SEC Posts 16-0 Week 1 Sweep as Big Ten's Early Edge Faces Questions

2 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 7

Sixteen SEC teams won in Week 1, completing a 16-0 start that underscored the league’s depth but did not by itself settle the SEC-vs.-Big Ten debate.
Thirteen of those wins came in games the SEC was expected to dominate, including blowouts by Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Florida, while Arkansas and Vanderbilt won less convincingly.
Three Power 4 matchups offered the clearest signal: LSU routed Clemson, but Auburn beat Baylor by 1 point and Ole Miss needed a walk-off field goal against Louisville after being slightly outplayed.
Those mixed results matter because SEC teams were favored in all three marquee games, suggesting the unbeaten weekend showed the conference is far from declining more than it proved clear superiority.
The contrast sharpened because the Big Ten opened less impressively—Rutgers lost to UMass, Oregon and Michigan labored, and Wisconsin faded against Notre Dame—though Week 1 has often proved misleading.