College Football 2011: Which Conference Is Dirtier, the SEC or Big Ten?

It's time to get nasty.

We're talking SEC nasty. Or is that Big Ten nasty?

A year ago it would have been easy to answer that question. Thanks to Jim Tressel and Ohio State's players making money selling everything from autographs to memorabilia, the Big Ten has jumped right into the middle of the conversation.

OSU's fans are as passionate as any in the SEC, so therefore you get a fanbase who wants to do things for their team that don't always jive with the NCAA.

Let's not forget that the SEC has a long history of playing in the gray area of NCAA rules...and sometimes just obliterating the rules.

So with all that we know of today, which one is dirtier.

Let's do a comparison.

History of Cheating: SEC

Since 1990, more than half of the SEC football programs have faced NCAA sanctions for major violations.

The SEC has a history of "questionable" recruiting practices, which includes allegations of paying players and helping top prospects get the necessary score on the SAT. Just read what Terry Bowden said about the Auburn program when he took over in 1993.

Bowden claims there was a detailed system of paying star high school players around $10,000 to $15,000 if they signed with Auburn. He also alleged the pay-for-play program was run by connected Auburn Board of Trustee Bobby Lowder.

Bowden also pointed the finger at legendary Auburn coach Pat Dye.

Auburn isn't alone in the SEC.

How about Charley Pell with Florida in the early 1980s?

Pell was fired in 1984 amid serious allegations from the NCAA, which eventually determined the coach and his staff committed 59 infractions. Florida was place on two years of probation.

Tennessee served a two-year sentence following violations by former coach Johnny Majors, and of course there was Jackie Sherrill at Mississippi State.

While Sherrill was never found guilty of any NCAA violations, Mississippi State was placed on four years probation after he left.

This is just a short summary of issues with the SEC.

Many of the SEC's biggest boosters are so wealthy they don't mind slipping a player some spending money or direct them to a good deal on a car.

History of Cheating: Big Ten

While the SEC's violations are well documented, the Big Ten has a history of skirting the NCAA's rules as well.

Michigan State also has a storied history of cheating, going back to the days of Duffy Daughtery. The Spartans were found guilty of major violations in the 1950s and was eventually placed on probation for three years.

The Spartans continued to have some issues under George Perles. In 1994, it was discovered that Michigan State had some issues with grade tampering. Perles was fired during the 1994 season and the president made the Spartans forfeit their five victories for that season.

Of course, now there are the recent transgressions of Ohio State's former head coach Jim Tressel, as well as current and former players (read on for more).

Like the SEC, not all of the issues are NCAA related.

There's the firing of Ohio State's Woody Hayes after he punched a Clemson player during the Gator Bowl.

Recent Allegations: SEC

All of the Cam Newton talk this fall put a real damper on a stellar season for the quarterback an Auburn.

While his father has admitted to shopping his son around to the highest bidder, Auburn officials say no money ever changed hands.

Tennessee appears to have committed a lot of minor violations (and maybe a big one or two) during Lane Kiffin's one season in Knoxville.

This one goes back a bit, but the actions of Mike DuBose at Alabama in the recruiting of Albert Means in a roundabout way led to Nick Saban coming to Tuscaloosa.

The NCAA was not kind to Alabama and the program went through some tough times as Dennis Franchione left and Mike Shula didn't pan out as the Tide struggled with the sanctions.

If former Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer was still coaching, he'd be jealous of the SEC boosters. In fact, he might actually recruit some of them.

Not every issue in the SEC involves the NCAA.

During Urban Meyer's run at Florida, the Gators had countless legal issues and arrests. Newton originally started at Florida and had his own issues. There is also the investigation into the alleged $100,000 given to former center Maurkice Pouncey.

Then there was Ole Miss courting and eventually taking on Jeremiah Masoli, who was basically pushed out the door by Oregon for his off-the-field transgressions.

Recent Allegations: Big Ten

It started with some free tattoos and has progressively gotten worse.

