The referees were the SEC’s lone representation in an Atlanta-based college football national championship.
Well, maybe that’s disingenuous. Several 2025 Hall of Fame inductees present — like Nick Saban and Urban Meyer — had SEC ties. SEC players turned ESPN analysts like Greg McElroy and Anthony “Booger” McFarland were around. There were surely a handful of SEC supporters enjoying the extravaganza among the red-and-scarlet and green-and-gold audience. Hey, Georgia coach Kirby Smart briefly appeared on the video board in a prerecorded message, too.
These mental gymnastics hurt the mind; just as the first edition of the expanded College Football Playoff hurt the SEC ego. For the second consecutive year, a blue-blood Big Ten team reigned supreme in college football Monday night. And this one had the nerve to claim its crown in the heart of SEC country, of all places.
Ohio State 34, Notre Dame 23.
“The Big Ten is the best conference,” Buckeyes edge rusher JT Tuimoloau said after the game.
A little over two years after the Buckeyes suffered a gut-wrenching loss to Georgia as time expired, they celebrated a championship in the same venue. The Buckeyes had a topsy-turvy regular season, but there was no doubt they were this sport’s best as the first expanded playoff concluded.
But as popular as these programs are nationally, and aesthetically satisfying a match as this was, fans down south aren’t overly moved by a couple midwestern foes trading punches. The last national title in Atlanta featured Alabama and Georgia — a common SEC championship matchup — but this one included two outsiders.
Make no mistake, though: These were the two best teams. They oozed NFL-caliber talent. They physically outdid — and outcoached — the SEC championship game participants (Georgia and Texas) en route to this point. As NIL and the transfer portal help level the playing field, the Buckeyes and Irish stood above the field, each assembling top-tier rosters — for which they paid a premium — and looking the part of past ferocious SEC teams so many lauded.
The Big Ten had four playoff participants, which included Indiana. The Hoosiers only lost to the two title-game finalists; Penn State, which was just edged by Notre Dame in the last round; and Oregon, the most dominant regular-season team that Ohio State trounced in the Rose Bowl.
“The conference has a variety of schemes,” Tuimaloau said. “You have power teams, teams that love quick passes; this run we went on, I feel like we saw it all in the Big Ten and the games after.”
These are foreign times for the sport’s best conference. Last year, in the four-team field, eventual champ Michigan knocked off Alabama in the Rose Bowl before defeating Pac-12 winner (and pending Big Ten member) Washington in the title game.
Ohio State, motivated and angered by its arch nemesis’ breakthrough, spent lavishly on player acquisition and retention. It destroyed Tennessee, the SEC’s third playoff participant, in the opening round in shocking fashion. It eliminated Texas in the semifinal before cruising past Notre Dame, which had overpowered Georgia just a couple of weeks earlier.
The SEC’s depth is likely still unmatched, but the top of the conference is clearly no longer separated from the pack. The Big Ten can puff its chest after the outcomes the past two winters.
“The Big Ten had what, four top-10 teams and a bunch of top-25 teams,” Buckeyes safety Lathan Ransom said. “The Big Ten prepared us for these playoffs. I think the Big Ten is the best conference in the country right now and it showed throughout the playoffs.”
Receiver Carnell Tate agreed, bluntly telling The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “It’s definitely the best conference in America.”
Now, the SEC looks ahead at its fresh slate. It’ll again be considered the deepest conference. It’ll again have the usual suspects among the betting favorites to be holding the trophy this time next year in South Florida.
Nothing is guaranteed, though. And a third-straight championship without an SEC team sure would start to feel more like a trend rather than a two-year blip. This is the first time the SEC has failed to place a team in the championship game in back-to-back years since 2004-2005, when the title games were USC vs. Oklahoma and USC vs. Texas.
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Who could change the SEC’s fortunes in the 2025-26 season?
