It’s a shame the SEC and Big Ten don’t play more football games against each other. Two great conferences, with great football traditions and history. It would make for some great games. But, many of the schools have never played each other. More often then not, when they do play, it’s in a post-season bowl.

The Big Ten is composed of the:

1. Ohio State Buckeyes


2. Michigan Wolvereens


3. Wisconsin Badgers


4. Purdue Boilermakers


5. Minnesota Gophers


6. Indiana Hoosiers


7. Northwestern Wildcats


8. Iowa Hawkeyes


9. Illinois Fighting Illini


10. Michigan State Spartans


11. Penn State Nittany Lions

Over the years, there is little doubt that biggest rivalry between college football conferences has been between the Big Ten and the SEC. It probably has something to do with the fact that the two conferences probably embody America's North vs South rivalry more than any others. The SEC is the only Division I college football conference made up entirely of colleges from States that were part of the Confederacy (Kentucky being the sole, debatable, exception). The members of the Big Ten come from unquestionably Northern States.

Maybe that has something to do with it. The other thing is that the two conferences are recognized by most college football observers as the two, overall, best college football conferences. Hence, the natural rivalry.

The Florida – Ohio State match-up in the 2006 National Championship game further stoked interest in how the two conferences compare.

Further, the selection by the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) of Florida Gators over Michigan to face Ohio State for the National Championship was very controversial at the time. Why? I don’t know. See The BCS Got it Right.

Then this year we had more BCS controversy and another SEC vs Big Ten match up in College Football's National Championship Game.

So, the rivalry just continues to build.

Overall, we rank the Big Ten as the #3 NCAA Division I college football conference – behind only the SEC and Big 12. The Big Ten has great football tradition and their top programs are among the best in the country (i.e. Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State).

But, the second and third tier Big Ten schools just don’t match up to the SEC. At least that's our take here at SEC Sports Fan.

In any event, the bottom line is, of course, the bottom line record. You will find it is close, but fortunately, for SEC fans – dispositive. So, here is the all-time, head-to-head, Big Ten vs SEC football record (current through the 2007 season).

Get your Fan Merchandise, Tickets, Trips and Rebate.

Obviously, the two conferences are both great football conferences and pretty close over-all. That's why the SEC vs Big Ten debate is so much fun.

If you'd like to see how the SEC and Big Ten compare in bowl wins, go to Top College Football Bowl Conference. And, if you want more "inside football" info about SEC vs Big Ten football stats, check this out: Big Ten vs. SEC All-Time Statistics and You Need to Get Your Football History Facts Straight (as well as the comments on these pages).

Last December, a reader of www.secsportsfan.com e-mailed me and asked if I knew the all-time record of SEC vs Big Ten football.

I looked through my files and couldn’t find the answer. Then I did a "Google" search and still couldn’t immediately find the answer.

Eventually, another reader referred me to Sports Link Network. So, that's where the above information came from.

Of course the devil is in the details. And, the results are only as good as the data that is fed into the calculator.

There are issues of when do you start counting records when one school joins a conference after the others. For instance, Penn State recently joined the Big Ten.

And what if the school once had a very small program that did not resemble its current program? Would you count the wins and losses from back to when it might have only been a club sport? Or, only from when it became a major college football competitor.

The above SEC vs Big Ten football stats are based on historical conference affiliation. This seems the most reasonable criteria. So, it only counts the head-to-head match-ups between SEC schools and Big Ten schools -- when they were in the conference. So, for instance, it would not count Arkansas before they joined the SEC or Penn State before they joined the Big Ten. It would count former members of the conferences -- but only games they played while a member of the conference.

The other way to do it is to look at all-time stats that don't consider previous conference affiliation. In other words, stats that would include all games between current SEC schools and current Big Ten schools -- even including games prior to formation of the SEC in 1932. It would also include games between (for instance) Arkansas and current Big Ten schools prior to Arkansas joining the SEC (or Penn State prior to the Nittany Lions joining the Big Ten).

If you do that, you will find that, including all current Big Ten schools and all current SEC schools, all-time head to head, the Big Ten holds a 94-87-7 advantage vs. the SEC. See Stassen.com.

You'll see some of the conflicting numbers in some of the comments submitted below. I do think it is fair to say that since formation of the SEC in 1932, the SEC has a slight edge. If you go back before that, the Big Ten has a slight edge.