The Buckeyes appear to be the classic case of "lack of institutional control." If you read the Sports Illustrated article on Tressel it's easy to see you had a man who preached one thing, but did the opposite all in the name of winning.

Then there were the players who traded memorabilia for tattoos and cash. The ring leader appeared to be star quarterback Terrelle Pryor, who has since left the program.

Exiled Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez helped the Wolverines earn their first sanctions from the NCAA. That was the beginning of the end for Rodriguez, who was fired after the 2010 season.

Other recent examples from the Big Ten include:

In 2005, Illinois was placed on a one-year probation for a player receiving improper benefits.

In 2000, Wisconsin suspended 26 players from one to three games for obtaining unpublicized discounts at a shoe store.

Worst Offenders: SEC

If the NCAA decided to hand out the death penalty again, it would likely be dealt to an SEC team first.

SEC teams flirt with the rules, but no team has been as brazen as Auburn.

A lot of it is rumors, but where there's smoke, ah, you know the rest.

Auburn coach Gene Chizik has been adamant that the Tigers did nothing wrong in the recruitment of Cam Newton. OK, let's believe him.

But the problems at Auburn were a hot topic after an HBO Real Sports' feature included some serious allegations from former defensive lineman Stanley McClover, who played for Auburn from 2003-05.

McClover says he received money from Auburn during his recruitment. In fairness, he also called out LSU and Ohio State.

Worst Offenders: Big Ten

Long-term, Michigan State is the Big Ten's worst violator.

However, Ohio State has been the most consistent offender of the past two decades.

While the recent headlines help make the case, there is the Art Schlichter gambling issues and former Heisman winner Troy Smith was suspended for two games for taking $500 from a booster.

Right now, it has to be Ohio State.

Keeping It Clean: SEC

Vanderbilt isn't perfect, but the Commodores are the closest thing in the SEC.

They have the highest academic standards in the conference, which is one of the reasons the SEC has probably kept the Commodores around.

Vanderbilt appears to be making a good-faith effort to become more competitive in the 12-team SEC. The Commodores are way behind everyone else when it comes to spending money on football.

However, Vanderbilt should be proud for running such a clean program.

Keeping It Clean: Big Ten

When it comes to the squeaky clean of the Big Ten it's hard to separate Penn State and Northwestern.

Both programs have class-act coaches and academics are important.

Now football is a bigger priority at Penn State and the Nittany Lions have a stronger tradition of winning, but Joe Paterno has established a standard that remains the same today as it did 40 years ago.

Penn State players have had a few incidents with the police over the past five to seven years, but that doesn't take away from remaining clear of the NCAA investigators.

Cheating Coaches: SEC

Auburn fans may love Pat Dye, but if you believe everything Terry Bowden had to say about the former coach then it's hard to go with anyone else.

Dye had a lot of competition, but he's NCAA Enemy No. 1 in the SEC.

In a 60 Minutes program, Auburn coaches were accused of providing money and other benefits to players while Dye was the coach. Dye was even implicated in the piece.

However, Auburn doesn't seem to care. Dye is still affiliated with the school and current coach Gene Chizik has embraced him.

Auburn even named the football field after him.

Photo: blog.syracuse.com

Cheating Coaches: Big Ten

Maybe because it is so fresh, or maybe because Jim Tressel had a squeaky clean persona, but the former Ohio State coach is now the King of Cheaters in the Big Ten.

OK, the investigation is still ongoing, but even what Tressel has already admitted to puts him on top.

It's almost amazing how far Tressel has fallen. Just a year ago, he would have probably been No. 1 or 2 in most respected coaches in the conference.

Now he's a punchline and a disgrace.

And the Winner Is...

Despite the Big Ten's best efforts, the SEC is still the clear-cut winner.

Ohio State's recent actions could eventually pull the Big Ten even closer, but the SEC has been doing this a lot longer than the Big Ten. The competition for players is a bigger deal down south and the fans are more passionate.

When it comes to bending the rules, no one does it better than the SEC. Not even USC and Pete Carroll.