SEC coaches believe the Big Ten has won three straight national titles because “they don’t have the grind that we do (in their conference schedule).”

It was a spicy comment, but Heupel didn't join in. He had a more diplomatic answer when asked to size up the competition within the conferences during a Big Orange Caravan stop in Kingsport on April 30.

“I think from top to bottom, if you look at NFL draft picks, there's a lot of different measuring sticks that point to the depth of this league and the difficulty of the league,” Heupel said. “Going on the road, you're facing a real road test every week. The ninth game adds a lot of excitement, great games for our fans and for our players and staff.”

SEC apologists have pointed to the top-to-bottom strength of the league to explain the Big Ten’s rise. Michigan, Ohio State and Indiana have won the last three national titles.

The argument is that the SEC has more depth and therefore more challenging games throughout the season. By the time that they reach the playoff, they’re growing weaker while the Big Ten is still in its prime.

If true, the SEC’s expansion to nine conference games in the 2026 season comes at a very inconvenient time.

How expanded SEC schedule could challenge Tennessee

Tennessee plays SEC home games against Texas (Sept. 26), Auburn (Oct. 3), Alabama (Oct. 17), Kentucky (Nov. 7) and LSU (Nov. 21). It plays SEC road games at Arkansas (Oct. 10), South Carolina (Oct. 24), Texas A&M (Nov. 14) and Vanderbilt (Nov. 28).

The Vols also have a difficult nonconference game at Georgia Tech on Sept. 12, and they won’t have an off week until the end of October.

“There's a physical component to it,” Heupel said. “I think we play eight straight (games), got nine conference games. It’s a long journey in that season.”

Adding a ninth SEC game may not impact UT’s record. After all, the Vols have a 24-16 record in conference games during Heupel’s five-year tenure. But they have a 19-1 record in regular-season nonconference games, so the expanded SEC schedule undoubtedly will add a level of difficulty.

Josh Heupel lost too much to Big Ten to criticize it

Heupel didn’t compare the SEC’s strength to the Big Ten. His Vols have a 1-3 record against Big Ten teams in the postseason. They lost to Purdue in the 2021 Music City Bowl and beat Iowa in the 2023 Citrus Bowl. They lost to Ohio State in the 2024 College Football Playoff and Illinois in the 2025 Music City Bowl.

Last season, the Big Ten had a 4-3 record over SEC teams, including Indiana’s 38-3 victory over Alabama in the CFP.

But Smart raised eyebrows on the subject during his appearance on “Next Round Live,” a show that broadcasts in Birmingham, Alabama.

Georgia won the national title in 2021 and 2022, just before the Big Ten started its streak. So Smart was asked why the Big Ten has closed the gap with the SEC and perhaps passed it.

“I have so much respect for them. Are they better coaches than us? That’s what our (SEC) coaches say (because) they’re taking less talent, in theory, and doing more with it,” Smart said.

But then Smart’s compliment turned into criticism, revealing what he says SEC coaches banter about behind closed doors.

“No one else wants to hear it, but a lot of coaches in my SEC meetings say it: (Big Ten teams) don’t have the grind that we do,” Smart said. “Three of their nine (conference) games are hard. Their bottom four (conference) games are not our bottom four games.

“There is a theory that we’re beating each other up, and that intensity wears you down.”

There's A LOT to unpack here. Kirby Smart on why the Big Ten is currently dominating college football 👇 pic.twitter.com/WOY4XUN6Gi

— The Next Round (@NextRoundLive) April 30, 2026

According to Smart, SEC coaches believe they are their own worst enemy when it comes to bringing a national title back to the South. It even impacts their playbook and players’ mental strain.

“(One of the SEC coaches) says, ‘Dude, (Big Ten coaches) are not even having to do their best plays (against weak opponents),' ” Smart said. “They’re not even stressed during the week. Well, I’m stressed no matter who I play. That’s just how I’m wired.

“But (Big Ten) players get a mental relief, and then it’s like, boom, they get to go to the playoffs and crank it up.”

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing atknoxnews.com/subscribe.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Josh Heupel, Kirby Smart on SEC vs Big Ten conference schedules