Urban Meyer stood in the north end zone just beyond the goalpost at the Rose Bowl, far enough away from the Ohio State sideline not to be a distraction. And as the final seconds ticked off the clock in Pasadena, he was a witness to Big Ten football at its finest in the College Football Playoff era as a loaded No. 8 seed dismantled a previously unbeaten conference champion.
Picasso couldn’t have painted a more complete masterpiece in the weeks that followed. Ohio State’s three-touchdown win over Oregon preceded a takedown of SEC runner-up Texas. That momentum flowed into the Buckeyes’ national title victory against Notre Dame — a team that ousted SEC champion Georgia the week prior.
For good measure, Ohio State had also kicked off its unprecedented postseason run with a beatdown of 10-win SEC stalwart Tennessee.
The Big Ten’s 2024 CFP run was the peak moment of a process that began two years prior when Michigan stopped Nick Saban and Alabama at the goal line on the same turf en route — ending the SEC’s multi-year reign atop the sport.
Saban stepped away from coaching shortly thereafter and the SEC has no title trophies since.
“You know what the SEC’s done? It’s raised the level,” Urban Meyer said this week on Another Dooley Noted podcast. “But the Big Ten has passed the SEC at the upper part. If you would have told me that 10 years ago, I would’ve said it’s not even close. Because it’s not.”
Meyer’s not-so-hot-take may have caused a stir in the South, but he’s right. Heading into the 2025 season, there three Big Ten teams with preseason win totals at 10.5, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. Meanwhile, no SEC team is projected to win double digit games.
Meyer, who won two national championships at Florida and another at Ohio…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/urban-meyers-bold-claim-is-correct-big-ten-has-passed-sec-as-top-dog-conference-in-college-football/
Author : Brad Crawford
Publish date : 2025-05-22 14:15:00
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