Tuesday night was a pretty important night in our country, and I’m not talking about the midterm elections.
The first edition of the 2026 College Football Playoff rankings were released to the public, and, as usual, the placement of certain teams caused an absolute uproar throughout the college football community.
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Notre Dame took a tumble, head-to-head results seemingly got thrown in the trash, and, of course, the cries of “SEC bias” were loud and clear.
Not one to miss out on the popular activity of bashing the SEC, Indiana coach Curt Cignetti took aim at the Playoff committee for their seeming favoritism toward teams from the southeast, saying they “get a lot of love from ESPN.”
Head coach Curt Cignetti of the Indiana Hoosiers looks onto the field during the second half against the Oregon Ducks at Autzen Stadium on Oct. 11, 2025 in Eugene, Ore. (Soobum Im/Getty Images)
Longtime college football commentator Tim Brando wasn’t buying it — at least not all of it — from Cignetti, though, and joined Dan Dakich on “Don’t @ Me” to discuss.
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The Shreveport, Louisiana, native knows a thing or two about the Southeastern Conference, as well as what it’s like to work for a bevy of different networks, and he claims it’s not a conscious bias from the broadcasters.
“In general terms, the broadcasters are not consciously doing something that’s not right,” Brando explains.
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As Brando puts it, the broadcasters are living in a vacuum, and sometimes that can color how they see the league they’re covering relative to the other leagues.
“You live in this bubble. And all of a sudden you start talking about the ‘league that’s yours,'” he said. “And the ‘league that’s yours’ that they cover is the SEC.”
Fox college basketball announcer Tim Brando on air before during a college basketball game between the St. John’s Red Storm and the Providence Friars on March 20, 2024 in Providence, R.I. (Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
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While he does agree that there are certain leagues that have a legitimate gripe, the Big Ten isn’t one of them.
“I think the Big 12 and the ACC both do [have a gripe],” Brando explained to Dakich. “They both have contracts with ESPN, and they get summarily dissed.”
He would go on to say that the Big 12 is more competitive than the Big Ten, though that doesn’t necessarily mean they are better overall.
With all that being said, Brando agrees that there’s no “memo” being sent out telling ESPN personalities to carry water for the SEC, or any league, for that matter.
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey speaks to the press during SEC Football Kickoff Media Day at the Tampa Marriott in Tampa, Fla., on July 20, 2026. (Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images)
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“I think sometimes it can be a subconscious thing,” he said. “We’re living in a country where it’s so polarized that everyone is going to suggest bias no matter what network you’re on.”