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Rece Davis Trolls Top-5 College Football Team Over 'Cupcake' Schedule

Originally posted on The Spun | By Daniel Bates | Last updated Aug 23, 2025 7:59 PM ET

ESPN's Rece Davis didn't mind throwing a lighthearted jab the Big Ten's way during Saturday's Week 0 edition of "College Football Countdown."

While colleague Pete Thamel gave a report on James Franklin's No. 2-ranked Nittany Lions, the senior CFB writer noted Penn State's "cupcake" schedule to start the year — with early matchups against unranked Nevada, FIU and Villanova before their first real test vs. top-10 Oregon on Sept. 27.

"Holistically, the talent at Penn State is as good as its ever been," Thamel explained. "This is their highest preseason ranking since 1997 — so we're talking about a generational opportunity here."

"They play Nevada, FIU and Villanova — a very similar schedule to what Michigan had two years ago on their way to the title, and Ohio State had last year," he continued. "Three cupcakes to find yourself before Big Ten starts."

Dec 21, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Rece Davis and Pat McAfee interact on the set of ESPN College GameDay prior to the College Football Playoff first round game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Tennessee Volunteers at Ohio Stadium.Adam Cairns-Imagn Images via the USA Today Network.

'How dare you'

Those comments received quite the sarcastic reply from partner Rece Davis who placed B1G fans directly in the crosshairs over their numerous attacks of the SEC's "easy" out of conference schedules over the years.

"Oh, Pete, how dare you," Davis joked. "You know only the SEC plays cupcakes! I read about it from the Big Ten fans on the X machine!"

Rece Davis: "Oh, Pete, how dare you! You know only the SEC plays cupcakes! I read about it from the Big Ten fans on the X machine!" https://t.co/Z1TI08d3hv pic.twitter.com/7mj0K2DEyl
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) August 23, 2025

Co-host Ronny Jones piled on with another quip aimed the conference's way. Adding, "A couple of really vaunted non-conference schedules coming out of the Big Ten here," which prompted some additional commentary from Davis.

"Look, I don’t want to go down this rabbit hole for the committee," Davis said. "I don’t care about your conference schedule or your non-conference schedule. The committee should look at the 12 games, or 13; look at the whole thing. Is it good? Is it bad? What is it ranked? What is it?"

SEC vs. B1G

It's worth noting that ESPN is the official partner of the SEC after securing the league's media rights for the next 10 years by striking a decade-long deal ahead of last season.

So the rivalry between the SEC and Big Ten (FOX, CBS & NBC) likely won't just be fought on the field — but in TV studios as well.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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