- Reigning SEC champion Georgia will again be formidable. The defense, while losing standout Jalon Walker, is forever a comfortable bet to remain stout under Smart (even when it’s below expectation, it’s still pretty darn good). Gunner Stockton’s quarterback play will heavily influence Georgia’s ceiling. The Bulldogs won the SEC despite losing twice this past regular season, and they’ll get Alabama and Texas in Athens this time. The Bulldogs weren’t what they’ve been, but with a revamped skill group and younger players’ development, they could end up a bona fide, No. 1-quality team again.
- Texas lost twice to Georgia and then melted down at the end against Ohio State. Arch Manning, after two years of anticipation, takes over as quarterback. The Longhorns are losing some NFL-level talent but they’re retaining blossoming talents like linebacker Anthony Hill Jr., edge rusher Colin Simmons and receiver Ryan Wingo. Quinn Ewers had his moments but he was limited in a way Manning won’t be: mobility. The Longhorns might be the preseason No. 1.
- Three-loss Alabama just barely missed the playoff in Kalen DeBoer’s first season. Quarterback Jalen Milroe’s uneven play was largely why. Up next, Ty Simpson, Austin Mack and freshman wunderkind Keelon Russell battle for that spot. Count Alabama out at one’s own peril. There are avenues for them being significantly improved in 2025.
- Tennessee, licking its wounds from its beatdown in Columbus, should be excellent again, especially if quarterback Nico Iamaleava develops as hoped. It’ll miss running back Dylan Sampson and edge rusher James Pearce Jr., both of whom are off to the NFL, but Josh Heupel’s group has become a consistent winner. It just hasn’t come close to reaching the highest highs yet.
- Ole Miss built a behemoth largely through the transfer portal, but it was doomed by three losses, especially an inexplicable home defeat to Kentucky. The Rebels have retooled through the portal again, replenishing the defense and adding some skill talent. Austin Simmons replaces Jaxson Dart at quarterback. The Rebels will be back in the mix.
- LSU brings back quarterback Garrett Nussmeier and has had one of the best portal hauls of any team, acquiring its signal caller some weaponry and bolstering its defensive front. Brian Kelly’s Tigers have yet to make the playoff, but they could break through any season.
- There will be dark horses. Florida is an obvious one after freshman quarterback DJ Lagway rejuvenated a decrepit program. And coach Billy Napier, after being presumed fired in September, oversaw one of the more unexpected turnarounds. The Gators have a bevy of youth beginning to realize their potential and have added some receivers for their young signal caller. Lagway has helped restored the program’s belief.
- LaNorris Sellers did similar for South Carolina, which closed the season better than almost any team (its bowl loss notwithstanding). The Gamecocks are losing a bit defensively, but Sellers is such a special talent he could will them into the conversation if needed.
- Texas A&M improved under Mike Elko and has never lacked the talent. If one believes in Elko, it seems inevitable the Aggies will become a regular in the playoff discussion.
- Auburn — hold the laugh — was competitive despite dreadful quarterback play during another difficult campaign. If Hugh Freeze unlocks incoming transfer Jackson Arnold, the nucleus is coming together enough that the Tigers could surprise.
- Oklahoma, as dreadful as it was this season, has a new offensive coordinator (Ben Arbuckle, via Washington State) and new proven quarterback (John Mateer, another Washington State import) to pair with its sturdy defense.
There might not be a 2019 LSU, 2020 Alabama or 2021 Georgia among those teams, but there are a lot of star-studded programs that will carry playoff expectations into the 2025 season. And this time, commissioner Greg Sankey and fans across the south will expect more than just three CFP participants.
And they’ll certainly expect to see the conference represented in Miami. The playing field has undoubtedly been leveled, but the upper-echelon of SEC programs maintain their demands. They’ll continue investing in their programs, hoping to get where Ohio State was Monday evening.
Yet for now, bragging rights go to the Buckeyes and remain with their conference.
On to 2025.
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