What would an SEC vs. Big Ten series look like? 16 tasty potential matchups as schedule alliance rumors swirl

Urban Meyer’s bold claim that the Big Ten has passed the SEC in college football supremacy may be put to the test in the coming years if a rumored scheduling alliance between both leagues comes to fruition. LSU’s Brian Kelly confirmed the speculative alliance to CBS Sports this week, saying he speaks “for the room” among SEC coaches who would like to play a Big Ten team annually.

That means in the future, SEC teams could be playing a nine-game conference schedule in addition to an opponent from the Big Ten, leaving two weekends free for other contests against inferior competition. SEC spring meetings wrapped this week without an agreement on future scheduling, however, as the College Football Playoff format beyond the upcoming season remains undecided.

How would a Big Ten-SEC scheduling alliance look? With uneven conferences currently, there would theoretically be a pair of Big Ten teams sitting out Year 1 that would be included on a rotational basis in future seasons. Sorry,  Northwestern and Purdue, you’ll be included in the next hypothetical cycle. Balancing the top of each league by ensuring each game is as competitive as possible is not easy.

Series record: Texas leads 4-2 
Last meeting: 2013 Holiday Bowl (Oregon won 20-13)

Steve Sarkisian likes these true road games against premiere opponents. He beat Alabama on the road two years ago, then detonated Michigan last season. In 2025, the Longhorns open at Ohio State. For good measure, a future contest with the Ducks at Autzen Stadium seems like a game that would be enticing for Texas. The Longhorns, who finished runner-up to Georgia in the SEC last fall and reached the playoff semifinals again, have won 11 consecutive road games entering the season.

Ohio State at Georgia

Series record: Georgia leads 2-0
Last meeting: 2022 CFP semifinal  (Georgia won 42-41)

Remember how special that playoff featuring these two programs was a couple of years ago? The Bulldogs won a classic en route to a national championship a few weeks later after overcoming a two-touchdown deficit in the second half. Given the dominance from these two heavyweights, we’d almost be guaranteed to see a top-5 matchup between the pair. Seeing Jeremiah Smith run between the hedges is worth the price of admission or a re-up on your Hulu subscription.

Series record: Alabama leads 10-5 
Last meeting: 2011 regular season (Alabama won 27-10)

The Crimson Tide and Nittany Lions played a home-and-home during the Nick Saban era with Alabama winning both matchups during the 2010 and 2011 seasons. Penn State caught Alabama at a bad time as the dynasty was beginning to kick into high gear in Tuscaloosa. The Nittany Lions are 1-3 in Happy Valley against Alabama since 1985, but this would be an immediate sellout. It would likely get the whiteout treatment, too.

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John Talty

Michigan at LSU

Series record: N/A
Last meeting: N/A

Death Valley at night for the Wolverines? Sign us up. Shockingly, Michigan and LSU have never played. No regular-season matchups or bowl games. These two made headlines this offseason after quarterback Bryce Underwood, the No. 1 player in the 2025 recruiting cycle, flipped from the Tigers to the Wolverines. Let’s go ahead and get this one on the schedule as soon as possible before Underwood’s a three-years-and-out performer in Ann Arbor.

Series record: USC leads 5-2 
Last meeting: 2004 BCS National Championship (USC won 55-10)

These storied programs have a history. Heisman winner Matt Leinart torched the Sooners with 332 yards passing and five touchdowns during a 55-19 beatdown to end college football’s 2004 season. The Trojans finished 13-0 and shut down Adrian Peterson and red-hot Oklahoma. And given the hatred Sooners fans now have for Lincoln Riley after he left the program for Los Angeles, we think there would be a large portion of supporters wearing cream and crimson making their way to the West Coast to root against their former coach.

Series record: Nebraska leads 2-0 
Last meeting: 1996 Fiesta Bowl (Nebraska won 62-24)

The Huskers and Gators haven’t played since Nebraska’s memorable 62-24 drubbing of Steve Spurrier’s unbeaten Florida in January 1996. Tommie Frazier and the unstoppable Nebraska rushing attack had their way with the Gators in Tempe to finish one of Tom Osborne’s best seasons with a national title. It’s hard to imagine any lingering bad blood, but this could still get feisty down in the Swamp. 

