Paul Finebaum admits Big Ten has caught up to the SEC: ‘I’m impressed’

Paul Finebaum was in a forthcoming mood during a recent interview with Tim May. In fact, Finebaum went so far as to admit the new-look Big Ten has become a legitimate competitor to the SEC.

He began his admission by joking about not being quoted on his comments since he was still at the SEC Network headquarters, but Finebaum went on to admit he’s impressed with the trajectory of the Big Ten:

“Don’t quote me on this because I’m doing this live from the SEC Network headquarters, but the Big Ten has become a really good league. And I’m impressed,” said Finebaum. “The easiest thing for a good ol’ southern boy like me or you is to make fun of the Big Ten.”

A big point of Finebaum’s assessment includes the Big Ten dropping “the goofy divisional thing” that regularly led to lopsided mismatches in the league’s title game:

“I mean, Iowa’s still a joke, let’s be honest, but the fact that the goofy divisional thing is over with and we don’t have to suffer through another Michigan/Ohio State vs. Iowa game is great,” Finebaum explained. “And I think the Big Ten right now with its TV packages and the 4 (programs) they’re taking in are really — they’re in the same category as the SEC right now.”

In regard to the idea of a “Super” or “Power 2” era in college athletics, Finebaum admitted the country has been heading that way for a while. The major factor now is that the Big Ten utilized expansion to catch up to the SEC.

“They’re the two conferences that matter, and it’s been that way for a while except that the Big Ten through expansion has really caught up,” Finebaum conceded.

Here is Finebaum’s segment with Tim May with the Big Ten and SEC conversation beginning around the 16-minute mark:

Paul Harvey

Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.