Urban Meyer believes the Big Ten has passed the SEC

During his career as a head coach, Urban Meyer coached all over. That included with the Florida Gators in the SEC and the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Big Ten. Now, as an analyst, he believes the Big Ten has passed the SEC as a football conference.

Meyer made an appearance on Another Dooley Noted Podcast. There, he argued that the Big Ten has passed the SEC. At least, he believes the top of the conference has done so, even if it doesn’t have the same kind of depth.

“Well, you know what the SEC’s done? It’s raised the level,” Urban Meyer said. “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.”

The Big Ten has won the last two national championships, with Michigan and Ohio State going home with titles. This past season, the first year of the expanded College Football Playoff, the Big Ten got four teams in compared to only three SEC teams. That’s after a run where the SEC won five out of six national championships from 2017 through 2022.

For his part, Urban Meyer got to Ohio State in 2012 and coached the Buckeyes through 2018. Along the way, he won a national championship and likes to think that he helped change the Big Ten’s approach at the top.

“When I first got to the Big Ten, even Shelley said, ‘What in the world? This is a slow man’s game up here,’ and I like to think that the Buckeyes really changed that. Then everyone else started investing in their schools,” Meyer said. “And started recruiting the best player, not just the footprint. As a result, the Wolverine team two years ago was one of the best teams I’ve seen. The Buckeyes team this year is one of the best I’ve ever seen. You’re seeing Penn State, and some of these teams have great success.”

Narratives can shift quickly in college football. All it’s going to take is another SEC team win it all next season to resolidify the SEC atop college football. Certainly, the SEC has the depth to do so too. It’s just a matter if someone at the top can pass the Big Ten at the top.

“So, I’m anxious to see the SEC fight back for that because next year’s another year. And I’ll close with this. The SEC, that SEC-Big Ten fight, the top obviously the last two years goes to the Big Ten,” Meyer said. “But still, that middle to the bottom, it’s the SEC by far. You’ve got eight teams, nine teams in the SEC that think they can go win a national title, no other conference has ever had that.”