Joey Galloway Says Big Ten Resembles ACC More Than SEC in 2025 Season Debate

Every college football season brings with it a familiar discussion: which conference reigns supreme? For years, the debate has circled around the SEC and the Big Ten — two leagues that dominate recruiting, television ratings, and postseason appearances. Yet this fall, ESPN’s Joey Galloway offered a surprising twist on that conversation, arguing that the Big Ten may not belong in the same conversation as the SEC at all.

During the latest episode of Nonstop, the college football podcast he co-hosts with Kirk Herbstreit, Galloway stunned his longtime colleague by asserting that the Big Ten and the ACC are closer in quality this season than the Big Ten and the SEC. His claim, which immediately sparked debate among fans and analysts, centered on the idea that the Big Ten lacks true depth beyond its top-tier programs.

“To me, the ACC and the Big Ten are way more comparable than the Big Ten and the SEC,” Galloway said, drawing a visibly surprised reaction from Herbstreit. The comment set off a broader discussion about where each conference stands midway through the 2025 season — particularly as the College Football Playoff picture begins to take shape.

Herbstreit responded with disbelief, calling Galloway’s take “shocking,” before pushing back with his own assessment that the SEC still stands far above the rest. Yet even he acknowledged that recent weeks have exposed weaknesses across multiple leagues.

1. Galloway’s Case: A Top-Heavy Big Ten

Galloway’s main argument centered on the Big Ten’s limited competitiveness outside its leading programs. While Ohio State and Indiana currently occupy the top two spots in the College Football Playoff rankings, the rest of the conference has struggled to maintain consistency. Teams like Michigan, Penn State, and Iowa — usually considered reliable top-25 contenders — have posted uneven performances that raise questions about the Big Ten’s overall strength. According to Galloway, that imbalance creates a misleading perception of dominance. “When you look at the Big Ten after those top three teams, it drops off pretty dramatically,” he said. His point highlights how the league’s upper echelon may mask widespread mediocrity elsewhere. By contrast, the SEC’s reputation rests on its depth. Even in a transitional year, programs like Alabama, Georgia, Texas A&M, and Ole Miss have continued to produce strong showings against ranked opponents. The middle tier — including teams such as Kentucky, Missouri, and Tennessee — has also managed to stay competitive, giving the conference a level of balance that the Big Ten currently lacks. Galloway’s comparison to the ACC, then, was not meant to disparage the Big Ten’s elite but rather to underline how quickly the competitive gap widens once fans look beyond the top of the standings.

2. Herbstreit’s Response and the Broader Context

Herbstreit, a longtime Big Ten advocate, didn’t entirely agree with Galloway’s assessment. “Gotta say the SEC, right? The ACC is poo,” he said with a laugh, referencing the ACC’s recent struggles to maintain national credibility. However, even Herbstreit conceded that the ACC’s recent collapse — including key losses by Virginia and Louisville — had altered the national picture. “The last two weeks, dude, the ACC, they just disappeared,” Herbstreit added, referring to a series of upset losses that derailed the conference’s hopes of sending a team to the playoff. His point was that while the ACC’s decline is evident, the SEC’s consistency remains unmatched. Still, both analysts acknowledged the Big Ten’s peculiar structure this season: dominant at the top, uncertain in the middle, and inconsistent at the bottom. The gap between its best and worst teams remains far wider than in the SEC, where even mid-tier programs often compete for bowl bids and upsets. Their conversation reflected a broader sentiment around college football — that conference reputation, long shaped by tradition and history, must now be reevaluated year by year in the playoff era.

3. Changing Landscape Across the Power Conferences

Beyond Galloway and Herbstreit’s exchange lies a shifting power dynamic across college football’s top conferences. The ACC, once anchored by Clemson’s national success, has lost much of its luster. The Tigers are no longer in the ACC title picture, and Florida State — despite starting strong with a signature win over Alabama — has faltered down the stretch. Miami, meanwhile, has been inconsistent, losing to more talented teams and struggling to finish games. The SEC, though not as dominant as in some past seasons, continues to showcase unmatched parity. Even as traditional powers like Alabama and Georgia adjust to roster turnover, depth throughout the conference keeps it competitive on a national scale. The Big Ten, meanwhile, faces a perception problem. Its two premier programs, Ohio State and Indiana, remain national contenders, but the rest of the league has failed to keep pace. While its best can compete with anyone, its middle and lower tiers have not produced enough signature wins to justify claims of conference superiority. With playoff expansion on the horizon, these differences could grow more consequential. The debate over which conference truly stands tallest will likely intensify — and Galloway’s remarks may prove an early spark in that ongoing argument.