Another treasure trove of college football statistics can be found at College Football Data Warehouse.

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Big Ten vs SEC All Time Stats 
Your stats on the SEC vs. Big 10 all time are completely wrong. If you go to cfbdatawarehouse.com, you will see that the big 10 is the only conference ...

Great Article: SEC #1; Big Ten #2 
This is probably the best, most accurately unbiased article I have ever seen. It is written based on facts and fairly presented. There is no doubt the ...

Ohio State Buckeye's vs SEC 
If my memory serve's me rightthe SEC is 1-8-1 vs THE OHIO STATE BUCKEYE'S in regular season play and 0-9 in bowl game's. And yes i would love to see the ...

OPEN LETTER TO THE BIG 10 - Jim Delaney is a woman!! 
Actually forth place if you go by stats over the last ten years and strength of competion.

The big 10 hasn't had a dominate conference in over 30 years....

South Shows Intelligence 
Im from Dayton. SEC fans have pissed me off over the past few years, mostly because i read the crap on sportsline message boards and youtube comments.

I ...

Big Ten vs SEC -- Neither Are Superior To The Other 
I just find it interesting, that the SEC enjoys a solid few seasons in a row, and all the sudden, they are better than the rest of the world.

If you ...

SEC Is over rated -- Look out for Big 12 in 2008! 
To all SEC fans. Stop bragging about your conference. Your bowl wins were over crappy teams. Here is a little information you might not know. The SEC commissioner ...

SEC is Dominant 
The SEC is clearly the most dominant conference. The Big Ten is so proud of their three wins over the SEC in the bowl when they know good and well that ...

The article "Big Ten vs. SEC: Can't we all just get along?" 
I think the link went dead, but I remember reading it about 2 months back when I came across this site, just surfing for... you guessed it Big Ten vs. SEC ...

Penn State Forever 
Well, so much for the Florida blow-out over Michigan!

The kids playing in the SEC and the Big Ten all play their hearts out......after living and working ...

Michigan vs SEC in Bowl Games 
I'm not sure about your statistical record of games between the SEC and Big Ten, but Michigan is (after the Capital One Bowl game win over Florida today)...

Florida - Michigan Capital One Bowl 
"The Florida - Michigan game should be a blow-out for Florida. I think we all agree on that. That will bring the 5 year record even at 8-8."


Well ...

Big Ten Fan 
Funny that OSU can schedule home and aways with USC, Texas, Oklahoma, the Canes, Va Tech, California et al, but can't get an SEC team to schedule them....

southern bitterness 
I really do think the sec people HATE the north. it must be some LONG standing bitterness about being defeated in a war 150 or so years ago. They pull ...

Funny SEC Football "Top-5" 
1. All SEC schools cheat. This is completely inaccurate. Only the following SEC schools have been on probation in the past 20 years: Alabama, Kentucky,...

Incorrect Stats of SEC vs Big10 
The SEC leads the Big Ten with a 63-45-2 all-time record.

The SEC has a .582 winning percentage versus the Big Ten.




The real stats are: Big10 ...

SEC play games up North? 
sec ever play any games up north?

Editor's Note: -- Sure, Tennessee had a series with Notre Dame; Vandy with Michigan and there's been others. But ...

Who's the Best? Doesn't Really Matter, Does It? 
I will be completely forthright and admit: I am a Lifelong Buckeye Fan.

With that said, I could really care less.

The SEC has good football. The ...

Did Injury to Ted Ginn Jr contribute to Florida's NC victory over Ohio State? 
Don't see this brought up very often. Did the injury to Ohio States star offensive threat Ted Ginn Jr in the opening minutes of the 2006 NC game against ...

you need to get your football history facts straight 
the sec is the best right now look at your history michigan has 11 national titles the golden gofers have 6 the buckeyes have 7 . check your facts you ...

Rivalry? 
First of all, to understand why so many Big Ten fans do not feel there is a rivalry between the Big Ten and the SEC, you must understand that northerners ...

Big Ten Vs. Sec in Bowl Games 
The Sec might lead the Big Ten in all time head to head victories, but, the Big Ten leads in head to head bowl game victories. 91-86-6

I do ...

