I'm looking at it from a holistic perspective and still say the Big Ten would be our best option because of the affiliation with the CIC for our academics. No other major conference can compete with what the Big Ten offers in terms of academic prestige.
While I agree with you that the SEC would be the better football conference, and if it were an option, it'd also open up the door that much more for us in terms of recruiting grounds. Florida, Louisiana, Georgia, The Carolinas, etc. all have great HS talent.