Is Big Ten Or SEC The Best College Football Conference? Paul Finebaum's Hot Take

The No.1 Oregon Ducks, No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes and No. 4 Penn State Nittany Lions are at the top of the College Football Playoff rankings. Is the Big Ten better than the SEC? ESPN's Paul Finebaum doesn't think so.

Sep 23, 2023; College Station, Texas, USA; SEC Nation Roman Harper (left) and Paul Finebaum (right) speak on the sideline during pre-game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the Auburn Tigers at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images / Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

The No.1 Oregon Ducks are on the top of the Big Ten and the College Football Playoff rankings heading into the last week of the regular season. Oregon is one of three Big Ten teams ranked in the top four of this week’s College Football Playoff rankings. 

Has the Big Ten conference passed the SEC as the premier football conference? ESPN’s Paul Finebaum weighed in. 

Paul Finebaum Still Claims SEC is Best Conference 

Texas A&M Aggies wide receiver Jabre Barber (1) is tackled by Auburn Tigers linebacker Austin Keys (6) as Auburn Tigers take on Texas A&M Aggies at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. Auburn Tigers defeated Texas A&M Aggies 43-41 in fourth overtime. / Jake Crandall/Montgomery Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Paul Finebaum went on ESPN’s First Take on Wednesday to react to the latest College Football Playoff rankings that were released on Tuesday night. With the top of the rankings jam packed with Big Ten teams, Finebaum was asked if the Big Ten has surpassed the SEC as the best conference in college football.

“It’s a fair question. Top to bottom, it (the SEC) is the best league in college football, but their best teams are flawed,” Finebaum said. “The problem in the SEC is that it is balanced.”

Finebaum believes it is more difficult week in and week out for SEC teams to pick up wins than in the Big Ten.

“You go on the road, even to an unranked team we saw it happen in Ole Miss-Florida, we saw it in Alabama-Oklahoma, Texas A&M-Auburn, where three unranked teams beat ranked teams,” Finebaum said. “It’s different than what we see in the Big Ten.”

A very simple rebuttal to this is that teams like Oregon, Ohio State, and Penn State, who have had more successful seasons than these SEC teams, may just flat out be better. These middle of the pack SEC teams weren't exactly lighting it up in non-conferernce play either.

A Down Year in the SEC

Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver Brenen Thompson (15) celebrates between Alabama Crimson Tide defensive back DeVonta Smith (8) and Alabama Crimson Tide linebacker Deontae Lawson (0) during a college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Alabama Crimson Tide at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. Oklahoma won 24-3. / BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It has been a year unlike any other in college football. The first year of the 12-team playoff and dramatic conference realignment has caused complete chaos. The SEC is having a surprisingly underwhelming season. The college football world has gotten used to the SEC having an undefeated Georgia, Alabama, and another couple one or two loss teams at this point in the season. That is not the case in 2024.

Georgia and Tennessee both have two losses but looks like they will still be in the playoff barring upset loses this weekend. SEC newcomer Texas is also in good shape with just one loss. Texas, Georgia and Tennessee have the best chances from the SEC to make the 12-team playoff. 

There’s a group of three loss SEC teams on the outside looking in. Those teams are Alabama, Ole Miss, South Carolina, and Texas A&M. All of these teams will need a lot of help to backdoor their way in except for Texas A&M. 

Despite being ranked lowest of that group in the latest college football playoff rankings, the Aggies control their own destiny. If they beat Texas this weekend they will clinch a spot in the SEC title game vs. Georgia. A win over Georgia would give Texas A&M the SEC auto bid into the playoff, assuming they would be ranked as one of the top five highest ranked conference champions. 

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