ESPN's SEC Bias Explained... + Is Dan Lanning the Next James Franklin?!

ESPN’s 2026 FPI rankings are once again fueling accusations that the network is biased toward the SEC. With ESPN financially invested in promoting SEC football, can its rankings and analytics really be viewed as completely objective—or is the bigger problem that Fox, CBS, NBC and the Big Ten Network do not promote Big Ten football nearly as aggressively? Zach Seyko of Locked On Nittany Lions and Jacob Goins of Locked On Hoosiers break down ESPN’s SEC-heavy rankings, why Big Ten teams may not receive the same national treatment and whether preseason models such as FPI should be taken seriously before any games are played. The conversation also turns to the debate over Oregon head coach Dan Lanning being compared to former Penn State coach James Franklin. Penn State fans watched Franklin’s entire tenure unfold, and there are several major reasons why Lanning’s early success, recruiting and response to marquee losses make the comparison difficult to defend. The show finishes with predictions for some of college football’s biggest 2026 coaching hot seats, including Michael Locksley at Maryland, Luke Fickell at Wisconsin, Lincoln Riley at USC, Mike Norvell at Florida State, Kirk Ferentz at Iowa and Bill Belichick at North Carolina. Is ESPN genuinely biased toward the SEC, or is the network simply doing a better job marketing its college football product than the Big Ten’s television partners? Let us know what you think in the comments. Photo credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect Become an every-dayer! Subscribe to Locked On Nittany Lions on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lockedonnittanylions?sub_confirmation=1 Everydayer Club If you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans. Click here to learn more and join your team’s community: https://lockedonpodcasts.com/everydayerclub Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Indeed Listeners of this show get a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to help give your job the premium placement it deserves at http://Indeed.com/podcast FanDuel Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. From the opening whistle to the final kick, Let There Be Goals on FanDuel. Visit https://FANDUEL.COM to get started now. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms… 🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LONittanyLions?sid=YouTube Locked On College Conferences, HBCU, Basketball & More 🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnCollege Follow the show on X!https://x.com/LockedOnNittanyhttps://x.com/zach_seyko #lockedonnittanylions #pennstate #nittanylions #pennstatefootball #collegefootball #bigtenfootball #ncaafootball #lockedon #weare #football #CollegeFootball #BigTenFootball #SECfootball #PennStateFootball #espn 0:00 ESPN’s SEC Bias and the 2026 FPI 1:56 Why ESPN Promotes the SEC So Aggressively 3:14 The Big Ten’s Media-Marketing Problem 6:18 Why Fox, CBS and NBC Need Their Own Analytics 8:34 Should Preseason Rankings Be Abolished? 9:51 FanDuel Ad 11:54 Dan Lanning Is Not the New James Franklin 15:03 Lanning’s Recruiting and Coaching Tree 17:06 The Biggest Difference Between Lanning and Franklin 20:35 College Football Coaches on the Hot Seat 21:17 Will Maryland Fire Michael Locksley? 22:39 Can Luke Fickell Save Wisconsin? 23:41 Lincoln Riley’s Margin for Error at USC 24:50 Mike Norvell’s Future at Florida State 25:53 When Will Kirk Ferentz Retire? 27:07 Will Bill Belichick Leave North Carolina? 28:31 Final Coaching Predictions Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.