Stephen Leonard
Writer
As Ohio State head coach Ryan Day pointed out on several occasions, this is a monster of a game. It will not just be the “Eyes of Texas” upon it; all of college football will be watching in Columbus, Ohio, on August 30th. Make no bones about it, each school feels the pressure to start its national title aspirations with a win in the likely biggest game of the year. Something is just different about this one. There is no slow buildup. No tune-up game to work out the chinks in the armor, both teams will have to be ready to play when foot meets ball.
As defining as this game is for each team, conference supremacy is on the line. We are at a pivotal moment in conference dominance. The college football arms race has reached a crescendo, and fans of college football everywhere are reaping the benefits.
Just last week, after years of delay, the Southeastern Conference announced it will follow the Big Ten Conference in going to a nine-game conference schedule in 2026. That’s an extra eight games of Power 4 vs Power 4 matchups, and an extra chance for a major upset to shake up the college football season. I’m here for all the quality college football we can possibly be fed.
The Big Ten put the media blitzkrieg on the SEC this offseason, constantly arguing they need for uniform scheduling. Coaches at Big Ten media days uniformly discussed the clear advantages the SEC had with an eight-game schedule. No comments were more widely circulated than Kurt Cignetti’s, “We figured we’d just adopt the SEC’s scheduling philosophy.” I’d like to think the Big Ten influenced the SEC change, but the College Football Selection Committee’s increased and new emphasis on strength of schedule and strength of record is what really moved the needle.
Now we will have an even conference schedule, but the arms race will still largely be determined by these epic head-to-head matchups and, more importantly, college football playoff results.
The last 2 years have been poor showings for the SEC. If you want to talk about the past years, then, yes, the SEC was dominant, winning 14 national titles since 2000. The fact of the matter is, while that’s a nice talking point, it means nothing to the current landscape of college football. We are a “what have you done for me lately” society, and college football is no different. The Big Ten has won back-to-back national titles and in 2024, crushed the SEC dominance argument with head-to-head wins. Could the last two years have been a blip on the radar? Sure, but three years in a row would be a pattern of dominance. The SEC has to push back this year because there will be no argument to be made if the Big Ten does it again. Fortunately, week 1 provides college football with the first data point for 2025 conference dominance.
To quote former Ohio State LB and current linebackers coach James Laurinaitis, “It’s Texas, it’s Ohio State, it’s the history, it’s the burnt orange, it’s the scarlet and gray”. AP No. 1 vs No. 3, but it’s even more; it’s the battle for conference bragging rights, and it starts Saturday, August 30th, in Columbus, Ohio. Until the playoffs, nothing will be more defining for each conference. Buckle up, college football fans; we are starting off with a banger of a game. No matter which team is victorious, you can bet S-E-C chants will ring out loud in Ohio Stadium at the conclusion of Saturday’s game.
Tony Thomas
Writer
In the CFP quarterfinals, Indiana dominated Alabama, while Oregon wrecked Texas Tech
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