In Reply to: Has the TP broken the SEC's death grip on cfb? posted by ClockBlocker on January 08, 2026 at 23:19:33
In looking at the transfer portal class rankings, the SEC is very low so far:
https://www.on3.com/transfer-portal/team-rankings/football/2026/
but the link below is Wilner's look at the Coaching Carousel. Here's what he has to say about the SEC vs the B1G:
The college football coaching carousel might have a few spins remaining this winter — there’s no way to predict the chain reaction sparked by Black Monday in the NFL — but it’s not too early to declare a winner.
The Big Ten dominated the hiring cycle as two of its biggest brands overcame their own missteps to secure two of the best coaches in the country....
...Campbell and Whittingham are on any shortlist of the best coaches in the country over the past decade. Both won consistently in power conferences by maximizing their personnel, meshing their playing styles to their school’s natural recruiting pool and hiring sharp assistants.
And let’s not forget a third Big Ten program, UCLA, selected one of the top Group of Five coaches available: Bob Chesney, who took James Madison to the College Football Playoff.
Add them to the Big Ten’s existing collection, which includes Ohio State’s Ryan Day, Indiana’s Curt Cignetti, Oregon’s Dan Lanning, USC’s Lincoln Riley, Washington’s Jedd Fisch, Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz and Illinois’ Bret Bielema, and the sport’s richest conference also boasts the strongest lineup of coaches in the country.
In fact, it’s not even close.
The top coaches in the SEC, from Georgia’s Kirby Smart and Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer to LSU’s Lane Kiffin and Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea, are undeniably elite. But the conference lacks the depth to match the Big Ten’s lineup of coaches...
...While two of the Big Ten’s biggest brands hired proven Power Four winners, three SEC schools dipped into the Group of Five for new coaches: Tulane’s Jon Sumrall (hired by Florida), Memphis’s Ryan Silverfield (Arkansas) and South Florida’s Alex Golesh (Auburn). And a fourth school, Kentucky, opted for a first-time head coach, Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein.
If you include Pete Golding, an internal promotion at Mississippi after Kiffin’s departure, the conference hired five coaches with zero experience at the highest level of the sport.
Campbell and Whittingham have been winning for years.
Granted, Penn State and Michigan serve as exhibits A and B of the good fortune that accompanies programs born on third base. Both stumbled and bumbled their way to stellar hires.