Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti is not a fan of the SEC.

The national championship winning head coach took a shot at the Southeastern Conference when detailing why the Big Ten is the best in college football during Big Ten Media Days.

“We don’t run a hype machine up here in the Midwest, we believe everything’s earned not given,” Cignetti said. “When we fall short we don’t cry a river and whine and complain. And that’s why we’re the best.”

Cignetti and the rest of the Big Ten coaches used the exposure from media days to continue to push the narrative that the Big Ten has surpassed the SEC in football.

The coaches spoke next to the three most recent National Championship trophies, won by Michigan in 2023, Ohio State in 2024 and Indiana in 2025, to emphasize the changing times.

“The Big Ten is the best league in football,” Cignetti said. “A lot of really good football teams, it’s hard to win on the road. Very physical football teams, very well coached.

“[The Big Ten] definitely prepares you for the playoffs, there’s no doubt about it. The numbers speak for themselves.”

Cignetti is referring to the Big Ten’s record in recent editions of the College Football Playoffs.

Since 2022, the conference has a 4-0 record against the SEC in the playoffs, and since it expanded to 12 teams in 2023, they are 13-5 against everyone else.

Cignetti’s historic rebuild of Indiana is one of the reasons for the Big Ten’s resurgence.

Prior to his arrival the Hoosiers hadn’t reached 10 wins in a single season of their 127 year history. In his two years at the helm, he’s guided them to 11 and 16 wins respectively.

Illinois’ rise has also helped the Big Ten, and its head coach Brett Bielema set the tone at media days as the first head coach to talk, claiming the SEC “wants to live in 2005 forever.”

His confidence comes from back-to-back bowl victories against SEC schools South Carolina and Tennessee.

The Big Ten’s shots at their southern counterpart weren’t out of the blue, though.

The conferences are in the midst of a microphone war that was reignited during the SEC’s media days last week.

During their chance with the talking stick, the Southeastern Conference partook in its usual parading of depth and strength of schedule.

This year it was only heightened by the fact the SEC moved to a nine conference games schedule in 2026, instead of eight, which the Big Ten did in 2017.

“First of all, whoever wins the national championship doesn’t define who has the best conference,” legendary Alabama head coach Nick Saban said on ESPN. “I think the best conference gets defined by how many good teams you have from top to bottom.”

The bickering through quotes is really a way for coaches and conferences to make an early claim at extra playoff sports come the end of November.

You can never launch a campaign, apparently.