Bianchi: Step aside, SEC, because the Big Ten now has the trophies, money and power
For the first time, the Big Ten formally invited reporters inside its annual spring meetings earlier this week in Southern California, and make no mistake, this wasn’t about transparency. This was a flex. A flex of money, muscle and momentum.
This was the Big Ten standing in the middle of the ballroom, loosening its tie, puffing out its chest and letting the SEC know something it hasn’t wanted to hear for the better part of two decades: There’s a new king of college sports. And the Big Ten has earned the right to wear the crown. The conference didn’t exactly hide the message at the ritzy resort in Rancho Palos Verdes.
Outside the meeting rooms sat three national championship trophies – Indiana football, UCLA women’s basketball and Michigan men’s basketball – arranged like crown jewels for every camera walking through the lobby. Subtle this was not. The Big Ten wanted the country to see the trophies.
Wanted people to hear the talking points. Wanted the SEC, which will hold its spring meeting this week on the sugary white beaches in Florida’s panhandle, to understand the balance of power in college athletics has shifted. For years, the SEC controlled the narrative in college football.
The SEC meetings in Destin became an annual media pilgrimage. Every quote from Nick Saban or Greg Sankey became gospel. Every SEC playoff opinion became treated like federal legislation.
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