I applaud the Big Ten.

I really do. I’m saying that as someone who grew up in Big Ten country in the suburbs of Chicago. I’m a Big Ten graduate (Indiana), I covered a Big Ten team (Nebraska) and I launched our Big Ten site (Saturday Tradition).

When I say that I applaud the Big Ten, I mean it. Getting Washington and Oregon to come on board a year after the conference poached USC and UCLA is worthy of praise. The Big Ten sensed weakness in the form of a lackluster Pac-12 media rights deal and it swooped in to make itself better. The fact that 3 of the 4 schools that the Big Ten added are in the midst of a serious football rise should strengthen a conference that won exactly 1 Playoff game since it won the first title of the 4-team CFP in 2014.

OK, that was a bit sarcastic.

You see, 2 things are true at the same time. One is that the Big Ten once again made an aggressive move to add a pair of respected Pac-12 universities. The other is that if you think this is about to shift the balance of power in college football, you haven’t been paying attention.

And if you believe that slightly more money for each Big Ten school will make the difference, tell me then why even with that financial advantage during the past 15 years, the conference has just 1 national title since Big Ten Network became a thing in 2007 … while the SEC has 12.

Hence, why the SEC doesn’t need to fret about watching the Big Ten continue to establish and expand its presence on the West Coast.

Greg Sankey wants to maintain the geography of the SEC. That’s why this has always felt like if the SEC was going to expand, it would do so with some sort of broken-Grant-of-Rights-deal ACC schools. Maybe Clemson or Florida State — 2 teams that have actually won titles in the past decade — would be on that list. North Carolina and Virginia don’t move the championship needle, but they could be targets because of the new states they would get the SEC into while maintaining (some) geographic integrity.

But here’s the thing: If you’re a fan, isn’t there a certain threshold with how much money your school is pulling in with a media contract? Like, does it matter if it’s $65 million vs. $60 million?

Of course, it’s a different story if it’s $75 million vs. $30-something million. That’s essentially the Big Ten/SEC schools vs. the ACC schools, which are locked into that agreement with ESPN through 2036. In an instance like that, yes, it’s fair to assume that having twice as much money as other conferences would impact things like recruiting spending, coaching hires and fires, facility upgrades, NIL and even a potential pay-for-play era. And if you don’t believe having twice as much money matters, tell me that there’s no difference between Power 5 and Group of 5 schools.

But as long as the Big Ten isn’t lapping the field with TV revenue and the SEC stays within arm’s reach, it’ll mean more to win championships.

(Applaud that not-so-subtle reference, please.)

Ah, but the Big Ten would like us all to think that it believes in developing champions in all sports, and that football is only part of this. Fine. Let’s at least admit that there are 4 sports that make money. Football, men’s and women’s basketball and baseball are the revenue-drivers.

In the 2022-23 school year alone, the SEC won titles in 3 of those 4 sports. That’s the exact number the Big Ten has in the entire 21st century. And if you include just school years that started in the 21st century, that number drops to 2 … which is the exact number of “Big 4” titles that LSU alone won during the 2022-23 school year.

Even if you want to pretend that USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington were part of the Big Ten throughout the 21st century and count those “Big 4” sport championships, that number of titles skyrockets from 2 to … 5.

A rich conference, the Big Ten is. A championship conference, the Big Ten is not.

Meanwhile, the SEC is rocking a streak of 4 consecutive football national titles, 4 consecutive baseball national titles and 2 consecutive women’s hoops titles. Dating to the 2000-01 school year, the SEC has 31 national titles in “Big 4” sports compared to 2 for the Big Ten.

That’s right. It’s 31-2.

If anybody tells you that the balance of power is shifting to the Big Ten because of its new West Coast presence, remind them of that stat and ask them how that’s turning around anytime soon. Also remind them that if the West Coast was such a football gold mine that the Big Ten landed on, why hasn’t the Pac-12 won a national title since 2004? Instead, why does such a trend like this exist?

It’s ironic because if you talk to an SEC hater, they’ll tell you that the conference is overrated or that it only wins “because it pays the most.” Now, the Big Ten added 2 schools that will add to its overall value for that next TV contract negotiation. We should see the Big Ten continue to rank at the top of the yearly TV revenue figures, yet we have zero indication that it’ll lead to any sort of on-field advantage.

That’s why I’m not even sure that the majority of Big Ten fans are thrilled about these additions. Sure, it might be fun to schedule a visit to see a game at Husky Stadium, and new blood always adds a certain bit of intrigue. But this is all about jockeying for a bigger paycheck. If it isn’t, wouldn’t it have made more sense for Washington and Oregon to stay in a soon-to-be watered down conference that will have an automatic Playoff bid?

That’s what this comes down to. It’s also why if you’re a conference like the SEC that’s not in a dire financial position and isn’t in danger of losing its members, it doesn’t need to answer the Big Ten’s move.

In today’s world of college athletics, you better have money and/or championships. The SEC is fortunate enough to have both. The Big Ten doesn’t.

I’ll applaud if that day ever comes.