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For about two decades, the SEC has had the best claim to being the best conference in college football. Since 2005, the SEC has claimed 13 national championships.
SEC's Depth Argument Takes a Hit Without Recent Championships
For the longest time, the SEC always argued that it might not be the deepest conference, but it consistently won national championships, which makes it the best conference.
The only issue with that statement now is that the Big Ten has won the last three national championships, despite the SEC being arguably the deeper conference of the two.
So, even though the SEC and its fans push that they are deeper, which makes them better, the Big Ten throws the old argument right back in their face. It doesn't matter if you are deeper; what matters is if you win it all.
Paul Finebaum Gives Big Ten the Edge over the SEC
SEC Network's Paul Finebaum is a major supporter of the SEC. He has no problem taking shots at the Big Ten when he feels it is necessary.
He appeared on ESPN's "Get Up" ahead of SEC media days. On the show, he was asked which conference is the best, and instead of taking the side of the SEC, as he historically has done, he said the title belongs to the Big Ten.
"You can't claim you have the best conference if you haven't made the championship game for the last three years," Finebaum said. "So, I think the Big 10 right now has the best conference... They don't give trophies to the deepest conference. They give the trophy to the champion, and the SEC has been nowhere to be found since '22."
It's hard to argue with the results. The Georgia Bulldogs won back-to-back national titles in 2021 and 2022. However, despite winning the SEC the last two seasons, the Bulldogs haven't won a College Football Playoff game since.
Instead, the Big Ten has dominated the playoff with three different teams taking home the crown the last three seasons. The Michigan Wolverines won it in 2023, the Ohio State Buckeyes in 2024 and the Indiana Hoosiers in 2025. To make matters worse, the SEC hasn't even made the national championship game during that span.
SEC Needs National Titles to Reclaim College Football's Top Spot
The SEC's dominance over the past two decades cannot be erased, and its depth remains one of the strongest arguments in college football. However, the sport has always been decided on the field, and recent results have shifted the conversation.
If the SEC wants to silence the critics and reclaim its crown, its teams will need to do more than compete for championships; they will need to win them.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/fannation/college/cfb-hq as Paul Finebaum Easily Declares the Best Conference in College Football.
