When Urban Meyer took over at Ohio State in 2012, the Big Ten was a distant second to the SEC in college football's hierarchy. Fast forward to today, and the landscape has flipped. The Big Ten has won three consecutive College Football Playoff national titles—Michigan in 2023, Ohio State in 2024, and Indiana last season—and Meyer knows exactly why.
During a recent appearance on The Script podcast, the three-time national champion coach laid out his theory: the Big Ten simply got more serious about football. Meyer, who previously coached in the SEC at Florida, saw the gap firsthand and realized change was necessary.
From Lax to Locked In
“I don’t believe the Big Ten was very serious back in 2012,” Meyer said. “I don’t think the opponents’ stadiums were very serious. I don’t think the recruiting was very serious. You know, I thought the Big Ten conference was OK, but then they’d go get their (expletive) kicked in the bowl games. And I saw it, I came from the SEC, and I was like ‘what are we doing?’ You go into these stadiums, and they’re not hard to play in.”
Meyer pointed to a league-wide shift in mindset that started with powerhouse programs and trickled down to the rest of the conference. “You have to give Penn State credit. They got real serious. The Wolverines got real serious. Other teams in that conference got real serious,” he said. “You go in there now with Big Noon, and some of these environments are fantastic. Go ask how the boys are doing in Bloomington, Indiana. They got real serious about the game of football. Illinois, they got real serious. They hired the right guy. They got really good players and they’re beating SEC teams in a bowl game.”
Recruiting and Facilities Fuel the Rise
Meyer credited athletic directors and administrators for investing in facilities and recruiting, which allowed the Big Ten to close the talent gap with the SEC. The results speak for themselves: the conference now boasts multiple national title contenders heading into the 2026 season, including Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, and Indiana.
This transformation mirrors broader changes in college sports, where programs are spending more than ever on rosters and infrastructure. Meyer’s own experience—from building Ohio State into a powerhouse to his brief, tumultuous stint in the NFL—gives him a unique perspective on what it takes to compete at the highest level.
A New Era of Big Ten Dominance
The SEC isn’t going anywhere, but the Big Ten has clearly seized the momentum. Meyer’s analysis underscores a simple truth: the conference that takes football most seriously will ultimately come out on top. And right now, that’s the Big Ten.
For fans wondering whether this shift is permanent, Meyer’s track record suggests it’s no fluke. After all, he was the one who started the Big Ten’s modern title run with Ohio State’s 2014-15 CFP championship. Now, as the league prepares for another season with multiple contenders, the question isn’t whether the Big Ten has passed the SEC—it’s whether the rest of college football can catch up.
