One of the biggest debates in College Football over the past decade or two, which conference is better? The Big Ten or the SEC? The SEC has dominated for the past decade or so but the Big Ten has slowly been closing the gap. Here we will look at the conferences and how each teams best teams would fare against the others. We used this weeks conference power rankings and had the #1 teams face off, #2 teams face off etc. With that being said we also want to hear from you and see who you would pick in a head to head match up assuming it was on a neutral field. Catch my breakdown and my predictions below and click below to vote on each match up.
#1. Ohio State vs Bama - This may be the national championship preview or at least a college football playoff match up. Both teams have rolled so far but besides Ohio State going to Penn State which was a tough win neither team has faced a real challenge yet. Bama sure looks good but Ohio State is getting better and better each week with Dwayne Haskins. By the end of the year the gap may be closer but I think Bama is still the better team, if they played today I would take Bama in a higher than expected score: Alabama 31-20
#2. Penn State vs Georgia. This one would be one heck of a game. Georgia like Alabama really hasn't had a tough test so its hard to get a read on them. They seem to have more weapons offensively and their defense probably gets a slight edge over Penn State. I could see this one going either way but I like Georgia 28-24.
#3. Wisconsin vs Florida. Florida has been a surprise in the SEC and coming off of a big win over LSU they are starting to roll. Wisconsin has been a questionable team so far with that loss to BYU but are still very talented. I think Florida may be the better team in 2 months but there are still questions I have about the Gators. Right now I would take Wisconsin 20-14.
#4. Michigan vs LSU. LSU, like Florida has been a surprise this year in the SEC and Michigan has bounced back nicely since the week 1 loss to Notre Dame. That loss doesn't look as bad since Notre Dame has been rolling and Michigan has gotten very hot. I think both defenses are solid but Michigan's offense looks a little better at this point. At this point in the season I like Michigan 24-20
#5. Iowa vs Kentucky. This one is a tough one but would be a great match up to see. Kentucky with a tough loss this week and Iowa with a tough loss to Wisconsin a few weeks ago but both teams have been solid besides that. This is probably a coin flip at this point but I'll give the edge to Kentucky since they seem to have a few more weapons on offense. Kentucky 28-27
#6. Maryland vs Texas A&M. This is the spot where I think the SEC starts to separate themselves. Maryland somehow beat Texas week 1 which looks like a really good win at this point. Besides that Maryland hasn't done much. Texas A&M has been up and down as well but the downs have not been as bad so I give the edge to the Aggie's. Texas A&M 34-21.
#7. Michigan State vs Mississippi State. Heading into the season this would probably be the match up of the 3rd or 4th ranked teams but both MSU and MSU have been a bit of a disappointment this year. Mississippi State has looked rough on offense and Michigan State has yet to look sharp. Both teams have talent to compete with pretty much anyone in their conferences but have yet to figure it out. This one could go either way but I like Michigan State 20-17.
#8. Indiana vs South Carolina. These two teams are both sorta stuck in the middle. Talented but not enough to be competing with the "Big Boys" of the conferences. Each team has shown spurts of being good this year but still are missing a few pieces. I think I give the edge to the gamecocks because of Jake Bentley and the SC offense. South Carolina 41-34
#9. Northwestern vs Auburn. Auburn has taken quite a fall the past few weeks with their offense basically being non-existent. Northwestern is 2-1 in conference but lost to Duke and Akron out of conference. Each team were expected to be a little better than what they have done so far. I think Auburns defense is still very good and if they can figure out how to score they can get back to the top, in this match up I think the Auburn defense is the difference. Auburn 20-10
#10. Minnesota vs Missouri - Each of these teams are probably about a year or two away from competing with a lot of young talent and potentially bright futures. Missouri has a great QB in Drew Lock but little around him. Minnesota has a great young coach in PJ Fleck who is trying to turn around the program here. I think either team could win this but Drew Lock would be the difference as an Elite QB. Missouri 38-31
#11. Illinois vs Ole Miss. Ole Miss is still recovering from the mess that Hugh Freeze left them and Illinois is trying to revitalize their program under Lovie Smith. Illinois has shown flashes of the future and could be a year or two away from being competitive again. Ole Miss nobody really knows especially with the sanctions from the NCAA. I think I like the Illini in this one as they have been a little bit more competitive against the better competition. Illinois 41-35
#12. Purdue vs Vanderbilt. Purdue took a big step forward last year after winning a bowl game in the first year under new head coach Jeff Brohm. The Boilermakers have been a bit of a disappointment so far in a season in which people had high expectations. They still have talent and could make some noise but they need to put it together. Vandy seems to be back to the ole days of Vandy and are back at the bottom of the SEC after a few years of being competitive. I think Purdue is the more talented and better coached team here. Purdue 28-20
#13. Nebraska vs Tennessee. 20 years ago this would have been the match up of the #1 or #2 teams in the conference. Oh how things have changed for these stories programs. Both struggling under first year head coaches and have a long way back. Tennessee has more talent than Nebraska at this point and I think that would give them the edge in an ugly game. Tennessee 21-17
#14. Rutgers vs Arkansas. This one would be a rough game to watch. Arkansas and Rutgers have been two of the worst teams in the nation when you talk about power 5 teams. Arkansas played a competitive game against Texas A&M and put up 31 on Alabama last week which shows signs of promise. Rutgers is just bad. To put it in persepctive they were blown out by Kansas. Arkansas 30-20
Overall I still think the SEC has a slight edge over the Big Ten, I have the SEC going 9-5 in this one. I could see the Big Ten stealing one more and making it 8-6 if one of those coin flip games could swing their way.
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