SEC and Big Ten Makes Admission on Fixing College Football's Early Weeks

Fast forward to 2025. At this year’s spring meetings, the SEC and Big Ten started floating the idea of a non-conference challenge series. Think ACC–Big Ten Challenge, but with way more tailgating, pageantry, and playoff weight. It could be the answer to the SEC’s ongoing scheduling debate. Do you add a ninth conference game, or take bigger swings in the non-conference schedule? I say lean into the latter.

My model, which I first pitched eight years ago, works like this. Match teams from each conference in reverse order of their standings. Worst plays worst, all the way up. The only tweak? The top two teams flip matchups (i.e., #1 SEC vs. #2 Big Ten and vice versa) to keep things fresh and balanced.

Here’s what it would look like based on the 2024 standings:

The Cellar 

#16 Mississippi St vs. #16 Northwestern

#15 Kentucky vs. #15 Wisconsin

#14 Auburn vs. #14 Michigan St

#13 Oklahoma vs. #13 Nebraska

Gridiron Gray Zone

#12 Vanderbilt vs. #12 UCLA

#11 Arkansas vs. #11 Washington

#10 Florida vs. #10 Rutgers

#9 Missouri vs. #9 USC

The Gatecrashers

#8 Ole Miss vs. #8 Minnesota

#7 Texas A&M vs. #7 Michigan

#6 South Carolina vs. #6 Iowa

#5 LSU vs. #5 Illinois

Saturday Night Staples

#4 Alabama vs. #4 Ohio St

#3 Tennessee vs. #3 Penn State

#2 Georgia vs. #1 Oregon

#1 Texas vs. #2 Indiana

These matchups could span Weeks 0 through 3, giving fans three straight weekends of relevance, not just one marquee game surrounded by 40-point blowouts.

This kind of format doesn't just improve strength of schedule or help in playoff rankings—it enriches the entire sport. Picture Minnesota fans tailgating in The Grove. A Happy Valley–Knoxville home-and-home. StarkVegas hosting Northwestern. Death Valley lit up for a showdown with Illinois. The Big House welcomes The 12th Man.

It’s scheduling the best in a head-to-head clash. College football desperately needs better ones to start its season. We do it in basketball. It’s time for the gridiron to catch up.