Big Ten Football Stealing the Show from SEC at 2016 NFL Combine

That familiar three-letter chant once again made a triumphant return to college football this postseason.

S-E-C! S-E-C!

Alabama captured yet another national title, there was a sterling 8-2 record in bowl games and the awards banquet circuit was headlined by Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry. While at times during the 2015 season—and even before that—the conference looked like it was slightly down from the thundering peaks that it had operated at in the past, in the end it was standing right at the top as the unquestioned best league in the country.

But in Indianapolis, there is no S-E-C chant being performed.

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

In fact, as is appropriate at the home of the Big Ten title game, you’d be more likely to hear talk about the B-1-G at this year’s NFL Scouting Combine. And that’s no regional bias coming from the national media in attendance at Lucas Oil Stadium for the interviews or scouts from all 32 NFL clubs in the building for player workouts.

There’s simply more buzz coming from the Big Ten players than their SEC counterparts.

While it’s often said that the NFL doesn’t care about your wins and losses in college, such a statement seems especially true this week, as past awards and accomplishments have become graphical footnotes on NFL Network to a player’s height, weight and draft stock. In this battle at least, there’s one league who is taking home nearly every head-to-head battle, and it’s not the one most associated with the pinnacle of the sport.

Yes, it’s true the SEC leads every conference with 74 players traveling to the combine this week, 16 more than the Big Ten, according to the NFL. The No. 1 overall pick is likely even from the league, with Ole Miss offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil a near-perfect match for the Tennessee Titans.

But it’s Ohio State, not Alabama, who sent the most players to the combine. Defensive end Joey Bosa may not go No. 1 overall like Tunsil, but he is considered by many to be the best player in this year’s draft. The Tide, by the way, also sat behind Notre Dame in the pecking order of schools, with nine players being poked and prodded by NFL scouts. That’s the same number as UCLA, not exactly known recently for being a draft powerhouse.

Heck, it seemed like social media buzzed more when Christian Hackenberg held a press conference at the same time as former coach Bill O’Brien than it did when the Heisman winner or former No. 1 recruit Robert Nkemdiche took the stage.

Both Ezekiel Elliott and Cardale Jones drew large crowds to their media sessions and were (or will be) front and center when going through drills on the Lucas Oil Stadium turf. Then there’s Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook, a divisive figure it seems, whose leadership qualities and on-field play have been debated far more than just about any other early-round pick.

As for the SEC? Perhaps the most buzzworthy story to come out of interviews during Thursday’s media session was regarding how Arkansas quarterback Brandon Allen grew his hands prior to measurement during medical checks. Behind that, it was likely the press the league doesn’t want in Auburn running back Peyton Barber revealing he declared for the NFL because his mother was homeless.

Elliott, on the other hand, was drawing praise for bringing awareness to domestic violence through his cleats. 

None of those stories trump up the superiority on the field of the SEC all that much. And let’s face it, no matter what incredible numbers Henry puts up, everybody already knew the Heisman-winning tailback was a freak of an athlete anyway.

This is not to draw some grand conclusion and say that the Big Ten is more talented than the SEC this past season. Far from it. The SEC has the lead when it comes to both quality and quantity of talent on the whole compared to their Midwestern brethren.

But this year, at least, it seems as though the buzz is emanating from Big Ten stars at the combine in a sharp contrast to years past, when the SEC could claim yet another offseason national title.

It’s still early in the scouting process, and somebody from the SEC could certainly still steal the show with a blazing-fast 40 or incredible vertical leap over the weekend. For now, though, one league can hold onto some bragging rights in Indianapolis, and it’s not the best league in college football for once.

Bryan Fischer is a national college football columnist for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter at @BryanDFischer.