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The Big Ten has produced college football's last three national champions: Michigan, Ohio State, and Indiana. Four teams from the conference have also made the 12-team playoff format the last two years. From the 2014-15 season to the 2023-24 season, the Big Ten has been featured in every four-team playoff bracket except for two years.
Results and appearances, though, don't stop SEC programs from speaking out against the Big Ten. Vice versa, the Big Ten has had its gripes with the SEC in the past, including a recent issue judging the disparity between how the conferences schedule their regular seasons differently.
The SEC is now mandated to play nine, in-conference matchups each season, which is the same as the Big Ten. Teams in the SEC previously had four non-conference games scheduled every regular season, one of which was against a Power Four team not in the SEC (Big Ten, ACC, or Big 12).
The Big Ten, on the other hand, doesn't require one non-conference game to be against a team from one of the four dominant college football conferences. When it comes to decision time for which teams make the College Football Playoff, records and strength of schedule both matter. Wins against strong opponents weigh more than wins against weaker opponents, and losses against strong opponents weigh less than losses against weaker opponents.
Regardless of the decision process, though, many SEC teams have a problem with how the Big Ten schedules its non-conference opponents.
Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz, in particular, said at SEC Media Days that he recalled voting for the SEC to move to nine in-conference games in order for the CFP to expand. What he didn't know at the time, as he told reporters, was that the Big Ten's non-conference slate was significantly lighter than the SEC's.
Penn State football isn't the only culprit of having an easy non-conference schedule, but it's certainly a consistent one.
In 2026, the Nittany Lions face Marshall, Temple, and Buffalo. They should have no problem beating any of these teams, even with a new head coach, new coaching staff, and essentially a new roster. For the time being, though, starting off the season with this light slate isn't drawing any attention.
The 2025 season, though, was a different story.
Penn State had Nevada, FIU, and Villanova to start off the season. The blue and white were the No. 2 team in preseason rankings and had an FCS opponent on their schedule. It doesn't matter how the season turned out. The Nittany Lions still had a cupcake schedule, and there was reason for people to be upset over it considering they were considered one of the best teams in the country and a huge favorite to win the national title.
In 2024, Penn State played West Virginia, Bowling Green, and Kent State as the No. 4 team in the country. The season before as the No. 10 team, the Nittany Lions played the Mountaineers again as well as Delaware and UMass.
Again, Penn State isn't the only culprit in the Big Ten, but that doesn't make it any better. That's not to say an easy non-conference schedule is the reason why Big Ten squads make it into the CFP at the end of the year. It's also not to say that the Big Ten can't compete with teams from other Power Four conferences. If that was the case, the Wolverines, Buckeyes, and Hoosiers wouldn't have been national champions.
Penn State, especially, just shouldn't speak up when it comes down to debating easy non-conference schedules.
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This article was originally published on victorybellrings.com as Eli Drinkwitz blames an easy route for the Big Ten's success, but Penn State should stay quiet.
