99jc
07-06-2022, 01:20 PM
he Big Ten is obviously better than everyone else, but the SEC is still superior on average. With Oklahoma and Texas, the SEC's average SP+ rating last year would have been 11.7; with USC and UCLA, the Big Ten's average would have been 8.9.
If we think broader and more historically, the SEC still has an edge.
Using 25-year averages for each program -- an incredibly broad look at program health and consistency of power -- here's how a Big Ten-SEC challenge would take shape if we set up games between the conferences' best programs, second-best programs and so on.
Best: No. 1 Ohio State (23.7 average) vs. No. 2 Alabama (23.0)
Second-best: No. 3 Oklahoma (21.9) vs. No. 7 USC (18.9)
Third-best: No. 4 Georgia (20.8) vs. No. 11 Michigan (16.6)
Fourth-best: No. 5 Florida (19.6) vs. No. 15 Wisconsin (15.5)
Fifth-best: No. 6 LSU (19.4) vs. No. 16 Penn State (15.2)
Sixth-best: No. 9 Texas (17.0) vs. No. 18 Nebraska (14.6)
Seventh-best: No. 17 Auburn (15.2) vs. No. 25 Iowa (11.3)
Eighth-best: No. 19 Tennessee (13.8) vs. No. 30 Michigan State (9.8)
Ninth-best: No. 20 Texas A&M (13.4) vs. No. 34 UCLA (8.4)
10th-best: No. 29 Arkansas (10.3) vs. No. 49 Purdue (4.7)
11th-best: No. 33 Missouri (8.7) vs. No. 51 Minnesota (4.5)
12th-best: No. 37 Ole Miss (7.6) vs. No. 56 Maryland (2.0)
13th-best: No. 38 South Carolina (7.6) vs. No. 68 Northwestern (-0.5)
14th-best: No. 50 Mississippi State (4.6) vs. No. 75 Illinois (-2.1)
15th-best: No. 62 Kentucky (0.9) vs. No. 79 Indiana (-3.9)
16th-best: No. 86 Vanderbilt (-5.3) vs. No. 97 Rutgers (-7.5)
The SEC still holds at least a slight advantage in 15 of those 16 matchups and averages a 12.4 rating to the Big Ten's 8.2. That's certainly noteworthy.
If we think broader and more historically, the SEC still has an edge.
Using 25-year averages for each program -- an incredibly broad look at program health and consistency of power -- here's how a Big Ten-SEC challenge would take shape if we set up games between the conferences' best programs, second-best programs and so on.
Best: No. 1 Ohio State (23.7 average) vs. No. 2 Alabama (23.0)
Second-best: No. 3 Oklahoma (21.9) vs. No. 7 USC (18.9)
Third-best: No. 4 Georgia (20.8) vs. No. 11 Michigan (16.6)
Fourth-best: No. 5 Florida (19.6) vs. No. 15 Wisconsin (15.5)
Fifth-best: No. 6 LSU (19.4) vs. No. 16 Penn State (15.2)
Sixth-best: No. 9 Texas (17.0) vs. No. 18 Nebraska (14.6)
Seventh-best: No. 17 Auburn (15.2) vs. No. 25 Iowa (11.3)
Eighth-best: No. 19 Tennessee (13.8) vs. No. 30 Michigan State (9.8)
Ninth-best: No. 20 Texas A&M (13.4) vs. No. 34 UCLA (8.4)
10th-best: No. 29 Arkansas (10.3) vs. No. 49 Purdue (4.7)
11th-best: No. 33 Missouri (8.7) vs. No. 51 Minnesota (4.5)
12th-best: No. 37 Ole Miss (7.6) vs. No. 56 Maryland (2.0)
13th-best: No. 38 South Carolina (7.6) vs. No. 68 Northwestern (-0.5)
14th-best: No. 50 Mississippi State (4.6) vs. No. 75 Illinois (-2.1)
15th-best: No. 62 Kentucky (0.9) vs. No. 79 Indiana (-3.9)
16th-best: No. 86 Vanderbilt (-5.3) vs. No. 97 Rutgers (-7.5)
The SEC still holds at least a slight advantage in 15 of those 16 matchups and averages a 12.4 rating to the Big Ten's 8.2. That's certainly noteworthy.