Conference rankings are one of the great irrational debates in college football. And since the realignment wave of 2024 reshaped the landscape, there has been plenty to argue about. Which conference is actually the best?
How big is the gap between the Power Four? Those questions are becoming more important, too. With the College Football Playoff destined for further expansion, automatic qualifiers, strength of schedule and overall conference strength will become increasingly important to the sport's future.
Conference commissioners certainly can't help themselves. They'll cite anything that supports their league. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey has been particularly vocal about why he believes the SEC remains the gold standard.
The Big Ten, meanwhile, hasn't needed quite as loud a megaphone. Three consecutive national championships -- by three different schools, no less -- make a pretty compelling case on their own. But what about the ACC and Big 12?
Has the gap between them and the top two changed? Meanwhile, the Group of Six underwent its own realignment this offseason with the Pac-12's resurgence. Here's how all 10 FBS conferences stack up entering the 2026 season.
The only conference that has truly backed up its claim to being the best. Three different Big Ten teams have won national championships in the past three seasons, and the conference has been just as dominant beyond the title games. Since the Power Four realignment shuffle, the Big Ten owns the best postseason record, including a 9-3 mark (.750) against other conferences in the CFP (three times as many CFP wins as the next-best).
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