Week 1 college football is not over. SMU and FSU still have a tangle on Labor Day. Alabama was not the only big winner among SEC teams in Week 1. There were some bigger blowouts, and there should have been, with six FCS opponents.
Going back to the 2024 and 2025 seasons, there has been consensus that the Big Ten has supplanted the SEC as the top conference. Three straight national championships by B1G teams strengthened the claim. An SEC counterargument has been that the SEC is stronger top to bottom than the B1G.
Week 1 results not only reinforced that the SEC is better top to bottom, but the 16-0 SEC slate made clear that one-plus weeks into the new season, the SEC is college football's top conference.
While most SEC teams didn't face strong opponents, an undefeated Week 1 was a strong result. In the 16 wins, only Arkansas's performance against UNA and Auburn squeaking by Baylor were shaky results. Otherwise, the margins of victory were impressive. Kenneth Massey's predictions had the SEC winning the 16 games 707-177. The actual combined score was 779-177.
Alabama's win was impressive but not most impressive for SEC teams
LSU destroyed Clemson 51-10, and Ole Miss gained a solid win over a ranked ACC school, beating Louisville 41-38 on a walk-off field goal.
The Big Ten had two losses and another major embarrassment. Wisconsin lost to Notre Dame, 41-13. Rutgers already registered what could become the worst loss for a Power Four team in the entire 2026 season. The Scarlet Knights lost at home to UMass, 37-21.
The B1G's major embarrassment was Michigan's 13-12 win over Western Michigan. In a still-not- adequately-explained clock screw-up, the Wolverines appeared to get an extra play that resulted in a Hail Mary touchdown, which gave Michigan the winning points. The circumstances of Michigan's win created so many negative opinions across college football that it was almost worse than a loss.
Note: Check out updated SEC FPI rankings
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