One of my golf buddies is an LSU fan, born and raised in Louisiana. The other day we were on the course and the subject of college football came up. And like every single other SEC loyalist, he trotted out the same tired line about how tough their schedules are, how they "beat each other up," etc. You know the drill. We hear it every single week from September through November.
And I am tired of it. Yes, the SEC has some great teams. No argument. Florida is a juggernaut at this point. And it would have been really neat if they could have played the second best team in the country, USC, last year.
But beyond that, my friend -- and many others like him -- then went into the argument that the conference is tougher, top to bottom, than the Big Ten. He used the same claim that if OSU or PSU were in the SEC, they'd be lucky to be mid-pack. Come on.
Let's just look at some facts. Of the SEC's twelve teams, eight (67%) were bowl eligible last season. Two of those powerhouses were Vandy (6-6 overall; 4-4 in conference) and Kentucky (6-6; 2-6).
Of the Big Ten's eleven teams, seven (64%) were bowl-eligible, with the worst being 7-5; 3-5 Minnesota.
I don't know what this proves. Really, nothing. But to look at those conferences and argue that, aside from national champion Florida, that the SEC is convincingly more dominant than the Big Ten is just media-induced hooey.
Let's have a Big Ten-SEC challenge and get it over with.