The SEC Media Days are underway, and already, the propaganda is in full swing as to why the conference’s move to nine games should only benefit them, and in no way hurt them, because, well, they’re the SEC, of course. The arrogance is everything that college football fans have come to despise about the conference. And it was one thing when they were winning national championships on nearly an annual basis. But not anymore.
In fact, the SEC hasn’t even had a team represented in the National Championship since 2022 (Georgia vs. TCU). Since then, it’s been Michigan-Washington, Ohio State-Notre Dame, and Indiana-Miami. No SEC in sight. But they’re going to be playing nine league games now, just like the Big 12 and Big Ten have been doing for years, and they want to make sure they only get credit for it.
Check out this clip from SEC Media Days from SEC host Dari Nowkhah, who said, “What we won’t know… is if the CFP selection committee will only use that 9-game conference schedule as a benefit to this league and never as a hindrance to this league. That’s the expectation.”
Here’s the full clip.
Will College Football Media Call it Out?
Now, this all remains to be seen, but let’s be honest, these absurd claims coming from SEC land should be called out by anyone in college football media with a microphone and a brain. Is the SEC one of the deepest two leagues in the country? Yes, it is, along with the Big Ten. I’ve never denied that.
But the idea that a team like Ohio State could lose to, say, Wisconsin, and get penalized, rightfully so, but the SEC, thanks to its adding of a ninth league game, should not be penalized when a team like Alabama loses to Florida, is ridiculous. But it’s so on-brand for a conference that has been used to bullying around the rest of the sport. However, those days appear to be over. The Big Ten has won three-straight national championships. And they play nine league games. But no one in the Big Ten talks like the SEC does about playing nine conference games.
The SEC is upset that its cupcake November game, which basically becomes an extra bye week for the league, is a goner, and the difference between 5-7, 6-6 and 7-5, is suddenly not one that can be fluffed by three, or four, weaker non-conference games.
Now, the one thing I will give the SEC is that the Big Ten must also be forced into playing a Power 4 non-conference game. That much I will give the conference. The Big 12 is always trying to schedule the Big Ten and SEC, but will often times have trouble. That needs to end for both of the so-called Power 2 leagues. Let’s see if they’re willing to step to the plate.
