The SEC is projected to reclaim conference supremacy during the 2026-27 season after the Big Ten produced two Final Four teams and its first national champion since 2000 in 2026. No conference can match the SEC's roster spending this year, and that's reflected in the overall level of talent accumulated within the conference. But preseason projections and regular season realities don't always align.
It's certainly not a foregone conclusion that the SEC will dominate the sport following a year of parity among the high-major leagues. The ACC, Big 12, Big Ten and SEC each sent 8-10 teams to last year's NCAA Tournament. Including the Big East, all five high-major teams had at least one team still alive in the Elite Eight.
Buoyed by the eligibility (for now) of potential fifth-year stars like Trey Kaufman-Renn (Kansas), Tamin Lipsey (Iowa State) and Darrion Williams (Texas Tech), the Big 12 is best-positioned to challenge the SEC for conference supremacy. The league has a ton of questions to answer after a strong 2025-26 season, but Illinois is a clear national title contender. From there, things get a little foggier.
But the Big East should be stronger than it was last season, and the Pac-12 is back on the scene. While the Pac-12 won't quite reclaim its former status as a high-major conference in men's college basketball, it stands above the other mid-major leagues. Here are the college basketball conference power rankings entering the 2026-27 season.
Top 101 players: 30 (1.88 per team)Preseason Bracketology: 13 of 16$15 million rosters: 13 Who outside of Florida is a legitimate national title contender from the SEC? That's the league's biggest question as the 2026-27 season arrives. No. 12 Arkansas looks supremely talented, and No. 7 Texas is expected to take a huge leap under second-year coach Sean Miller.
Can No. 8 Tennessee shake off a concerning exhibition slate and make good on the potential of an overhauled roster designed to produce more offense? With seven of the preseason top 25 teams, there are plenty of candidates. But someone will have to go out and prove they are on/near Florida's level after the Gators returned ample production from a team that won the SEC regular season crown by three games.
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