McElroy & Todd Blackledge discuss the Big Ten vs. SEC & the future of CFB | Always College Football

Todd Blackledge and Greg McElroy get together and go over everything from conference expansion to SEC vs. BIG Ten “rivalry” to NIL and the new College Football Playoff. Is Penn State now the fourth-best team in the BIG Ten? What is Notre Dame’s future and how can the ACC and BIG 12 keep up with the Power 2? Blackledge and McElroy cover it all. Plus, we hit the mailbag and answer questions about Riley Leonard, Deion Sanders and Colorado's expectations, and who could be the surprise team in 2024.
0:00 Intro
2:10 Blackledge talks about year 1 at NBC
5:00 Is Penn State the 4th best team in the Big Ten now?
6:10 Things will never be the same in College Football
8:15 Blackledge talks about the Big Ten vs. SEC “rivalry”
11:00 Blackledge gives his thoughts on NIL in today’s game
14:00 Blackledge explains why the changes have been good AND bad for CFB
18:00 Blackledge says Ohio State is on top of the Big Ten and who could challenge
19:30 What will become of the ACC in the future?
20:30 What will Notre Dame’s future hold?
22:45 Blackledge talks about his favorite memory from playing at Penn State
26:35 Blackledge talks about the 1983 Draft class
31:05 Mailbag - Miami to the BIG 12?
33:40 Mailbag - Can ND fans expect Riley Leonard to play a full season?
37:40 Mailbag - Why not a G5 only playoff?
41:50 Mailbag - What are we most excited about in the ‘24 season
43:25 Mailbag - Who is the next 1st time National Champ?
45:35 Mailbag - Will Colorado live up to the hype?
47:45 Mailbag - Who are the surprise teams in 2024?
52:45 Thanks for watching
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[@Erik_The_Viking]

Congratulations on the new baby! Wishing your family the best. Make sure that you get some quality sleep! We appreciate all of the hard work you put in on this show, and this is why we all keep coming back.

[@cindymikolajczyk9936]

Congrats on the new baby!!!!🎉🎉

[@TheKevinNewsom]

Congrats, Greg! Very good show.

[@shanebrown1780]

Todd is in a class of his own man. Great interview Greg.

[@dwightprewitt8363]

So when nick saban say the same thing about NIL ppl say he just scared everybody catching up to him.. get out of here

[@NorthGeorgiaJosh]

Thanks for answering my question! I like your take. Its interesting as you put it that the G5 commissioners view themselves as part of the big boys. I do think as long as they are included you could have the same thing that happened to FSU to an undefeated G5 champ. The outrage wouldnt be as wide spread but it can still happen. Congrats on the new baby!

[@GregHull-dp2ev]

Congratulations!

[@kevinjones7062]

Congratulations! ❤🐓

[@newyorker3556]

Congratulations on your new baby

[@OhioVworld]

OSU, UM, USC, Oregon. Washington, seems to me PSU has the #6 program in the league. Time to face reality.

[@Thethinker6141]

The Big 10 Conference possesses a significant competitive advantage over the SEC in terms of financial resources and population density. The Big 10's metropolitan areas offer substantial economic advantages, while the SEC primarily represents smaller communities in the economically disadvantaged Southern region.

[@tremoore9831]

Even with all that, the SEC has more universities ranked as the most revenue generated athletic programs! Maybe it just means more. Even with the population advantage, the SEC still averages more viewership on average for the season. Hmm...

[@kongo3931]

For both athletes and academics, the B1G Ten is superior. Not that the SEC isn't; after all, the B1G Ten, the BTAA, etc. aren't only about football; the SEC itself began to have one. Ultimately, the B1G Ten offers superior bargains compared to the SEC, with FOX, CBS, and NBC broadcasting the B1G Ten.

[@tremoore9831]

@kongo3931 You can try to argue quantity over quality, but I'm a quality man myself. There are only 3 athletic departments that make money, and most can't generate positive cash flow out of the 3rd. Football, which is king. Followed by basketball, then finally baseball. The SEC is dominant in 2 of those and doesn't trail the B1G in any. But if you think beating your chest about lacrosse & ice hockey means something, then go crazy! Those are parasites to athletic revenues. Even with the B1G having more sports, the SEC still has more programs that generate higher revenue (look it up). But if this is a recruiting tool for field hockey or rowing, please have at it. The B1G isn't superior in any sport that the masses care about, and those sports generate money.

