The SEC and Big Ten have become major rivals the past few years. Georgia and the rest of the SEC have dominated college football for many decades, but the Big Ten has made a strong case for being the better conference the last three years after Michigan, Ohio State and Indiana all won national titles.
Teams in the SEC and Big Ten don’t play each other too often, so it can be hard to compare the two leagues. But new Ohio State defender James Smith released a strong statement about what he thinks about the two conferences, and it’s hard to think this isn’t a subtle shot at Georgia.
“The intensity is almost like everything is so much faster in the Big Ten,” Smith said via x.com. “In the SEC, we’re big & kind of slower. Here it’s faster — more speed. We’re trying to wear an opponent down. ...The intensity is different. Everything’s so intentional.”
Ohio State defender James Smith takes a disrespectful shot at Georgia and the SEC
Smith clearly thinks it’s a lot more difficult to play in the Big Ten as he thinks the players are faster, more intentional and much more intense.
Smith played at Alabama for the past three years before taking his talents to Ohio State. This means he’s played Georgia four times so far in his career, so he has to be partially basing this opinion on what he experienced when playing UGA. So while he doesn’t specifically mention Georgia, it kind of feels like he did.
There are undoubtedly a lot of differences between the two conferences, but this comparison doesn’t make a lot of sense. It’s especially strange to hear someone who left Alabama say this because no program has more talent than the Crimson Tide year in and year out. But the SEC has been so good for so long that even the Big Ten’s recent stretch of dominance shouldn’t change anything.
Regardless of what his motivation is, Smith clearly thinks the Big Ten is the better conference, and it’s hard for Georgia to not take offense based on his reasoning.
Georgia does have Ohio State coming up on future schedules, so they will have a chance to carry the SEC banner and show what SEC football is all about.