The Big Ten will always be at a disadvantage against the SEC and Big 12 in football. Two main reasons for this:
1. The best players in the country are located from Texas to Florida, not in the Midwest.
2. The SEC and Big 12 have some pretty terrible -- average schools academically. There are exceptions(Florida, Vandy, Texas), but some of those SEC schools(cough LSU cough) can take mentally challenged kids if they want to.
With that said, its remarkable the Big 10 can compete with these conferences in football, and still blow them away in academics and endowment. I think the best comparable conference to the Big 10 given the academic profile is the Pac 12. I believe the Big 10 is much better than the Pac 12 this year.
