The latest shot in the Big Ten-SEC back-and-forth didn’t land the way SEC Network host Peter Burns probably hoped.
Tuesday’s release of the USA Today Preseason Coaches Poll gave the SEC nine teams in the Top 25, with the Big Ten close behind at eight. Burns jumped on the numbers and tried to use them as evidence that the SEC’s schedule strength was superior, posting that the nine SEC teams are all set to play at least five other Top 25 teams this season, while no Big Ten team would do the same.
“9 SEC schools play at least 5 of the Top 25 teams in the coaches poll
Not a single Big 10 team plays 5.
Efficient work https://t.co/HCvPDn2pGh
- Peter Burns (@PeterBurnsESPN) August 4, 2026”
That claim didn’t survive long. The community note attached to Burns’ post pointed out that seven Big Ten teams in the Top 25 will face at least five other Top 25 opponents this season. Michigan and Ohio State are each scheduled to play six such teams.
So the point Burns was trying to make wasn’t just off - it was badly off.
Indiana is one of the Big Ten teams with a loaded slate. The Hoosiers will play four ranked teams in the preseason poll: No.
1 Ohio State, No. 14 USC, No.
16 Michigan, and No. 19 Washington.
Indiana gets Ohio State and USC at home, while the trips to Michigan and Washington will come on the road.
The broader Big Ten-SEC debate has only grown louder, but the on-field results keep tilting the conversation toward the Big Ten. The conference has won the last three national titles, with three different programs doing it, and all three runs came through SEC heavyweights along the way.
Over the last three seasons, Big Ten and SEC teams have met four times in the College Football Playoff, and the Big Ten won all four games. The Big Ten is 13-5 as a league in the CFP during that stretch, and it went 3-1 against SEC teams in last year’s postseason. The SEC, meanwhile, finished 5-0 in postseason play as a league.
And for Indiana fans, one result still stands out: the 2026 Rose Bowl, when the Hoosiers beat Alabama 38-3.
With Indiana, Oregon and Ohio State already among the preseason favorites to win the national championship, the Big Ten has plenty of momentum heading into the season - and now it has another SEC talking point to laugh off.
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Marshalls praise centered on three names that figure to matter in Michigans next wave. He pointed to Bryce Underwood as a future Heisman candidate, while also identifying Savion Hiter and Dominic Nichols as players who could be in line for breakout seasons. It is the kind of internal optimism every program has in August, but when it comes from a player who has been around the field and the huddle, it carries a little more weight. [Read more 🡒]