Things can change in a moment's notice. While the SEC was on top of the college football world for the better part of two decades, the Big Ten has won the last three College Football Playoffs. Michigan won the final four-team playoff, while Ohio State and Indiana have won the first two of the 12-team variety. Smart was asked about why that has been the case while appearing over on The Next Round.
Call if baffled, call it perplexed, Smart was struggling to figure out why the Big Ten has been so strong.
"I don't know. I can't figure out what it is. I just think that they have a more competitive conference. Like, the top of their conference, there's more good teams. It used to be Ohio State was good. Michigan was good. [Jim] Harbaugh had a great team. Indiana is good. Like, now they've got Oregon. They got a draw. They have an ability to attract good players."
He then continued by arguing how NIL has played a big factor in the Big Ten leveling the playing field.
"Now NIL has a factor, too. Sure, but so does Miami. People have money. More people have money. So I think the talent has spread out thin, where before in the SEC, it was a magnet to talent. The disparity was so great. It was like you couldn't mess it up. You'd win, regardless. And now, it's like, more even. It's just been three in a row."
Georgia won the first two national titles of the NIL era, by the way, with Michigan winning the third...
There's A LOT to unpack here. Kirby Smart on why the Big Ten is currently dominating college football 👇 pic.twitter.com/WOY4XUN6Gi
— The Next Round (@NextRoundLive) April 30, 2026
What is Smart really trying to get at here with his latest commentary about the Big Ten's great run?
Kirby Smart deflected by saying NIL has leveled the playing field in CFB
Even though Michigan fans are so happy to have Kyle Whittingham in Ann Arbor, the Wolverines are not quite on the same level as Georgia. In the wake of Jim Harbaugh heading to the NFL, as well as the two-year Sherrone Moore run ending in scandal, Whittingham is coming in to help re-establish what it means to be great at Michigan. He has the coaching chops to keep the Big Ten on top as well.
While there is an argument to be made that the Big Ten may have the better coaches top-to-bottom when compared to the SEC, NIL has smoothed things out across the board. Everyone was paying players under the table prior to 2021. What seems to have had happened is now that these financial exchanges are being made above the table, players do not have to come to the south to play football.
As for what this means for Michigan fans, the university can attract high-end coaches because it has made a strong commitment to athletics, in addition to its academics. A Michigan degree carries more clout than a Georgia degree does, all things equal. When the dollars and cents make sense, players who may have gone to Georgia years ago end up staying closer to home, or even coming to Michigan.
For now, Big Ten fans should be over the moon Smart has been unable to solve their Rubik's cube...
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