Is the SEC and Big Ten dominance good for college football? | First Take

college football realignment is officially a reality as we will see powerhouses Oregon in USC along with UCLA and Washington in the Big 10 for their first time in their storied history over at ESPN bet Georgia and Ohio State are the favorites to win the national championship followed closely Oregon who has the third shortest odds the Ducks are one of three teams with at least 10% chance to reach uh bow season undefeated and look who is here Paul fine bomb and Heather Den wait for it there they are joining us from Big 10 media days good morning to both of you thank you so much for being with us I apologize Paul your friend dog is not here so it's it's just or Stephen A it's just me and Joe so we'll play nice today uh Paul I want to start with you is sec in Big 10 dominance is that going to be good for college football well for those who don't know uh they own the sport right now and they've even made it worse by forming an alliance SMY uh the question is is it good for football it doesn't bother me because I think football should be determined by who your best schools are by the way that's not exactly how we do it as Heather talks about all the time the 12 team playoff is not necessarily the 12 best as Nick Sabin campaigned for a week ago it's a convoluted system but but I I I I think it's okay I mean football is a brute sport survival of the fittest so if if Liberty or Tain or somebody gets left out who cares Paul's right conference realignment yeah it hasn't changed what's already existed the Big 10 in the have won eight of the past 10 cfp titles okay so the foundation is already there I think the bigger issue with conference realignment is how much more difficult the SEC and Big 10 just became for those middle of the pack teams trying to get to the conference Championship game talking about the marylands the Minnesota the indianas Kies of the world right the teams that are trying to go from good to Great this made it that much more difficult college football is completely unequal it always has been it always will be on the field off of it in terms of finances and resources this exacerbates all of that not only from coast to coast but within their own leagues hell yeah Big 10 in SEC dominance is good for college football hell yeah this is what we want back in the day we wanted Ali and Frasier right we liked Manning and Brady those are the situations we want college football has never been better than the last decade and a large reason for that is the four team college football playoff of which we've seen Alabama eight times and Ohio State five times Georgia's been in there two of the last three years who are the three schools that have produced the most NFL Talent over the last decade those three schools that's what the people want to see those games are the best games week in and week out yes back in its previous iteration the Pack 12 could give you a game here and there the Big 12 could give you some shootouts but at the end of the day you want to see the best matching up with the best and every time Lincoln Riley's Oklahoma Sooners would make it into the playoff they would get waxed right out by someone from the SEC or the Big 10 I don't think anyone has any problem with this dominance this is what you want to see on a weekly basis this is the NFL light you've got the AFC and the NFC got the SEC and you got the big 10 po Paul let me ask you this really quick what are your expectations for SC and Oregon I I am extremely high on on Oregon I think Dan Lanning uh is is an elite coach and with Dylan Gabriel I think they have a chance to to Really contend for the Big 10 uh I think they're a playoff team I think they're they're a playoff team that goes far to me SC uh is going backward I mean I I found it just amazing yesterday that Lincoln Riley who by the way left Oklahoma because he was scared of the SEC he left one of the great programs in college football history to go to another one yesterday Lincoln Raleigh was complaining well you know we're not quite there with facilities we're not quite there with nil hey Lincoln you didn't have to take the money and go to Hollywood you didn't have to take Caleb Williams with you you don't have to try to destroy the program that you inherited from Bob Stoops you didn't build it you inherited it so I I I don't I don't really know where SC is going I I I think it it really is a very awkward move I think the fact that Washington and Oregon are better suited for the Big 10 than USC and UCLA and we didn't even talk about Deshawn Foster he didn't even I'm not even sure he knew where he was yesterday at Big 10 media days they hit in the SEC they hit in the Big 10 Dan Landing is from the SEC he understands that he understands what you're going to need to have as a mental makeup as a psych ological component as a culture to go to war with teams like that in conferences like that week in and week out USC is not that program USC hasn't been that program in a long time if ever under Pete Carroll they had a competition streak to them they were very competitive they were very talented they had a lot of flash on offense and they were very good on defense as well think about the linebackers they produced Klay Matthews Brian Cushing Ray maluga guys like that they could hit but those days are gone right they're a finesse team now Lincoln Riley is a brilliant offensive mind they can score a lot of points they don't stop anybody that's the problem people don't understand is there was a lot of work to be done when Lincoln O Lincoln Riley got to USC he was not handed the keys to the Lamborghini this is something that had to be invested and I think when he got all those transfers they exceeded he told me this two years ago they exceeded expectations a little bit and then it kind of evened out yes the second half of last season was a disaster he knows that he has a new defensive coordinator in dant lint let's let's see how that works out first but I will remind everyone two years ago USC was a game away from getting into the college football playoff they were number four going into the Pack 12 Conference Championship Game it takes a lot to be number four in the college football playoff selection committee meeting room going into that game also he's been to the college football playoff before when he was at Oklahoma this is not disastrous at USC this is on the way up this is getting it to the right place and we're talking about you know the Big 10 in the SEC when these blue bus Bloods are at their best college football is at their best and I think you guys are being way too hard on Lincoln Riley who has the program training in the right direction Paul you want to respond listen I love Heather but I think she being very kind to Lincoln Riley uh when when we use phrases like disaster uh that's bad and and I think everything in college football Heather and everyone else is trajectory uh and all of a sudden USC at the epicenter of college football not that long ago and and they're fourth fifth sixth in this brand new league and I I don't see a lot of room to get ahead so I I I I love Heather's optimism I wish I had as much as she did uh but but but I I don't think this is going well for Lincoln Riley at all Molly two seasons ago USC was phenomenal right they had Caleb Williams they gave up 29 points per game Alex Grinch was a defensive coordinator anyone who watched those games knew they were a problem they kept Alex Grinch they gave up 34 points per game last season they couldn't get stops they hung 40 and couldn't win you had Caleb Williams you had an obligation to upgrade your problems you didn't do it that is the responsibility of the head coach all right [Music] cette so I can Brea [Music]