Your SEC vs Big Ten Bowl Numbers are just plain wrong....here are the true numbers through 2006 
This was prior to last year's bowl games:

All time:
Alabama - 1-0 vs. Illinois, 1-2 vs. Michigan, 0-1 vs. Minnesota, 3-0 vs. OSU, 8-5 vs. PSU, 0-1 ...

Realistic Football Fan 
This site is a riot. So I guess reading this site you would say the Big East was by far the best conference last year huh, followed by the WAC? ... Over ...

I was not aware of an SEC - Big Ten "rivalry" until recently 
As a lifelong Michigan "Wolvereens" (good job with the spelling on that one, by the way) fan, I can honestly say I was not aware there was apparently a ...

PURDUE GRAD 
Since scholarships have been limited, all college football has seen more parity. I would like to see the folowing questions answered:

1) Is it true ...

Bowl Games in South is Advantage for SEC 
One thing I will point out is that the big ten always travels south to play SEC teams in bowl games. Playing in Florida and places like the Sugar Bowl(...

SEC vs Big Ten Football All-Time Record: Nice Work! 
As I sat and watched College Game Day on ESPN this morning, the question of the SEC v. Big Ten All-Time record popped into my head. My internet search ...

Speed is not the biggest difference between SEC vs. Big 10 football 
The biggest difference between SEC and Big ten football teams is SEC teams know how to execute better and know how to WIN football games.

LSU was down ...

The Big Ten is Better than the SEC 
Both conferences are strong, but the Big Ten is better. Not stonger, but better. There is a difference. Looking at all these historic stats that are ...

Recent SEC vs. Big Ten Bowl Record 
I too have been curious about the head to head records of the SEC vs. Big Ten after listening to the SEC proclaim their vast superiority due to their speed ...

SEC vs Big Ten Numbers are Fishy Here 
I, too, wonder where your numbers come from, as another reader has commented. You write, "Of course the devil is in the details. And, the results are ...

Michigan owns the SEC 
Michigan is 6-1 vs. the SEC in bowl games over the last ten years.

Michigan is 20-5-1 vs. the SEC all time.

Great Debate but what about the other college football powerhouses? 
I'm a Big 10 fan and also a admirer of great football TEAMS! Conferences....could care less about.

The best football teams of all time:

Notre Dame
...

Buckeye Bill 
Give me a break. The SEC top to bottom is just like every other BCS conference -- a few good teams, a few mediocre teams and a few bad teams.

Consistently ...

Big Ten Football is Second Tier? 
You say the Big Ten second tier such as Wisconsin is not as good as the SEC? Then tell me wise one why Wisconsin has beaten the SEC teams the last two ...

SEC vs. Big 10 Rivalry Goes Only One Way 
Your statement "that biggest rivalry between college football conferences has been between the Big Ten and the SEC" indicates that you are an SEC fan.

As ...

Top, Bottom, Middle Tiers Comparison in Big Ten vs. SEC 
talking about the lower tiered teams, I don't really see any difference between Vanderbilt, Kentucky, South Carolina, Northwestern, Indiana or Minnesota....

Big Ten Fan: SEC and Racism 
I agree that the SEC is the best top to bottom conference in the country right now, though that advantage will narrow when Rodriguez modernizes Michigan'...

Big Ten Buckeye 
Great website...

I am a Big Ten fan who years ago was finally willing to agree that the SEC has a slight edge over the Big Ten and other conferences ...

SEC will always be the greatest conference BAR NONE 
Thanks for such an informative website. It is encouraging to see someone who is obviously a fan put so much effort into a clearly unbiased review of all ...

Bo's Ghost Yosts Boo 
Bowl records are not convincing because often match ups are with weaker teams from the big ten playing SEC teams which should have been playing in the ...

Big Ten will never dominate SEC 
The Big Ten vs. SEC argument is laughable. Period. Why even discuss it.

The Big Ten is slower...but intentionally so. Would Les Miles and Urban Meyer ...

big ten fan living in sec country 
mich state played acc #2 team they were our sixth team. usc got illinois. (usc should have got the dawgs because a rose bowl or sugar bowl should mean ...

Yeah, keep up the SEC arrogance  Not rated yet
No one could be a bigger fan of the SEC, C Tide in particular, where I am a BR writer for Alabama, but I avoid arrogance. I wrote an article last season,...

SEC Teams need to play up north  Not rated yet
just imagine the record if ANY of these game were played in lambeau, soldiers field, etc,

Ever seen the records of teams home and away SEC fans?

