There are now four teams remaining in the College Football Playoff, only one of which is representing the SEC.
And unless Ole Miss — which possesses the longest odds available — wins its next two games, that means that the conference’s national championship drought will be extended to a third consecutive season.
Factor in Indiana’s 38-3 thrashing of Alabama in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal Rose Bowl on Thursday, and it would be tough to argue that the SEC is still the sport’s top conference — especially when either the Hoosiers or their semifinal opponent, Oregon, will be playing for what would be the Big Ten’s third consecutive national title. And yet, that’s the exact argument that Cam Newton made on Friday’s episode of First Take, pointing to his former conference’s dominance when it comes to TV ratings.
“My American people, I will have you to know, that the SEC is not and has not went anywhere,” the former Auburn quarterback said after fellow SEC alum Ryan Clark bemoaned the conference’s recent track record. “Why? Because every team in the SEC does more numbers than every team in the Big Ten, than every team in the ACC.
“And listen, at the end of the day, everybody knows that if you want to go and get put on, you still go to the SEC. And however great Coach [Curt] Cignetti is, you still know, I’m not about to go watch Indiana football. I prefer to go watch LSU, Ole Miss, the great Auburn, Alabama, UGA, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi State way before I watch a Penn State. Way before I watch a Michigan State, an Iowa State — man, come on now.”
Iowa State, for what it’s worth, plays in the Big 12.
While Newton conceded that the SEC’s dominance has been curtailed thanks to NIL and the transfer portal evening the field, he remained steadfast in his belief that the TV ratings prove the conference’s motto to be true: it’s just different. Meanwhile, Clark rebutted by likening the SEC’s relevance to the Dallas Cowboys, as even Paul Finebaum conceded that Indiana’s beatdown of Alabama was too much for the conference’s current reputation to overcome.
On the one hand, Newton isn’t necessarily wrong; the SEC’s ratings have dwarfed its competition in recent seasons, especially this one. And while the league hasn’t laid claim to a national champion since 2022, it’s largely considered the country’s deepest conference, as evidenced by five of its teams making this year’s 12-team College Football Playoff.
Conversely, what does any of that actually mean if it isn’t one of your teams hoisting the sport’s biggest trophy at the end of the season? All things considered, Clark might be onto something with his Cowboys comparison.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.