Which conference is overall the toughest in the nation?

Question

I'm partial to SEC (hardcore Bama fan), and it helps that the SEC has 5 top 20 teams (6 after the Bama win over Clemson). Just wondering how other conferences would stack up against the SEC.

Answer 1

The toughest conference overall is the SEC just based on top 25 teams, bowl appearances and bowl wins.  When you consider that the SEC West alone placed almost all of the teams in bowl games last year, most of those teams winning their bowl games. Even a marginally winning season in the SEC is equal to a 10 or 11 game winning season in many conferences.  Also when you consider the coaches currently in the SEC there is the highest percentage of current coaches who have won national championships.

Answer 2

Big Ten...

Answer 3

Sec then Big12 and pac10,Then a world leap to everyone else

Answer 4

I am a hardcore Bama Fan too, they rolled hard over Clemson!!!  Top 10 who??? The SEC is the total answer to your question, but I do think that the Pac-10 doesn't get a fair shake, USC scares me!!!

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The Georgia vs. Arizonia State game will be a big upset I'm afraid!

Update:  UCLA ranked 37th in the country just beat 18th ranked Tennesee.  See PAC 10 gets no respect!!!

Answer 5

The SEC is the best mainly because of

1.Auburn

2. Alabama

3. LSU

4. Georgia

5. Florida

6. Tennesse

The only teams in the nation that can somewhat stick with these teams are USC, Texas and Oklahoma because they recruit the same type of players. South Carolina is getting close to being contenders as well. Missouri is ok but I dont think they can be real contenders like Texas and Oklahoma. Ohio State does not have any competition on the BIG TEN that is why they keep winning it.  

Answer 6

From top to bottom the SEC is the toughest conference...each of those teams are competitive, and there really isn't a pushover team in the entire conference...except maybe Miss. St.

The Big 12 is next(Choklahoma, Texas, Texas Tech, Mizzou, Kansas...)

Then the Big 10(Ohio St., Wisconsin, Penn St.)

The Pac-10 is a joke this year, especially given Cal and Oregon won't be competitive...the Pac 10 is a one team conference and everyone outside the Pac 10 knows that...

Answer 7

As you can probably guess from the avatar and screen name, I'm biased toward the SEC too.  However, I have to truly say the SEC.  There's always one team in the conference that really sucks, but usually every team is at least decent on the national scale.  

If Tennessee wins Monday, only Mississippi State will have been an embarassment to the SEC by losing this weekend.  That's pretty good in my opinion.

Answer 8

SEC, bar none.

Answer 9

I am a huge Big 10 fan, and believe that the Buckeye may actually get a national title this year, but the SEC is undeniably the best conference right now. I don't know how familiar with Stewart Mandel on Sports Illustrated's website (www.si.com), but he had a really good article about a month or two ago about the cycles changing between conferences. The Big 10 was the great conference in the 90s, and there basically never has been another conference like the SEC previously but another conference will rise to be dominate again.

Ahh college football. You have to love it because anything can happen.  

Answer 10

SEC, they have more teams with harder schedules in my opiion

Answer 11

No doubt the SEC is the best.

I would rank them like this:

1) SEC- with as much talent as there is in there, no doubt the SEC is the best.

2) Pac 10- extremely underrated conference. Last year, USC, Cal, UCLA, Oregon, and Arizona State were all in the fight for a national championship bid.

3) Big 12- I am tempted to put the Big 12 above the Pac 10, but some really bad teams are keeping me from doing it. The talent is there with Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, and Texas, but teams like Baylor and Nebraska (what the h**l happened to Nebraska!?) are bringing it down. Once the 'Huskers get back to 'Husker form (whenever that may be), they jump back up to the number two spot.

4) ACC- I know that they had a terrible showing tonight, but the ACC is better than that. Most college football fans can see that. Florida State, Miami, Boston College, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest all have talent, but, like the Big 12, bad teams are keeping it down. Why the h**l is Duke still in the ACC?

5) Big 10- Yeah, the Big 10. If I could make it go any lower, I would, but this is the lowest it can go. What a joke of a conference. Michigan and Ohio State have to be two of the most overrated teams in the country, Fill the rest of it with mediocre teams (like Michigan State, Indiana, and Purdue) or bad ones (like Northwestern) and you have a world of trouble.

I won't go into detail about the rest of these.

6) Big East

7) Conference USA

8) Mountain West

9) WAC

10) Independents

11) MAC

12) Sun Belt

Answer 12

Who is going to win the Pac-10?  USC?  Yeah, most likely.  Maybe Arizona St.   Oregon or Cal perhaps once every ten years.

Second, who is going to win the Big-10?  Ohio State?  Yeah, most likely.  Not Michigan! Illinois and Wisconsin do look ok but Penn State is washed up. And how about Appy State?  Utah?

Third, who is going to win the SEC?  Georgia?  Tennessee?  Alabama?  LSU?  Florida?  I mean, if you win it and you win it outright, you are clearly dominate.   I didnt rank LSU too high last year, in fact I think they were out coached in the title game, but the Tigers were just that much better.  Now, did you see Alabama wreck Clemson?  Clemson was supposed to be super fast and hard nosed.    

Bottom line: The SEC has more speed and size than any other conference, and how do you compete with that?  It is not a conference of trends--Pac-10 passing and Big-10 zone blocking come to mind--or hype.

Answer 13

SEC has the edge