Why ...

I'll Hand it to the SEC, but Big Ten Fans are Better  Not rated yet
I'm not going to lie about this. The SEC is a tough conference full of great teams and I KNOW they are the best conference out there right now.
But they ...

Big Ten Beats SEC in Every Stat   Not rated yet
To whomever wrote the information on this site.

Your own stats on this site don't even match each other when you repeat them twice or more.

Also ...

Northern SEC Fan  Not rated yet
I grew up in northern Indiana. I spent ten years in the south and I realized why the SEC is so supperior as a conference. Here are the four main reasons:...

Buckeye Fan in the South  Not rated yet
Good Article. SEC is certainly deeper right now, and actually has some of my favorite coaches. The tough schedule has helped out the SEC teams in the ...

Big Games only away from Big Ten Country  Not rated yet
I am a Big Ten supporter. I went to a Big Ten school for college, I now go to a Big Ten school for my phd. I have watched Big Ten football and college ...

SEC is 0-9 in bowl games vs. Big Ten?!?!  Not rated yet
What the **** are you talking about? From what I can remember, and correct me if I'm wrong, Ohio State got their ****** handed to them not once but twice ...

No Way Big Ten or Pac-10 Can Stand Up to SEC Schedule  Not rated yet
There is no way the big-10, pac-10 ??? can stand playing week after week against an SEC schedule come on you got Ohio, Michigan thats it then USC thats ...

LSU vs Wisconsin   Not rated yet
I am an LSU fan and I can remember just about all of the LSU vs Big Ten games.

I particularly remember the LSU vs Wisconsin game at Camp Randle Stadium ...

Notre Lame not in Big 10....  Not rated yet
Notre Lame is not a Big 10 team. Penn State has played Alabama many times in the past and has an upcoming home and home with them.

I'd be curious what ...

SEC is dominant because of COACHING!  Not rated yet
I'm a HUGE fan of the SEC & I hear people say all the time that the SEC just has better athletes. I disagree, I think it's better coaching. Lets look at ...

Too Much Mouthing  Not rated yet
The problem is that everybody wants to mouth about something that is hard to prove.

Things to consider:

1. What is the ratio of home games to road ...

Big Ten Fan Agrees -- SEC is usually better  Not rated yet
The SEC is usually better. I can't even comprehend why the Buckeyes are 0-9 in bowls against the SEC. Some of it is just who you happen to play and when....

This is cool!  Not rated yet
I love college football. This is great, a place where we can go back and forth with the banter and show the love of our teams and conferences. I'm a ...

SEC is Faster and Bottom Tier Teams Better  Not rated yet
I live in Pennsylvania and have been a PSU fan my enitre life and vividly remeber the days when Penn state would beat up on eastern schools like WV, Rutgers,...

Thanks for the clarification on how come about the all time records.  Not rated yet
Hey secfan I'm a big Georgia & Michigan fan, I know it's weird call me confused. I submitted a question months ago about how you came up with your numbers,...

Sun Belt Conference was PERFECT in the Bowl Games  Not rated yet
For the record, Florida Atlantic(Sun Belt Conf.) won the New Orleans Bowl 44-27 over Memphis. That means that the Sun Belt Conference was perfect in their ...

Big Ten vs SEC: Very very close  Not rated yet
From what I saw on the television and what I understand, since the BCS started, the Big Ten has beaten the SEC in bowl games by 14 to 13. If that does ...

SEC vs Big Ten Rivalry  Not rated yet
While I will admit that the SEC is stronger top to bottom, the top few teams, year in and year out, have always been very evenly matched(although not so ...

Pac-10 is Equal to SEC and Big Ten  Not rated yet
The Big 10 and the SEC are very close. Please remember that many of these bowl games are virtual home games for the SEC team.

With that said, remember ...

OSU - LSU Let's get it on!  Not rated yet
Every bowl season you have uneven matchups in conference standings. One example this year was; #2 from Big Ten vs #1 Pac Ten (on #1's home field) #3 Michigan ...

SEC is overranked   Not rated yet
I believe that the SEC is a close second to the big ten. I know that you all are saying we won a million bowl games, but the truth of the matter is that ...

Big 10 Went 8-0 in Bowl Games  Not rated yet
The Big 10 went 8-0 in bowl games about 5-6 years ago.

