The Bill and Doug Show: Ohio State Football Talk

Episode Title:

Big Ten Crushing SEC in Elite Talent at the 2026 NFL Combine
Release Date: February 27, 2026
Hosts: Doug Lesmerises & Bill Landis

Episode Overview

This episode dives headfirst into the evolving college football landscape, focusing on the 2026 NFL Draft Combine and how the Big Ten (notably Ohio State) has leapfrogged the SEC in turning out elite NFL prospects. Bill and Doug put a humorous, competitive, and stats-heavy spin on what they view as a seismic shift in conference supremacy—taking direct aim at SEC bravado and southern college football narratives, and celebrating the Big Ten's moment in the limelight. The discussion is laced with analogies (Gettysburg, Olympic boycotts), playful SEC jabs, and calls for better Big Ten self-promotion.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Missing SEC – Boycotting the Combine?

[01:38 – 03:48]

• Bill opens with a tongue-in-cheek observation: The SEC is “boycotting” the combine, joking about their absence.
• SEC's historical dominance at the combine is called into question, referencing the 1984 Olympics where Eastern Bloc countries were absent, likening the combine's landscape to elite athletes missing in action.
• Doug clarifies that while the SEC wasn't literally absent, their presence is much diminished, especially at the top end of elite prospects.

2. Ohio State & Big Ten Ascendancy

[03:55 – 06:40]

• Bill delivers a fiery, mock eulogy for the SEC, citing the performances of Ohio State’s Sonny Styles and Arvell Reese at the combine:

  “I am here to just say that if you didn’t think the SEC was dead, Sonny Stiles and Arvell Reese dug that grave in Indianapolis. The SEC is officially dead.” (Bill Landis, 05:02)

• The hosts riff and joke about nicknaming Styles & Reese "the Gravediggers," marking a cultural moment for Ohio State and the Big Ten.
• They draw parallels between recent Big Ten on-field dominance (three straight national championships by Ohio State, Michigan, Indiana) and combine/NFL talent rankings.

3. Transferring of Talent: More North-to-South Than South-to-North

[09:26 – 14:05]

• Analysis of combine invite numbers (SEC still leads in invites, but with shrinking margins).
• Noted trend: Big Ten and now even less-heralded programs (Rutgers, Maryland, Purdue) have elite prospects but often see talent poached by other schools, including SEC teams.
• The transfer portal is discussed as a double-edged sword, but evidence points to the SEC importing more talent than exporting.

4. Media & Marketing: SEC Hype vs. Big Ten Silence

[17:02 – 17:41]

• The hosts note a lack of Big Ten-wide promotion on social media for combine achievements, contrasting with what would undoubtedly be a hype engine from the SEC if their players posted such results.

• “This is why the Big Ten network should hire us to do a show twice a week. Because, like, this is the discussion.” (Bill Landis, 17:41)

5. Elite Prospects Breakdown – Dane Brugler and Daniel Jeremiah’s Big Boards

[17:39 – 24:09]

• Both hosts break down elite draft prospect rankings by respected draft analysts.
  • Dane Brugler’s Top 14: 7 Big Ten, 1 SEC
  • Daniel Jeremiah’s Top 20: 10 Big Ten, 2 SEC (and both of those SEC players started elsewhere: Virginia Tech, Oregon State)
• Transfer Analysis: Only Caleb Downs (Alabama to Ohio State) fits the classic “South-to-North” elite transfer narrative; most top SEC prospects are imports from other conferences.

  “Daniel Jeremiah, suck on this SEC. Cram it until you can’t cram it anymore… 10 of them are from the Big Ten, two of them are from the SEC. And the two that are from the SEC started their careers at Virginia Tech and Oregon State.” (Bill Landis, 23:35)

6. Changing Draft Projections – Big Ten Dominance by Position

[26:27 – 33:03]

• By consensus mock draft database:
  • Out of 11 major positions, Big Ten is projected to have the first player off the board in 6, ACC in 3, SEC in only 1 (and that's a Virginia Tech transfer now at LSU).
  • Running back class is all northern schools at the top. SEC's highest-rated homegrown RB is pegged at 244th overall.
  • Wide receiver example: You have to go 51 receivers deep before finding an SEC player who started and finished at the same SEC school.

