Don't Let The Media Do It: SEC and Big Ten are Equal

by Grant
(Durham, NC)

Why are we letting the media stoke the fires of a debate that means nothing? These conferences are pretty much equal. Sure, there are some years when one is up and the other is down, but this site is proof that those are hard to determine.

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Statistics can be misleading.......The Big Ten has a winning record against the SEC if you look at the statistics one way, but a losing record if yu look at it the other.

The Big Ten has a winning record against the SEC in Bowl games in the past 5 years, but what if you include the regular season? Both conferences have great tradition, tons of national championships, and rabid fans.

The SEC is currently 6-2 in the bowls, but even with that, they are only 11-9 this year against other BCS schools, which doesn't seem to be "dominant".

It's better than the Big Ten's mark of 7-8, but worse if you add the Big 10's 4 wins over Notre Dame (who had a wretched year, but is a BCS caliber program, which is why the BCS makes special considerations for them).

Both conferences have great programs at the top who can be beaten by very average teams (LSU and Ohio State). Both conferences have seen their perenial cellar dwellers muster up successful years (Miss St, Indiana, and Illinois).

There's parity in college football, and parity can either equal superiority or mediocrity in a conference. But it means the same for all conferences.

If this college football season has shown anything it's that the SEC and Big 10 are like any other conference........They have tons of potential, some of it is realized, some of it not. They have tons of talented players who will make an impact on the next level. There's also a lot of misperceptions (i.e. the SEC has low academic standards, the Big 10 is slow).

CBS and ESPN are primarily to blame for this argument. Don't be sheep, looking at the facts show that neither of these conferences is better than the other.

Sure, this site gives the slight edge to the SEC (while doing a good job of presenting alternate statistics), but I'm sure if a Big Ten fan had the desire and time, he/she could create a website using the same statistics to show the Big 10 has the slight edge.

I am a fan of a Big 10 conference school. I won't say which one because that doesn't matter. But I will say that if Big 10 fans and SEC fans stop this idiotic statistic twisting and blind hatred based on conference affiliation, they would see that the conferences are very similar in overall strength, prestige, ability to produce NCAA championship and NFL caliber players, and style of play.

The SEC has the edge only in the minds of its fans and media. The Big 10 has the edge only in the minds of its fans and media. That's the way it is, regardless of the outcome of the National Championship Game.