Atlanta Late Monday night, Tony Petitti, wearing a vest with the Big Ten Conference insignia on it and a smile on his face, climbed a short set of stairs from a makeshift stage to the turf field inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Petitti had been the commissioner of the Big Ten for just under two years. By many standards, the conference was already one of the two most powerful in college athletics at that time, along with the Southeastern Conference. However, one conference was far ahead on one scoreboard.
Only twice in the last 21 years has a Big Ten team won the national football championship, and it had not done so in nine years. In contrast, 13 of the previous 17 national titles had been won by the SEC.
Perhaps because the SEC’s dominance on college football is finally slipping, Petitti was grinning on Monday. After Michigan last season, Ohio State defeated Notre Dame 34-23 to win the College Football Playoffs national championship game, marking the second straight season in which a Big Ten school emerged victorious. This victory took place deep within SEC country.
“I think this is the greatest run in college football history,” Petitti told NBC News, referring to Ohio State’s performance and Michigan’s undefeated record from the previous season. It seems like there was a change in the structure this year, so you had to win more games. It’s really amazing how they had to do it and who they had in front of them.
The power dynamics in the sport did not change significantly on Monday night; out of all college leagues, the Big Ten and SEC still hold the most cash and influence in the boardroom. In a symbolic sense, however, this was the first time since the 2004–05 seasons that an SEC club has failed to make it to the championship game for two straight seasons. For the second time since 2022, the Big Ten also accounted for half of the final four.
Is the football renaissance in the Big Ten a passing trend or a phenomenon?
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Kirk Herbstreit, the ESPN commentator who has called all 12 College Football Playoff national championship games, stated that the SEC has always had the upper hand. “I don’t know how many years it’s been, but I guess since 06 or something like that, it’s reality,” Herbstreit said.
I believe that this NIL transfer portal era is unprecedented because Michigan and Ohio State won consecutive games. Let’s see. Next year, I’m eager to see if they can continue. Seeing it has been enjoyable.
After five years, we may say, “Okay, this is a trend now.”
If the field hadn’t been increased from four to twelve teams this season, Ohio State wouldn’t have even been in the playoffs, allowing its two-loss record to still qualify. The sport was embroiled in a debate regarding whether the Hoosiers’ admission had come at the expense of a better SEC team, such Alabama, Ole Miss, or South Carolina, following Indiana’s defeat to Notre Dame in the first round of the playoffs.
Then, Ohio State earned its first national championship in ten years after winning four straight games.
After his team’s fourth straight defeat to rival Michigan in late November, Ohio State coach Ryan Day said, “I think the difference is that we finished the season the right way and we grew.” We constructed and dealt with difficult situations. Isn’t that the main purpose of existence, man?
Buckeyes receiver Emeka Egbuka, who is near the end zone corner painted in Ohio State’s scarlet and gray, stated that he was just concerned that his team had won and did not care that the Big Ten had won. People did not all hold the same opinion. One Ohio State supporter, wearing a red-and-white-dyed wig with red-painted shoulder pads, shook a handmade banner over a railing a few feet from the Ohio State sideline prior to kickoff.
Front row: $8,000.
$1000 hotel
SEC viewing from home
Inexpensive
Orlando Pace, an NFL Hall of Fame entrant and Buckeyes tackle, thought the Big Ten’s victory was significant while standing just yards from Egbuka.
I’m a Buckeye, but for so long they were talking about the SEC, how tough they were, and how much more powerful they were than everyone else. That’s why it was amazing to watch a Big Ten team see confetti fall the previous two years, Pace said. That, in my opinion, speaks volumes about our conference, its toughness, and all of its associated aspects. I’m so proud of this group.
The Big Ten’s goal will be to stay ahead of the curve at a time when the structure of collegiate sports has been destabilized by conference realignment, a chain reaction that was started by actions taken by the Big Ten and SEC, congressional legislation, and revisions to NCAA rules.
However, the Big Ten and the SEC continue to have a significant influence on how that future is created, supported by huge broadcast contracts. The SEC earned $852.6 million and the Big Ten earned $879.9 million in the 2022–2023 fiscal year, both of which were more than $100 million more than the next-closest league. Big Ten schools made roughly $9 million more a year on average than their SEC competitors.
Players like outstanding freshman receiver Jeremiah Smith, who grabbed a game-winning 56-yard pass in the closing minutes, will return, giving Ohio State an opportunity to defend its crown.
Smith was asked how he would top his first collegiate season while sporting a commemorative championship T-shirt over his pads.
“Well,” Smith answered, “try to win it next year.” We’re going to win it next year, so don’t even try.