Can someone explain why Sankey is still running his mouth about the SEC being the best "by far" when the Big Ten has won three straight national titles and is 4-0 against them in the CFP? I get that you have to defend your league as commissioner, but at some point the results have to matter more than the talking points. Meanwhile I am sitting here watching our staff work the dead period and I cannot help but think about what that CBS Big Ten schedule means for our 2026 class momentum. We got featured in that early season action and that exposure matters when you are trying to flip kids from the Southeast.
Here is what nobody is talking about though. The real story of this dead period is how we are positioning ourselves for a few priority targets that nobody has crystal balled yet. I have been watching the 247 composite like a hawk and I am hearig noise that a couple of those 2027 kids who were soft commits elsewhere are starting to feel the pull of the Big Ten schedule and the NIL structure we have in place. The SEC can talk all they want about being the best conference, but when you look at the actual numbers from the last three years, the Big Ten is winning at the highest level and we are right in the middle of it.
Why are we not talking more about how the elimination of the spring portal window actually helps us in this recruiting year? Without the spring window, those SEC programs that used to plug holes in April are now forced to either develop what they have or overpay in December. That means our staff can focus 100 percent of their energy on high school recruiting during this dead period instead of worrying about losing guys to the portal. I know the national narrative is all about Oregon stacking five-stars and Texas loading up, but our class is sitting right where it needs to be and I think we are about to see a few flips that change the entire conversation. The crystal balls are holding steady right now but I am watching three specific names and something is starting to shift.