Football is Mere Diversion (that's why the Big Ten is the best!)

by Matt
(Chicago)

Some good information. Amazing how lowly Northwestern took supposedly mighty Auburn deep into overtime in the Outback Bowl a few years ago. With Nebraska now in the Big Ten, the average will have the BT again exceed the SEC for average and total attendance, for sure the former.

One difference is of course that the Big Ten was founded--as the nation's first collective--not so much a sports conference, but as an intellectual collective. It is also the only Conference wherein all the non-private schools are all public ivies and highly rated. The SEC has two schools so rated.

In the end, football and all sports, are a diversion. The raison d'etre for universities is to teach and to research. In that regard the Big Ten vastly outweighs the SEC. And historically, the SEC is a follower as the folks meeting in Chicago formed the first conference--every other conference is a mere imitation.