Series record: None
Last meeting: None

Despite all of those Florida-based bowl games for the Tigers and Hawkeyes, these programs have never played. What’s up with that? Iowa has one of the nation’s best gamed traditions with the ‘Hawkeye Wave’ at the end of the first quarter of every home game while Auburn enjoys the ‘Tiger Walk’ and pre-game ‘Flight of the War Eagle’ prior to kickoff. It would be a neat experience for fans of both teams if Auburn and Iowa were locked in a alternating series with at least enough time for each program to get a home game.

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Brandon Marcello

Series record: None
Last meeting: None

There’s not enough LEDs on the digital scoreboard at Neyland Stadium to keep up with the potential of mass points in this one. Jedd Fisch and Josh Heupel are two of the most creative play-callers in college football and seem to always have high-quality production at the quarterback position. The Vols and Huskies have already finalized a two-game series beginning in Knoxville to open the 2029 season, so moving this up should be agreeable for both parties.

Series record: None
Last meeting: None

It’s hard to imagine Jump Around inside Camp Randall Stadium intimidating the Aggies when you consider some of the road environments in the SEC, but Wisconsin has one of the best home atmospheres the Big Ten has to offer. Two more teams who have never met on the gridiron, the Badgers aren’t afraid of scheduling. They’re finishing up a home-and-home with Alabama during the 2025 season and will play Notre Dame at Lambeau Field in 2026. Speaking of the Fighting Irish, Texas A&M wraps up its two-game set with Notre Dame later this fall.

Series record: None
Last meeting: None

Lane Kiffin spent 10 years of his coaching career in California with the Trojans, so he’s familiar with the rival Bruins. The Rebels rarely have played a Power 4 opponent in Oxford from outside of the SEC and this game would boost tickets sales than the usual Tulane entry. The smattering of UCLA fans coming to Mississippi would experience The Grove for the first time ever and that’s a treat.

Series record: Missouri leads 5-3 
Last meeting: Last meeting 2001 regular season (Michigan State won 55-7)

The Spartans hold a 5-3 all-time advantage over the Tigers, but the two programs have only met twice since 2000. Most of the previous matchups came in the 1940s. This pair rarely gets respect in the preseason and seem to always play with a chip on their respective shoulders. And that’s saying a lot at Missouri, which has consecutive seasons of double-digit wins.

Series record: Indiana leads 1-0
Last meeting: 1988 Liberty Bowl (Indiana won 34-10)

Curt Cignetti’s brilliance on the offensive side of the ball facing off with Clayton White’s hard-hitting and gap sound defense for the Gamecocks offers plenty of intrigue. Indiana is coming off its first playoff appearance in program history under its new regime while South Carolina almost got to the 12-team party last season with Shane Beamer in charge. Both of these coaches should be leading these programs for the long haul as each hopes to garner more respect in both conferences.

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Cody Nagel

Series record: None
Last meeting: None

Cowbells aren’t allowed in frigid Minneapolis, but that doesn’t mean the Bulldogs wouldn’t sneak a few into Huntington Bank Stadium under the nose of security. And if there’s a Big Ten coach likely to shoot off a one-liner or two after beating an opponent from the SEC, it’s P.J. Fleck. This one wouldn’t receive prime-time billing, but could certainly open up the action as a nooner.

Series record: None
Last meeting: None

Ah, Bret Bielema returning to his old stomping grounds in the SEC. Wonder what the reception would look like for a coach who won just 11 of 40 conference games with the Razorbacks? He was fired after the 2017 season and after a couple years in the NFL as an assistant, landed at Illinois in December 2020. And Bielema is coming off his first top-20 finish since an 11-win campaign at Wisconsin in 2011.

Series record: Vanderbilt leads 8-4 
Last meeting: 1987 regular season (Vanderbilt won 43-24)

In the “better-win-this-for-bowl-eligibility” game, this would be a pivotal contest for the Commodores and Terrapins, two teams often battered and bruised by competitive slates with rosters not as talented as the top of the food chain. In the first hypothetical year of the SEC-Big Ten Challenge, remember, we’re trying to keep matchups balanced and you wouldn’t get a complaint from either side, here.

Series record: Tied 2-2-1
Last meeting: 1990 regular season (Rutgers won 24-8)

These programs have played five times with the Scarlet Knights winning twice at home and the Wildcats going 2-0-1 in Lexington. The last matchup came in East Rutherford, N.J. in Week 2 of the 1990 season. Despite resources in line with other mid-tier teams in the Big Ten and SEC, Rutgers and Kentucky must focus on player development each year given the lack of starpower for each. Bragging rights near the bottom of the barrel still mean something.