[@michaelbolyer2162]

Congrats on the new baby girl!

[@LoCoVANole]

Everything ESPN does - everything - is calculated to line its pockets and promote its backwoods conference. The damage it has done to college football is immeasurable.

[@user-bb8tz2kq7y]

Todd 👍🏈👍

[@jstray7582]

No sound?

[@kirancourt]

These two leagues will be the cause of CFB's fan base shrinking drastically

[@jaydub6864]

Ala. been paying players before you even got there. The difference is nobody’s hiding it now.

[@Capcaller300]

Keep crying 🤣🤣🤣

[@theclamhammer4447]

Proof? Or just cope?

[@jaydub6864]

It’s all facts

[@GoatedAtNFS]

@@jaydub6864if it’s facts then Saban wouldn’t say that NIL factored into his decision to leave and retire. if it’s facts then Alabama would’ve been in the national championship every single year. if it’s facts they’d have a QB class before they were gifted with the stacked AL4 of Jalen Tua Mac & Bryce

[@NorthGeorgiaJosh]

It ain’t just bama they all have been doing it forever. I remember jimbo fisher saying “you know it’s so different now. Schools used to just figure out ways to pay people under the table ( of course it was never a school he was at 🙄🙄) but now we can just pay them on the table. 🤣😂

[@lplp3120]

Yes Notre Dame has always been given a longer leash. But it will always haunt them when they are idle when the sec and big 10 are playing their conference championship games

[@SuperMogul]

Geaux Buffs, National Championship 2024 🏆

[@johnkyler2851]

Congrats on new baby daughter .

[@brendancordial3483]

Go Irish!

[@citywideyouthdevelopmentfr253]

Wow necessary evil for the workers to get paid. The coaches, press, networks, magazines, apparel brands etc, made billions for decades, and everyone was fine with the system. The minute players start to benefit significantly and its all these problems.

[@GoatedAtNFS]

the downfall of college football and the uptick in greed with no restrictions nor accountability within commissioners & athletic directors will be the destruction of college sports. this (the stuff happening in CFB) should’ve only been in college football and not across all sports. college basketball can’t govern itself like college football wants to and probably WON’T, only IT will break off the NCAA. or else all the tournaments within the sports made by the NCAA will have to be govern by the commissioners as well!

[@NorthGeorgiaJosh]

I think it’s stupid that what a school does for football has to apply for all sports. Like chip Kelly and others have said “UCLA softball doesn’t need to play Rutgers softball. It should play Arizona softball”

[@GoatedAtNFS]

@@NorthGeorgiaJosh understand what you’re saying; however, technically it doesn’t have to. UConn is in different conferences for different sports as well as some mid majors in the MAC, FCS, or Notre Dame-who refuses to go ACC because they want all the money to themselves in football. it’s just the ADs either don’t pay attention or just simply don’t care. every other sport outside of the major 3 has significantly less funding especially if it’s on the women’s side, and having to now travel across the country like 2-3 times a week and still juggle classes. it will be a tall task, when you normally only had to do that in big tournaments

[@Capcaller300]

Why do you all keep promoting an SEC/Big10 narrative? The SEC is 2x deeper and better than the Big10. The SEC will have the most players drafted at 17 years in a row, the SEC has won the last 13 of the 17 national championships, and the SEC lit signs 90% of all the 4 & 5 star recruits every cycle 🤣🤣🤣

[@captain_fking_america3965]

The tides are changing

[@silvercoastcorks3806]

Sure…college football is different. With no fans watching, be real different.

[@mathewcarter6359]

Get rid of Title Nine regulations and watch which teams really prosper.

[@SMichaelDeHart]

SEspnC is completely destroying college football, single handedly!!

[@GoatedAtNFS]

college sports

[@SMichaelDeHart]

@@GoatedAtNFS true...

[@jakebaugham5699]

Conference realignment has been going on forever and will continue to go on forever. At one point the Southern Conference had 23 schools lol. Wouldn’t it be more logical to blame the decline of college sports on new changes, such as NIL or transfer portal, than something that has been a part of college sports since the beginning?

[@GoatedAtNFS]

@@jakebaugham5699hasn’t happen to the degree of this next year bro. never has

[@Capcaller300]

Most draft picks 17 years in a row, guess NFL GMS have SEC bias too? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@stevenvasquez2379]

Please remove the NOLES helmet you trader!

[@I-LikeColdBeverages]

Agree!!!

