So, the entire SEC vs Big 10 debate has become something important this season. Now, if we go based on the CFP list or even the AP Polls, the overall outlook this year is quite different. Generally, what do you expect? The Big 10 teams are down on the leaderboards, and the SEC powerhouses are leading the race, right? Not this time. Just for the top 5 teams on the CFP ranking list, there are 4 Big 10 monsters on there and only 1 SEC team. All the big powerhouses, like Bama, Bulldogs, Ole Miss, and Vols, are out of the top 5 rankings, and this is a weird phenomenon.

However, here’s the catch. Back on ESPN GameDay, when Nick Saban had a conversation with Buckeyes Caleb Downs on this entire SEC vs Big 10 debate, Downs had a way different answer. “I had an interesting conversation yesterday with Caleb Downs. We were talking about the SEC and how many hard games we had,” Saban mentioned. See, Downs’ response was simple and understandable. The Safety mentioned that when he was at Bama, he was much more prepared to tackle hard games as compared to his run with the Buckeyes. Over at Ohio State, Downs made it clear that they had four or five easy games and that did not allow him to be as well-prepared for a 60-minute game against a good team like Ducks, and that resulted in a Buckeyes loss.

See, we gotta roll it back to the entire strength of the schedule thing. Let’s start from the top. For the Ducks, who are at the top spot right now, the schedule has been weird. Now, you might argue that Dan Lanning and his boys didn’t just reach the top magically, right? But what good team have they faced? Their only close games have been against other Big 10 teams like Boise State or even the Buckeyes. Another powerhouse they did face was Michigan, but that team is just a hollow shell of its former self.

Next for Penn State, do they even deserve the 4th spot? The only good team they faced off against was the Buckeyes, and them aside, they struggled to win against USC and Bowling Green. But, see, here is another factor. The Big 10 teams are on the top of the list not only because of a straightforward schedule. You also have to factor in that they are winning games.

If we roll back over to the SEC teams, most of them are running on two losses. And most of these losses have come against opponents who these SEC teams should’ve blown out of the water. This gives rise to the question of whether the SEC has fallen off.

The fate of SEC

Let’s start with the best of the bunch; Bama. After that massive win against the Bulldogs, everyone knew that Bama was now unstoppable, right? Then how in the world did they manage to lose against Vandy by such a small margin? And if that wasn’t bad enough, they barely got out of the South Carolina showdown with a 27-25 win.

And for Texas, do they even deserve the 3rd spot on the ranking list? Even Nick Saban had to call them out on the fact that they have not faced a single good team all season, and the only time they go up against a powerhouse, they face a massive 30-15 blowout loss.

See, the SEC and the Big 10 have been way different this year. While people had thought that this would be another season dominated by the top powerhouses in the country (Bama, Georgia, or even Texas), with Oregon, Ohio State, and Indiana on the list, it has been a pleasant surprise.