Northwestern's David Braun reignites the Big Ten vs. SEC debate

It was the talk of the college football offseason. 

Plenty of real ink and internet ink was spilled on "the great debate" between the Big Ten and the SEC.

The SEC, the conference "where it just means more", has long been considered the top conference in college football, but the Big Ten has staked a claim to that crown over the past few seasons.

The Big Ten boasts the last three national champions — the Michigan Wolverines, the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Indiana Hoosiers — and at this point in the 2026 season, the conference has to feel like it has at least two teams that can win it all. 

That would be the aforementioned Buckeyes and Hoosiers, ranked No. 5 and No. 7, respectively, in the latest edition of the AP Top 25.

Speaking of the AP, the SEC currently has nine ranked teams — including the Texas Longhorns and Georgia Bulldogs at No. 1 and No. 2 — compared to the Big Ten's six. Interestingly, a Big Ten figure from out of left field in this debate, Northwestern Wildcats head coach David Braun, was asked about the disparity between the two conferences, and he went hard for the conference in his response. 

“I’ll tell you what, you better bring it every single week. You know?” Braun said on Monday (h/t On3). “What the outside says about the league, I mean, check the receipts. Last three national championships have come out of this league.”