[@jyrionbell848]

Traitor 😂 wow y’all are pathetic. Its been months now time to grow up

[@paulmkz]

I think in.the end you have 3 power conferences with 22-24 teams per conference. Acc is dying. Big ten culturally and academics wise will get UVA, Unc, Duke , Ga Tech, Fsu, and Miami. This puts them well into SEC territory with major schools in states of North Carolina and Virginia. And a school in Georgia also then controlling most big schools in state of Florida. That is huge for big ten recruiting. SEC will counter with schools of Clemson, Ncst, Va Tech, Louisville and then my two wild card teams coming out of nowhere WVU and OK st. All these schools give good travel destinations to go tailgate and travel. Who doesn't want to go to Morgantown, Stillwater, or Blacksburg. All will fit into SEC perfectly. Now SEC bolsters state rivalry games in states of Oklahoma. Kentucky, and South Carolina. With now Uga and Clemson also becoming big time rivals. Plus Tennessee, WVU and VA Tech and Ncst now all become natural geographic rivals. Big 12 then counters with decent football but great bball schools which is a priority for Yormark. They get Uconn, Syracuse, Pitt, Wake, BC, Memphis, SDST, and Unlv. SDST and Unlv get big 12 into SOCal and Vegas markets and Pacific timezone. Then Cal and Stan join Wazzou and Ore ST and combine with Mtn West and join new look Pac 12 and become top mid major conference. SMU then goes back to AAC. The end.

[@troywest7045]

How would the B1G pay all those schools? The current schools won't take less to add teams, would Fox bump up the current media deal twice in two years? If Fox did bump it up, how much of a share would that amount to for the new schools, till the next media deal in 2030? Does Fox even have enough windows to broadcast all those extra games? If Fox passed on bumping up the deal, do they shop around for a new media partner, like Apple TV who apparently was bidding on the PAC rights before it crashed. I also believe the B1G will be trying to add one more school from out west, maybe Stanford, so I would probably put them in and take Duke out. That's if all those teams we're invited, of course.

[@paulmkz]

@troywest7045 those new schools definitely wud have to take less than a full membership share for awhile but this is for keeps. Have to think Big picture and long term. Big ten and SEC are in a battle for football supremacy. Big ten definitely wants schools that go down into SEC territory. I really see this all happening

[@paulmkz]

@troywest7045 Unc fans will want the Duke vs Unc bball rivalry to continue. Duke is one of few schools that it's bball is actually very valuable. I see Duke going wherever Unc goes. Only way I Stanford gets in is if Notre Dame vouched for them as part of ND joining big ten. I don't see that happening IMO. Also big ten has FS1 amd FS2. Plus you still wud have big ten network and just regular fox. So I think all those major games get covered along with regional coverage as well

[@florida1289]

Ohio State is garbage. Did people not watch the Missouri game? Ohio State had a month to prepare for that game and both their QBs looked completely unprepared. Vs Missouri for crying out loud I think they'll have a very good defense but it wont matter Day in trying to become Michigan (tough) has lost his offense. Recruiting rankings is why people fall in love with OSU in the off season but with NIL now recruiting rankings aren't nearly as powerful. Having experienced older players is much more important. It's over for Ryan Day...its going to be an ugly year in Columbus where you'll have a bunch of money grabs all pulling in different directions.

[@larryhinson947]

I am done with top level of college football. For last two years I have been watching the second level and enjoying it more than the SECTEN playoff scam. I like the 24 team playoff..... even like the conferences better. Will never go back to top level again.

[@jonathanramsey8962]

FCS,D2,and D3 playoffs are a blast

[@tremoore9831]

Bye...

[@lifeislikeaboxofchocolates5383]

Sec is better than the Big10. And expansion needs to stop even as a sec college football will be ruined if it's just the sec and Big10.

[@bool_aid_man510]

Ain't no way💀💀💀

[@lifeislikeaboxofchocolates5383]

@@bool_aid_man510 sec and Big10 aren't even comparable tbh

[@Capcaller300]

@@lifeislikeaboxofchocolates5383🤣🤣 big10 fans are idiots 🤣🤣🤣 SEC has had the most players drafted 17 years in a row, signs 90% of all 4 & 5 star recruits, and has won 13 of the last 17 nattys 🤣🤣 there is not one single metric that points toward the big10 even competing with the SEC

[@bool_aid_man510]

@lifeislikeaboxofchocolates5383 I want what you're smoking

[@stevemoserify]

dudes on here gushing about nepotism lol