SEC, Big Ten are dominating college football thanks to massive advantages over other conferences

Why did this realignment happen? There's an obvious answer: money.

Simply, the Pac-12 collapsed because its top programs fell behind monetarily. USC, a historic program in the country's second largest media market, was bringing in less revenue from television contracts than a team like Purdue. Because Purdue was in the Big Ten and USC was in the Pac-12.

Jeff Fuller on X compiled data from the Equity in Athletics Data Analysis on average team total revenue per conference, and immediately, it's obvious why the top two conferences are the top two conferences.

Does higher revenue automatically mean the SEC and Big Ten will win every championship from here on out? No, not necessarily. Miami was a few plays away from beating Indiana, after all. But it's a significant advantage to bring in more money. And if there are opportunities for even more conference realignment, it wouldn't be surprising if ambitious programs jump ship for greener pastures.

It seems impossible, and yet just a few years ago, Oregon being in the Big Ten did too.