Kirk Herbstreit: Big Ten teams ‘more invested’ than SEC teams in NIL era

College football is abuzz about the continued recent dominance of the Big Ten over the SEC, especially after an unheralded Indiana squad won the national championship in 2026.

And while many have pointed to the Big Ten’s three straight titles by three different teams in the conference, ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit believes the Big Ten’s advantage runs even deeper than that.

In an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show this week, Herbstreit argued that Big Ten teams are “more invested” and appear to have a stronger competitive spirit than their counterparts down south. Herbstreit pointed to the Big Ten’s head-to-head advantage over the SEC, as well as its ability to keep players motivated and retain them in the NIL era.

“I think in this new era that we’re in, I think the Big Ten has proven to do a better job at keeping their players more invested in their team,” Herbstreit said. “Meaning if we’re 7-3 or 8-4 and we’re going to the Outback Bowl or the Citrus Bowl or whatever it is, I feel like SEC players … as soon as they’re out of the Playoff, they’re like, them and their agents, ‘I’m out of here.’ And I feel like the Big Ten is doing a much better job of keeping them invested to the finish line.”

This past bowl season, Illinois beat Tennessee, and Iowa beat Vanderbilt, though Texas also beat Michigan. In the College Football Playoff, the Hoosiers’ blowout win over Alabama was discussed as a significant big-picture inflection point for the sport.

“One team looks really inspired, and one team doesn’t,” Herbstreit said of Big Ten-SEC clashes.

“It’s almost like the Big Ten is tired of hearing about the SEC collectively, and they’re out to kick some ass. And the SEC’s like, ‘Whatever, I’m going to the NFL, I’m transferring.’ They’re just not invested in this new era.”

As Herbstreit notes, the professionalization of college football may be more strongly felt in the SEC and could partially explain these dynamics. SEC rosters are often used as feeder systems for smaller schools in the transfer portal, and SEC stars are often making the most money and are considered more strongly for the NFL Draft.

The supposed disparity in effort will be put to the test early this season, with key matchups between Michigan and Oklahoma and Ohio State and Texas looming in Week 2.

Herbstreit, an Ohio State alum who often calls the biggest SEC game of the week for ESPN, said: “Fans of the SEC are already tired of hearing about the Big Ten.”

The chatter about the two conferences won’t be dying down any time soon.

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