  “If the SEC didn’t get two guys from New Mexico State for a single season, they wouldn’t have any running backs projected in the top 10 of this draft.” (Bill Landis, 31:13)

7. Narrative Power: “Big Ten Speed” and Marketing Opportunity

[36:01 – 41:20]

• The hosts lament how "SEC Speed" has dominated public discourse, but this combine is flashing "Big Ten Speed":

  “...There should be eight-year-old football fans across the Midwest… with a poster that says Big Ten speed and it’s Sonny Styles and Arvell Reese running at the NFL Combine. Let’s crank up the machine, man. This is… Big Ten speed.” (Bill Landis, 41:00)

• Reiterates the lack of “homegrown” SEC elite talent, especially reflected at receiver and, to a lesser degree, edge rusher.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Calling Time of Death for the SEC (Mock Eulogy):

  “Just bury them in an unmarked grave. You’re dead.” (Bill Landis, 06:44)

• Gettysburg Analogy & Combative Metaphors:

  “I can’t remember the guy at Gettysburg, but didn’t he go around the hill and come up the back and shoot everybody when they weren’t looking? That’s what the Big Ten did to the SEC at the combine today.” (Bill Landis, 05:11)

• Stats That "Blow Your Socks Off":

  “There’s more guys who started in the north and went south than there are guys who started in the south and went north… The only guy would fit [South-to-North]...is Caleb Downs. None of the rest of this is the North praying…the North with all their industry Money is taking their players—wrong. It’s actually the other way around.” (Bill Landis, 23:13)

• On Big Ten’s Lack of Marketing:

  “Where’s the poster…that says Big Ten speed and it’s Sonny Styles and Arvell Reese running at the NFL combine? Let’s crank up the machine, man…they create narratives around the realities and the Big Ten doesn’t. Big Ten speeds, Big Ten speed. Ah man, I want to talk about Big Ten speed.” (Bill Landis, 41:00)

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Time | Segment | | -------- | -------------------------------------------- | | 01:08 | Start of main show; combine experience recap | | 01:38 | Noticing the SEC’s underwhelming combine presence, Olympic analogy | | 03:55 | “Gravediggers” moment – Styles & Reese destroy SEC narrative | | 09:26 | SEC’s “depth” myth and transfer talent discussion | | 17:02 | Lack of Big Ten social media/commercial hype | | 17:39 | Dane Brugler/Daniel Jeremiah big board breakdown | | 23:08 | Elite prospect transfer analysis | | 26:27 | Position-by-position NFL draft prediction analysis | | 31:13 | SEC’s running back situation—the New Mexico State duo | | 36:01 | Big Ten Speed: narrative and marketing talk | | 41:20 | Edge rusher transfer patterns | | 48:08 | Draft projections and closing thoughts on conference talent paradigms |

Episode Tone & Style

Conversational, humorous, and irreverent, Bill and Doug blend deep statistical research with playful SEC-baiting and passion for Big Ten/Ohio State success. They use analogies (Gettysburg, bowl games, team funerals), create on-the-fly nicknames, and issue challenges for better northern football storytelling. Stats are thrown like jabs—with intent to provoke, prove, and entertain.

Summary Takeaways

• Big Ten, especially Ohio State, is statistically and athletically lapping the SEC at the 2026 NFL Combine in both elite talent and top-of-the-draft presence.
• Current transfer dynamics and college football economics are favoring the north, but most elite prospects in the north are “homegrown” or even transfers from other northern schools, not ex-SEC players.
• The SEC’s “depth” and “speed” narratives are being exposed. If anything, the SEC is now relying more heavily on transfers to fill their own ranks.
• There’s a clear need for the Big Ten to ramp up its media and marketing efforts and lay claim to its new status atop college football.
• Both hosts expect this trend to even out over the years but see the 2026 draft as a clear inflection point: The Big Ten is not just catching up, it’s leading in NFL talent.

Final Word

Bill:

“The SEC has not developed elite talent for the 2026 NFL Draft. I think we’re like 85% of the way… I did enough research. The SEC has not developed elite talent for the 2026 NFL Draft class.” (41:49)

Doug:

“There is an utter lack of homegrown, developed, elite talent coming out of the Southeastern Conference.” (42:46)

If you want to understand why this year’s NFL Combine feels like a page turning in college football—and why Big Ten fans should be shouting it from the rooftops—this episode is for you.