STWBM: Big XII vs. SEC football

Recently, on Sports Talk with Bo Mattingly, a radio show produced in Fayetteville, Arkansas, a hot topic of discussion has been whether the SEC or Big XII is the better conference in football. Of course, this discussion stems from the fact that Missouri and Texas A&M will make the move from the Big XII and play in the SEC this fall. Many SEC fans argue that the Big XII is far less superior than the SEC and point to the SEC’s six consecutive national championships. Big XII supporters, however, argue that their conference is just as tough and that, if given the chance, Oklahoma St. could have beaten LSU in the national championship game last year. I decided to try to put my SEC bias aside and look at the debate from a straight numbers perspective from many different aspects. Here’s what I found…

            One indicator of a conference’s dominance is the number of Associated Press (AP) 1^st team All-Americans it has. I researched the last five seasons (2007-2011) of 1^st team All-Americans named by the AP.

• SEC: 38 All-Americans
• Big XII: 34 All-Americans

            So based on All-America selections, the SEC would have a slight edge. If you break down these numbers even further, you can see where the SEC and Big XII are the strongest. The Big XII has had 22 offensive All-Americans the last five years and the SEC has only had 12. Defensively, the SEC holds a lead, with 21 All-Americans to the Big XII’s 8. The SEC also has a slight edge in special teams, with 5 All-Americans to the Big XII’s 4.

            Another indicator is the number of major awards a conference receives at the end of every season. I looked at 20 major awards, such as the Heisman Trophy, Biletnikoff Award, and Outland Trophy, to name a few, and analyzed the last five seasons.

• SEC: 36 major awards
• Big XII: 28 major awards

            The SEC also flexed its muscles in two other indicators I researched.

A conference’s ability to bring in top rated high school players usually relates to its performance on the field. I looked at the last five years of recruiting (2008-2012) and averaged the Big XII and SEC teams’ rankings. Obviously Texas and Alabama will have high recruiting rankings, but a truly dominant conference will be strong from top to bottom.

• SEC: 21.85 average rank in recruiting (Scout.com)
• Big XII: 39.45 average rank in recruiting (Scout.com)

            A dominant conference will also send players to the next level. How highly players are thought of by NFL teams is seen in the NFL Draft, so I looked at the last five NFL Drafts (2008-2012).

• SEC: 202 total draft picks
• Big XII: 142 total draft picks

            One might argue that just because a player is drafted doesn’t mean he will be a star player in the NFL. To counter this argument, I researched the top five NFL leaders in certain offensive and defensive statistics over the last five seasons (2007-2011). On offense, I looked at the NFL leaders in passing yards, rushing yards, and receiving yards. Of defense, I looked at the NFL leaders in tackles, sacks, and interceptions. The SEC had a slight edge.

• SEC: 10 top five offensive leaders
• Big XII: 6 top five offensive leaders
• SEC: 10 top five defensive leaders
• Big XII: 7 top five defensive leaders

            Finally, in my opinion, the most telling stat of all when it comes to “Which conference is better?” is the record between the two conferences. If you look at the SEC’s record against Big XII schools in the regular season and in bowls, combined, they are 22-14 the last ten seasons (2002-2011).

            If you ask me, I believe the SEC is the best conference in college football, hands down.

            As for Texas A&M and Missouri, here is how they would rank against other SEC schools in the categories I discussed above, over the last five seasons.

Major Award Winners

1. LSU- 9

2. Alabama- 7

2. Auburn- 7

2. Florida- 7

5. Arkansas- 4

6. Texas A&M- 2

7. Georgia- 1

7. Missouri- 1

7. Tennessee- 1

AP 1^st team All-Americans

1. Alabama- 12

2. LSU- 7

3. Florida- 5

3. Missouri- 5

5. Georgia- 3

6. Auburn- 2

6. Ole Miss- 2

6. South Carolina- 2

6. Tennessee- 2

6. Texas A&M- 2

11. Arkansas- 1

11. Kentucky- 1

Average Team Rank in Recruiting (Scout.com)

1. Alabama- 3.2

2. LSU- 6.4

3. Georgia- 9.8

4. Auburn- 10

5. Florida- 13

6. Tennessee- 18.8

7. Texas A&M- 20.6

8. South Carolina- 21.2

9. Arkansas- 23

10. Ole Miss- 29.6

11. Mississippi St.- 30.6

12. Missouri- 35

13. Kentucky- 37.8

14. Vanderbilt- 58.8

NFL Draft Picks

1. LSU- 29

2. Georgia- 28

3. Alabama- 24

4. Florida- 20

5. South Carolina- 18

6. Arkansas- 15

6. Auburn- 15

8. Missouri- 13

8. Texas A&M- 13

10. Tennessee- 12

11. Kentucky- 11

12. Ole Miss- 10

13. Mississippi St.- 9

14. Vanderbilt- 8

 

Missouri vs. SEC: 4-1 (last ten seasons)

Texas A&M vs. SEC: 0-6 (last ten seasons)