No doubt about it, the Big Ten is an awesome conference. Look how close they stack up to the SEC with recent talent:

Players on 2007 NFL opening day active rosters
263 -- SEC
234 -- Big Ten
183 -- Pac 10
84 -- Big East

And here is how the SEC and the Big Ten have done in the AP Poll since 2000:

Total Appearances in the AP Poll, 2000-today
120 -- Florida
119 -- Georgia, Michigan
117 -- Ohio State
107 -- LSU, Tennessee
82 -- Auburn
73 -- Wisconsin
53 -- Purdue
52 -- Iowa
39 -- Penn State, South Carolina
36 -- Alabama
24 -- Mich State
23 -- Arkansas, Minnesota
21 -- Illinois
19 -- Northwestern
15 -- Miss State
13 -- Ole Miss
8 - Kentucky
0 -- Vanderbilt, Indiana

Total Appearance in AP Top 10, 2000-today
82 -- Ohio State
69 -- Florida, Georgia
59 -- LSU
48 -- Michigan
41 -- Tennessee
29 -- Auburn
21 -- Wisconsin
13 -- Iowa
12 -- Alabama
11 -- Penn State
6 -- Arkansas
4 -- Illinois, Purdue
3 -- South Carolina
2 -- Kentucky
1 -- Mich State

Total Appearance in AP Top 5, 2000-today
49 -- Ohio State
36 -- LSU
33 -- Florida
24 -- Georgia
23 -- Michigan
17 -- Auburn
10 -- Tennessee
8 -- Wisconsin
6 -- Alabama
5 -- Penn State
4 -- Iowa
2 -- Arkansas
1 -- Purdue

Total Appearances at AP #1, 2000-today
21 -- Ohio State
4 -- Florida, LSU

where did you find the db noises of the stadiums?

You all are the ones who were bragging about how superior the SEC is over any conference including the Big 10...what better way then to look head to head on the same field...now you all are twisting & turning to distort the facts one conf to another. Another point SEC does in fact have bye weeks ...Big 10 nana straight through no let up.point nbr 3 without even cracking a book I will put up the OOC schedule that ohio state does year after year...let's say last 6 years. I also think Penn state or Wisconsin would rival the sec stadiums....the shoe is no cake walk either.

bottom line they are both great schools and conferences...superior for one conf to another not really that much difference.Big 10 leads SEC 13-11

Nice stereotypes.

On every national board I read it starts with a Big 10 or Pac 10 fan claiming how the SEC talks down to the other conferences, when in all reality the SEC starts about 10% of the threads. Kind of like the "all of yall" comments. I brought a few rational opinions and you rant like you have turrets. It seems as if the cold weather brings in an inferiority complex to the Midwest this time every year.

Like I said, every conference can compare the top portion in every statistical category, and Penn St. and Wisconsin have great stadiums, btu when you go down the line do you really think Indiana compares to the jungle at jurden dye pat field stadium? I dont see it.

Honestly, conferences are closer than they appear, but you may want to say the Big 10 is closer to the Big 12, not the SEC. This is not a shot at Ohio St. as they have outclasses the rest of the conference and are in a league of their own, but it is pretty easy to see.

If you think Penn State compares favorably to LSU on Saturday night, you are grossly mistaken (my opine of course). Everyone wearing white shirts is cute and all but, nah. I urge you to attend a home game at night, say sometime the evening of January 7 :grin: .

If you want to talk about indisputable facts, this is my favorite fact that proves the SEC is the best conference in college football:

Every time I read an internet discussion regarding the best conference in college football, I'll always see a few people from the Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-10, etc. who will come out and say that they have to admit that the SEC is the best. Yet, I've never seen an SEC person say that about any other conference.

And everyone is entitled to one. :grin:

I'm just saying, and I think it's based in fact that Ohio State isn't your "average" Saturday night game. I'm not saying they're better all than your other Saturday night opponents (although theyr'e surely better than most) but you have to admit with Saturday night games in hostile Iowa, Texas, Purdue and Penn State they're not your usual Saturday night opponent. They're used to it and better yet, they seem to relish playing in that atmosphere.

Of course, this is just my opine.

:wink:

JohnLSU,

You've made some nice posts and posted a long list of stats that supports that the Big Ten matches up nicely with the SEC this decade. Thank you for the post. it was unbiased and didn't attempt to mask or "massage" anything. The only thing I'd add is that there is a one team difference in numbers so the NFL player number may be slightly skewed. If averaged it comes out to 21.9 players per SEC team and 21.2 players per Big Ten team.

There was also a post (perhaps in another thread) that showed that in the same time span the average Big Ten SOS is actually tougher down the line thatn SEC SOS. Of course, this is not the case this year.

If there was a sharing a beer icon available I'd offer it to you now.

Boo to the Ohio State fan who couldn't see this and continued to argue.

If you make it down to NOL, you will get a sample of what I mean... You know how you feel the air filled with electricity before a thunderstorm.:wink:

i don't really really get into the whole conference argument thing until you compare night games at penn st, purdue, texas, and iowa to saturday night in death valley.

but i also understand that comes with never experiencing a game in tiger stadium.

if you don't know you just don't know and that's not your fault, but i promise you, if any of those games even came close to approaching a ten, we go to eleven.