Jordan Rodgers declares Big Ten 'the better conference,' against the SEC due to talent distribution

The last of the SEC teams in the College Football Playoff field was eliminated Thursday night. No. 10 Miami held off No. 6 Ole Miss 31-27 in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, punching its ticket to the National Championship Game. The Rebels, led by Pete Golding, now head home following their best season in program history.

With the dust finally settled on bowl season for the Southeastern Conference, the results were less than stellar. SEC programs were just 4-8 in bowl games this season, with two of the four wins coming against fellow SEC teams. Texas‘ 41-27 win over Michigan, led by interim head coach Biff Poggi, in the Citrus Bowl was the lone bowl win for an SEC program over a Power-Four program in a bowl game.

During a hit on Friday morning’s edition of ‘Get Up,’ former SEC quarterback Jordan Rodgers officially declared the Big Ten superior to the SEC. Rodgers cited talent distribution as the reason behind his take.

“The SEC has had a talent monopoly for a long time, but what I think you’re seeing change is not just the distribution of the top-level talent,” Rodgers said. “Of course, five-star quarterbacks and top receivers are going to other programs in the SEC. But, the SEC always had the best rosters from really 20-40. Not really just the starting 22, but the depth was always five and four stars that were under recruited that were being developed. That’s where you saw maybe the biggest discrepancy last night, that was Ole Miss didn’t have any depth. Their starting four across the defensive front are really good. But, they had nobody behind them.”

Jordan Rodgers claims the SEC ‘no longer has monopoly on rosters’

“They didn’t really have anybody behind them all year, and I think that’s what you’re starting to see with the SEC and NIL. Those guys aren’t sitting on the bench as four stars and five stars and developing anymore. They’re going to other schools. So, I agree. I’m a guy who’s mostly on SEC Network when I talk college football. The Big Ten is the better conference right now. They are. They’ve proven it in the bowl season and they’ve proven it in the Playoffs.

“The SEC had a great run. 16 of 17 times they competed for a National Championship, but now, they’ll have been out of it for the last three. The Big Ten is taking that crown, and it’s not just the Playoffs. It’s the bowl games and the distribution of talent. The SEC no longer has that monopoly on the rosters and talent like we’ve seen for so long.”

In nine total postseason games against opposing conferences this season, the SEC went 0-4 against the ACC, 1-3 against the Big Ten, and 0-1 against the Big 12. Four- and five-star prospects are no longer waiting multiple seasons under star players to finally get their chance to shine. Thanks to the Transfer Portal, extremely talented players are departing SEC programs for greener pastures and earlier opportunities, and it has resulted in three straight missed CFP National Championship Games for the once-dominant conference.