With Nebraska, Will the Big 10 Challenge SEC Dominance?

With the addition of Nebraska, will the Big 10 challenge the SEC as the strongest conference in college football?  Nebraska, which joins the Big 10 in 2011, brings along five National Championships and is one of only seven 1A programs with 800 wins.

The SEC, which has won the last four BCS Championships and 50 percent of all BCS Championships, has proved it belongs in a class by itself. 

The SEC's reign as college's strongest conference has not been challenged for a long time, but with the excellent performance by the Big 10 in 2009, and the addition of the Cornhuskers, the Big 10 could make a run at them.

HOW THEY FINISHED IN 2009

The following are the results of the 2009 USA TODAY Coaches Poll:

1.  Alabama    3.  Florida    5.  Ohio St    7.  Iowa    8.  Penn St    14.  Nebraska    16.  Wisconsin    17.  LSU    21.  Mississippi    31.  Auburn    32.  Georgia    36. Arkansas    41. Northwestern

2010 PRESEASON RANKINGS

The following are the consensus 2010 preseason rankings:

1.  Alabama    2.  Ohio St    4.  Florida    5.  Nebraska    8.  Wisconsin    10.  Iowa      18. Arkansas    20.  Penn St    21.  LSU     23.  Georgia     25.  Auburn

WHICH CONFERENCE HAS BETTER MID RANGE SCHOOLS

Not every team can make it into the top 25 but some will be close:  In 2010 the SEC will have more teams likely to finish in the upper half of the 26-50 range than the BIG 10.

South Carolina, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Kentucky are SEC teams that could hover around, or beak into the top 25. Mississippi St and Vanderbilt do not figure to be in this group.

Michigan St, Northwestern, and Michigan are Big 10 teams that could get near the top 25, while Purdue, Illinois, Minnesota, and Indiana are not.

COACHING WILL BE A BIG FACTOR

One of the things that makes the SEC so dominant is coaching.  For a long while the SEC, along with being the nation's no. 1 conference, has had the best coaches.

Alabama's Nick Saban and Florida's Urban Meyer top everyone's list of top coaches.  Ohio State's Jim Tressel is in this group also.

The SEC has a lot of good coaches like Arkansas' Bobby Petrino, Mississippi's Houston Nutt, Auburn's Gene Chizik, LSU's Les Miles and Georgia's Mark Richt.

Saban and Meyer have each won two National Championships.  Miles and South Carolina's Steve Spurrier have each won one.

Iowa's Kirk Ferentz, Nebraska's Bo Pelini, Northwestern's Pat Fitzgerald, and Wisconsin's Bret Bielema are some of the better coaches in the Big Ten.  And Penn State's Joe Paterno—what can one say about Paterno that hasn't been said before?

Paterno has won two National Championships and Tressel has won one.

Four Coaches in the Big 10 are on the hot seat.  Indiana's Bill Lynch, Illinois' Ron Zook, Minnesota's Tim Brewster, and Michigan's Rich Rodriguez have to produce in 2010 or they'll likely lose their jobs.

Some might disagree but I think the SEC's Spurrier can't afford another 7-6 season.  He's been at South Carolina five years all ready and his conference record is 18-22.

WHICH TEAMS WILL IMPROVE IN THE FUTURE?

Which of these two conferences can raise the level of their weaker members? 

Obviously Michigan isn't going to stay down for long, and I'd say the same thing about Tennessee.

Will Purdue or Illinois become competitive again?  It's hard to say.  Will Vanderbilt ever become a good football team?  Probably Not.

WHICH CONFERENCE WILL DOMINATE IN THE FUTURE?

As it stands, with both conferences having 12 teams, it looks like the SEC is still the dominant football league.

The SEC has taken its great tradition and enhanced it to the point where they are clearly the strongest and deepest conference.

The Big 10 is likely to improve and there will be years when they are no. 1, but they will have to go some to steadily get to the same level of the SEC.

Starting in 2011 the Big 10 will have its first Conference Championship game.  This could create more interest but it may not do much for the quality of their teams.

And the Big Ten doesn't have to worry too much about winning because the Big Ten Network has become so profitable.  Television revenue is an area where the Big 10 will over ride the SEC.

The SEC television contracts are huge and growing, but they will not bring in the kind of money that the Big Ten Network does.

If the Big Ten can use the large profits they make from the BTN, and channel them into upgrading their football programs, the conference might improve its quality of football, but they will have to go a ways before they'll be able to challenge the dominance of the SEC.