Where, oh where, did you go, SEC football? An Ohio State star sent a message to the rival conference after national championship: ‘We beat SEC teams.’
Buckeyes celebrate in Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which often hosts key games involving SEC teams.
Big Ten produces back-to-back national champions, pausing the SEC’s reign of college football.
ATLANTA – The SEC played hooky from the national championship game for a second consecutive season, but the nation’s most braggadocious conference showed up Monday night in spirit – or in, stripes, rather.
The SEC supplied the officiating crew for the title tilt between Ohio State and Notre Dame, and when the public address announcer introduced the referee and stated his conference affiliation before the pregame coin toss, a chorus of boos greeted the referee inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium, rather than the familiar refrain of “S-E-C! S-E-C!” that’s most often heard in this venue that hosts the SEC championship game.
In the SEC’s absence, Ohio State scored a second national championship in a row for the Big Ten with a 34-23 coronation.
Kings of the North, and humblers of the South.
“Everyone says we can’t beat SEC teams. We beat SEC teams,” Buckeyes safety Lathan Ransom said.
SEC watching from home ‘Priceless’ in eyes of Ohio State fan
Buckeyes and Irish fans felt delight in ascending to this stage, but also pleasure in who wasn’t here – a representative from the almighty conference that produced 13 national champions during the 17-year span from the 2006-22 seasons. Five SEC programs produced at least one national title during that run of unchecked power.
A photo of a Buckeyes fan began circulating online Monday that showed the man with a red and white wig on his head and a sign noting that his tickets and hotel cost $9,000 but that the SEC watching from home was “PRICELESS.”
The SEC’s stranglehold loosened last season, when Michigan beat Washington in the national championship game after surviving Alabama in the Rose Bowl.
But, SEC loyalists could point to Georgia’s snub from the four-team playoff and speculate as to how the Bulldogs would have fared against Michigan.
No need to speculate this season. The SEC was as down as it’s been in some time. Notre Dame humbled Georgia, the SEC’s champion, in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal.
Ohio State shattered Tennessee in the first round, before turning back SEC runner-up Texas in the semifinals. Including the regular season, the Buckeyes amassed victories against six teams that qualified for the playoff.
The SEC limped away with a 1-3 record in CFP games and a 7-7 postseason mark overall. Not as embarrassing as the ACC’s postseason vamoose, but, still, feeble stuff by the SEC’s standards.
Even in its absence Monday, the SEC lingered on the brain. Without prompting, Ransom brought up the Big Ten’s rival conference during his postgame interview session, and he also steadfastly defended Ryan Day, who went from embattled Buckeyes coach to vindicated conquerer at warp speed.
“We beat undefeated teams. We beat Texas,” Ransom said. “Anyone want to come for Coach Day’s head? Y’all can’t.”
The SEC would appreciate Ransom’s bravado, if not his sentiment.
Big Ten’s elite surpassed the SEC
For a nuanced take in this Big Ten vs. SEC debate, let’s consider the opinion of Ohio State safety Caleb Downs, who starred last season for Alabama, giving him perspective on both leagues.
So, how do the conferences compare?
Well, for starters, Downs said Big Ten offenses deploy formations using two tight ends more frequently. Also, aside from Ohio State’s games against Oregon, he didn’t encounter tempo offenses as often this season.
“In the SEC, there’s a lot more tempo,” Downs said.
Fair insight, indeed, but that’s a little technical.
Brass tacks, which conference is stronger?
“For a lot of the games, the level of talent is very comparable,” Downs said. “At the end of the day, they’re both elite conferences.”
The Big Ten offered more crème de la crème this season, though, and the Buckeyes smoked celebratory cigars to begin their reign in the building where so many meaningful SEC games are played, while a bitter cold descended upon the South.
Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer. Subscribe to read all of his columns.