Even if SEC Bowl Record 7-2 -- Left something out...  Not rated yet
"If LSU wins, it will also be the 7th bowl victory for the SEC this year. I don't believe any conference has ever won that many bowl games in one season ...

South Carolina Gamecocks vs Ohio State Buckeyes  Not rated yet
The SEC has been very rude to the ohio state buckeyes in bowl games over the years especially since the year 2000. South Carolina helped the buckeyes launch ...

YPSI Style  Not rated yet
OSU will win by at least 10 and if the SEC is so much better than start winning because obviously as you have stated here in your own column the Big 10 ...

Football forever  Not rated yet
How many times has the SEC played a Big Ten team in a bowl game North of the Mason Dixon Line. Is it fair for the number one rated team to have to play ...

SEC home field advantages in bowl games  Not rated yet
As a Big Ten fan, the one thing that really annoys me listening to commentators compare the conferences is that they don't take into account, year after ...

Wonderful and Informative  Not rated yet
wonderful and informative. it appears that the big ten and it's illustrious history started strong and may have slipped a bit. as long as these two conferences ...

Big Ten = Mediocre teams???  Not rated yet
I just want to comment about your above mentioned mediocracy of the "rest" of the big ten teams. Besides LSU, Florida, and Alabama, give me another SEC ...

It's Good the SEC and Big Ten Don't Play More in Regular Season  Not rated yet
In reality. Both conferences should be happy that they don't play each other in the regular season. If that were the case then you would probably see more ...

The SEC is not better than the Big Ten  Not rated yet
Wow, what a website I've stumbled upon.. The mere fact that this website exists, in an attempt to persuade viewers that "the SEC is the best conference ...

Big Ten or SEC  Not rated yet
OSU/Georgia should be the Nat. Game.
OSU owns Michigan and as we saw, Michigan owned Florida.
LSU/OSU will determine SEC v. Big Ten for this year.

SEC vs Big Ten Stats  Not rated yet
I dont know if your statement about the SEC having a winning record over the BIG 10 only counts Bowl games. If it does you could be right, but the wording ...

florida michigan  Not rated yet
think ya gotta revise some info, you assumed florida would blow michigan out and there for give a 8-8 tie for the past 4 years between conferences, but ...

Greg Auburn University '74  Not rated yet
Wow! Nice work. I've looked for the information on your site for a while, and I'm very happy to have found it. Thank you for your diligence, thoughtful ...

Non-bias facts, the true sec vs big 10 results!  Not rated yet
It's cool that your an sec fan, but you must show the honest stats. Big ten leads sec: 94-87-7. here's your link: http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/...

SEC needs to come north to play more than they do now   Not rated yet
Even with the Big Ten teams usually having to come south for bowl games, the Big 10 has the better head to head bowl record. I think it's 91 to 86 and ...

You'd think the "best football conference" would have a showing here...  Not rated yet
COLLEGE FOOTBALL AWARDS NATIONALLY
(TOP 10)
1. OHIO STATE 36
2. Oklahoma 30
3. Notre Dame 25
4. Southern California 24
5. Nebraska 23
6. Miami ...

Big 10 will always have tradition and high rankings  Not rated yet
Your website is purely based on opinion. Over the years, the SEC has grown to be a powerhouse school. To go ahead and say its the best.....

Q: How ...

Big Ten Fan  Not rated yet
Your site is interesting. I would agree that the Big Ten SEC rivalry is now the biggest in college football regardless of our historical affiliation ...

Do the SEC vs Big Ten Math.   Not rated yet
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowl_Championship_Series

If Wikipedia is correct in their research, since the introducion of the BCS in 1998 the Big Ten ...

SEC vs Big Ten comparison on Comparati.com  Not rated yet
I'm one of those people who actually thought that Ohio State would roll through Florida last year. I'm also one of those people who was absolutely thrilled ...

Just the Facts  Not rated yet
Capital One and Outback Bowls

(Played in Florida every year)


· Capital One
o Big Ten has won last 3
o Big Ten – 6 and 4 last 9 years

· Capital ...

Stats: Both Big Ten and SEC are great  Not rated yet
The Big Ten was 2-1 vs. the SEC in this past season's bowl games.

The Big Ten is 8-6 vs. the SEC in bowl games over the last five years

The Big ...

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