From an Alabama/SEC fanboy analyst
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In 2014, Paul Finebaum authored a book titled My Conference Can Beat Your Conference: Why the SEC Still Rules College Football.
Two years later, it's looking like it might be time for a follow-up.
Or a retraction.
Says who?
Finebaum, himself.
"Right now, repeat after me, read my lips: The Big Ten is the best conference in college football," Finebaum said during a Monday appearance on ESPN's College Football Live.
Understand that Finebaum's making such a statement carries a certain level of gravitas in the college football world.
An observer of the SEC since his time as an Alabama football columnist in the early 1980s, Finebaum has become synonymous with the conference. One of the central figureheads on ESPN's SEC Network, Finebaum has been hesitant to praise the Big Ten in the past—at least with the same enthusiasm he exudes while touting his home turf.
"I think you know where I live and what waters I swim in," Finebaum said moments prior to making his pro-Big Ten proclamation.
But sometimes, as Finebaum conceded, facts are too much to overcome.
Lance King/Getty Images
One-fourth of the way through the 2016 regular season, no league has found as much success as the Big Ten. Entering the start of conference play, the Big Ten lays claim to a national-best 30-8 overall record, including an impressive 8-3 mark against fellow Power Five programs.
Comparatively, the SEC, ACC and Pac-12 each possess records of 5-5 against Power Five programs, while the Big 12 is just 3-6. Counting just FBS opponents, the Big Ten's .800 winning percentage also stands as the country's best, topping the SEC's .708 mark.
As a result, four Big Ten teams—No. 2 Ohio State, No. 4 Michigan, No. 8 Michigan State and No. 11 Wisconsin—make up the first 11 programs listed in the most recent Associated Press Top 25 poll. In that same stretch, the SEC features just two teams—No. 1 Alabama and No. 10 Texas A&M—the same number both the Pac-12 and ACC tout.
"You can't argue it," Finebaum said of his claim that the Big Ten is the best conference in college football.
There are, of course, holes that can be poked in such a statement.
While the Big Ten's presence in the polls is apparent, its total of five teams in the Top 25—including No. 20 Nebraska—still trails the SEC, which features eight Top 25 squads. The ACC also maintains a steady presence with four teams, while the Pac-12 and Big 12 are each represented by three schools.
Therein lies the problem of comparing conferences: There's no clear-cut criteria for doing so. Whereas one league might be more top-heavy with national title contenders, another might be deeper from top to bottom, creating more of a gauntlet for its best programs to run through.
The Big Ten can claim the former, as you'd be hard-pressed to find another conference with more national title contenders. And while the Buckeyes, Wolverines, Spartans and Badgers will each play each other in round-robin fashion this season, the Big Ten has all but locked up a spot in the College Football Playoff for the third consecutive campaign.
"I would say that the champion of our league probably gets in the playoffs because of it," Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio said in reference to the league's new nine-game conference schedule.
"I think it's gonna give us more credible conference scheduling and things of that nature. Whoever the champion is in the Big Ten conference, providing they not lose two games—possibly even two [losses] gets you in depending on everybody else...I do think they have an excellent chance of getting in."
Jackson Laizure/Getty Images
The SEC and ACC appear on track for a guaranteed playoff spot, although their likely representatives are already limited to three teams apiece. The SEC's lone championship contender could be the winner of the Oct. 22 matchup between Alabama and Texas A&M, given the losses LSU and Ole Miss have already endured.
While Georgia, Florida and Tennessee each remain undefeated, none of the three has the look of a legitimate playoff contender, as evidenced by their collective failure to crack the Top 10.
In the ACC, both No. 3 Louisville and No. 5 Clemson have asserted themselves as bona fide championship contenders, and No. 15 Miami (Fla.) looms as a potential surprise. Without a conference championship game giving it the benefit of the doubt, the Big 12's last playoff hope already appears to be No. 16 Baylor, although at 2-1, No. 21 Texas could re-emerge in the playoff picture.
Meanwhile in the Big Ten, the winner of the East Division—be it Ohio State, Michigan or Michigan State—will likely have a playoff spot on the line in the conference championship game, as could the West Division representative, depending on how Wisconsin's and Nebraska's regular-season records fare.
Simply put, no other league in America still possesses as many realistic championship contenders three weeks into the season as the Big Ten.
"It's legit," Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer said of the Big Ten East's strength. "I was shocked when I came here in 2012, the amount of disrespect for the Big Ten, nationally. Then you looked, and I don't want to say it was deserved, because that's harsh, but then you look at the draft picks, the recruiting cycles, you never saw Big Ten teams in the Top Five, the Top 10, and now you're seeing it."
Chris Graythen/Getty Images
As for the argument that a deeper league, such as the SEC, still deserves top billing, that's what makes the out-of-conference portion of the Big Ten's season so important. The league didn't just hold its own against the other Power Five conferences, it dominated them, proving that any success it finds the rest of the way is far from a fluke.
Like it or not, thanks to its strength at the top, the Big Ten looks like the best conference in America.
Even Paul Finebaum says so.
Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Big Ten lead writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod.
Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained firsthand. Recruiting and class ratings courtesy of 247Sports' composite ratings.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...om&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=editorial
===============================
In 2014, Paul Finebaum authored a book titled My Conference Can Beat Your Conference: Why the SEC Still Rules College Football.
Two years later, it's looking like it might be time for a follow-up.
Or a retraction.
Says who?
Finebaum, himself.
"Right now, repeat after me, read my lips: The Big Ten is the best conference in college football," Finebaum said during a Monday appearance on ESPN's College Football Live.
Understand that Finebaum's making such a statement carries a certain level of gravitas in the college football world.
An observer of the SEC since his time as an Alabama football columnist in the early 1980s, Finebaum has become synonymous with the conference. One of the central figureheads on ESPN's SEC Network, Finebaum has been hesitant to praise the Big Ten in the past—at least with the same enthusiasm he exudes while touting his home turf.
"I think you know where I live and what waters I swim in," Finebaum said moments prior to making his pro-Big Ten proclamation.
But sometimes, as Finebaum conceded, facts are too much to overcome.
One-fourth of the way through the 2016 regular season, no league has found as much success as the Big Ten. Entering the start of conference play, the Big Ten lays claim to a national-best 30-8 overall record, including an impressive 8-3 mark against fellow Power Five programs.
Comparatively, the SEC, ACC and Pac-12 each possess records of 5-5 against Power Five programs, while the Big 12 is just 3-6. Counting just FBS opponents, the Big Ten's .800 winning percentage also stands as the country's best, topping the SEC's .708 mark.
As a result, four Big Ten teams—No. 2 Ohio State, No. 4 Michigan, No. 8 Michigan State and No. 11 Wisconsin—make up the first 11 programs listed in the most recent Associated Press Top 25 poll. In that same stretch, the SEC features just two teams—No. 1 Alabama and No. 10 Texas A&M—the same number both the Pac-12 and ACC tout.
"You can't argue it," Finebaum said of his claim that the Big Ten is the best conference in college football.
There are, of course, holes that can be poked in such a statement.
While the Big Ten's presence in the polls is apparent, its total of five teams in the Top 25—including No. 20 Nebraska—still trails the SEC, which features eight Top 25 squads. The ACC also maintains a steady presence with four teams, while the Pac-12 and Big 12 are each represented by three schools.
Therein lies the problem of comparing conferences: There's no clear-cut criteria for doing so. Whereas one league might be more top-heavy with national title contenders, another might be deeper from top to bottom, creating more of a gauntlet for its best programs to run through.
The Big Ten can claim the former, as you'd be hard-pressed to find another conference with more national title contenders. And while the Buckeyes, Wolverines, Spartans and Badgers will each play each other in round-robin fashion this season, the Big Ten has all but locked up a spot in the College Football Playoff for the third consecutive campaign.
"I would say that the champion of our league probably gets in the playoffs because of it," Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio said in reference to the league's new nine-game conference schedule.
"I think it's gonna give us more credible conference scheduling and things of that nature. Whoever the champion is in the Big Ten conference, providing they not lose two games—possibly even two [losses] gets you in depending on everybody else...I do think they have an excellent chance of getting in."
The SEC and ACC appear on track for a guaranteed playoff spot, although their likely representatives are already limited to three teams apiece. The SEC's lone championship contender could be the winner of the Oct. 22 matchup between Alabama and Texas A&M, given the losses LSU and Ole Miss have already endured.
While Georgia, Florida and Tennessee each remain undefeated, none of the three has the look of a legitimate playoff contender, as evidenced by their collective failure to crack the Top 10.
In the ACC, both No. 3 Louisville and No. 5 Clemson have asserted themselves as bona fide championship contenders, and No. 15 Miami (Fla.) looms as a potential surprise. Without a conference championship game giving it the benefit of the doubt, the Big 12's last playoff hope already appears to be No. 16 Baylor, although at 2-1, No. 21 Texas could re-emerge in the playoff picture.
Meanwhile in the Big Ten, the winner of the East Division—be it Ohio State, Michigan or Michigan State—will likely have a playoff spot on the line in the conference championship game, as could the West Division representative, depending on how Wisconsin's and Nebraska's regular-season records fare.
Simply put, no other league in America still possesses as many realistic championship contenders three weeks into the season as the Big Ten.
"It's legit," Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer said of the Big Ten East's strength. "I was shocked when I came here in 2012, the amount of disrespect for the Big Ten, nationally. Then you looked, and I don't want to say it was deserved, because that's harsh, but then you look at the draft picks, the recruiting cycles, you never saw Big Ten teams in the Top Five, the Top 10, and now you're seeing it."
As for the argument that a deeper league, such as the SEC, still deserves top billing, that's what makes the out-of-conference portion of the Big Ten's season so important. The league didn't just hold its own against the other Power Five conferences, it dominated them, proving that any success it finds the rest of the way is far from a fluke.
Like it or not, thanks to its strength at the top, the Big Ten looks like the best conference in America.
Even Paul Finebaum says so.
Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Big Ten lead writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod.
Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained firsthand. Recruiting and class ratings courtesy of 247Sports' composite ratings.
Go b1g!
