We're at the midway point of the college football season, now, and it's time to take a look across the country to see just which conference is the toughest. Which conferences are top heavy? Which conferences are mediocre? And which conferences are just plain good? Wonder no more, college fans...
1. Big 12
Cream of the crop: #2 Texas (6-0), #8 Texas Tech (6-0)
Solid top 25: Nebraska* (5-1), Colorado (4-2), Texas A&M (4-2)
Bowl bound, but nothing more: Missouri (4-2), Kansas State (4-2)
Hoping for a bowl: Baylor (4-2), Iowa State (3-3), Oklahoma (3-3)
Pretenders: Kansas (3-3)
Bottom of the totem pole: Oklahoma State (3-3)
Only two ranked teams right now, but Nebraska and Colorado have been at different times this year. The top two clash this week in a mega matchup, and this conference could send as many as 9 teams bowling. This is the only conference in the nation which does not feature a team below .500.
2. Big 10
Cream of the crop: ?
Solid top 25: #17 Wisconsin (6-1), #14 Penn State (6-1), #13 Ohio State (4-2), Iowa* (5-2), #21 Michigan State (4-2)
Bowl bound, but nothing more: #25 Minnesota (5-2), Michigan* (4-3), Northwestern (4-2)
Hoping for a bowl: Indiana (4-2)
Pretenders: Purdue (2-4)
Bottom of the totem pole: Illinois (2-4)
There is no super power in the Big 10, and that hurts a bit, but there are 9 teams that will likely be bowl eligable, and the strength of this conference, parity, is its only real weakness. If Penn State, Michigan State, Wisconsin or Ohio State played an SEC or ACC schedule, they'd likely be undefeated, too.
3. SEC
Cream of the crop: #4 Georgia (6-0), #5 Alabama (6-0)
Solid top 25: #19 Florida (5-2), #7 LSU (4-1), #18 Tennessee (3-2), #15 Auburn (5-1)
Bowl bound, but nothing more: N/A
Hoping for a bowl: Vanderbilt
Pretenders: South Carolina
Bottom of the totem pole: Kentucky, Arkansas, Mississippi, Mississippi State
This conference is the most top heavy in the nation. There are two teams that can play with anyone in the country, and three more that are tough as well. Then again, four teams are below .500 and helping keep the good teams' records looking good.
4a. ACC
Cream of the crop: #3 Virginia Tech (6-0)
Solid top 25: #10 Florida State (5-1), #6 Miami (FL) (5-1), #24 Virginia (4-2), #11 Boston College (6-1)
Bowl bound, but nothing more: Maryland (4-2), Clemson (3-3), Georgia Tech (4-2)
Hoping for a bowl: NC State (3-3)
Pretenders: N/A
Bottom of the totem pole: North Carolina (2-5), Duke (1-6), Wake Forest (2-5)
Va Tech is outstanding, and FSU, Miami and B.C are always threats, but after those teams, the quality drops significantly. This is a conference that always seems to give us some head-scratching upsets towards the end of the year, so stay tuned.
4b. Pac-10
Cream of the crop: #1 USC (6-0)
Solid top 25: #9 UCLA (6-0), #16 Oregon (6-1), #23 California (5-2)
Bowl bound, but nothing more: Oregon State (4-2)
Hoping for a bowl: Stanford (3-2), Washington State (3-3)
Pretenders: Arizona State (2-4)
Bottom of the totem pole: Arizona (1-5), Washington (1-5)
This is another top heavy conference, featuring the best team in the land. UCLA is still undefeated, but there are lingering questions. Three more teams seem like solid bowl teams, but the rest of the conference has had some hideous moments.
6. Big East
Cream of the crop: N/A
Solid top 25: #20 West Virginia (6-1), Louisville* (4-2)
Bowl bound, but nothing more: Connecticut (4-2), Rutgers (4-2)
Hoping for a bowl: South Florida (3-3)
Pretenders: Cincinnati, Pittsburgh (3-4)
Bottom of the totem pole: Syracuse (1-5)
West Virginia is emerging, while Louisville's situation is bipolar. Rutgers is a feel good story that might continue, and Connecticut is proving that Dan Orlovsky was not the whole team. No one else is really going to do much.
7. Mountain West
Cream of the crop: N/A
Solid top 25: #21 TCU (6-1)
Bowl bound, but nothing more: New Mexico (4-3), Wyoming (4-3)
Hoping for a bowl: Colorado State (3-3)
Pretenders: BYU (3-3), San Diego State (3-4), Air Force (3-4), Utah (3-4)
Bottom of the totem pole: UNLV (2-5)
TCU has had some big moments so far, and is the lone ranked team. New Mexico and Wyoming both have the talent to make things interesting, while Colorado State can never be counted out. Other than that, not too impressive.
8. MAC
Cream of the crop: N/A
Solid top 25: Toledo (5-1)
Bowl bound, but nothing more: Bowling Green (4-2)
Hoping for a bowl: Central Michigan (4-3), Northern Illinois (3-3), Miami (OH) (3-3), Akron (3-3)
Pretenders: Eastern Michigan (3-4), Western Michigan (3-3)
Bottom of the totem pole: Ohio (2-4), Kent State (1-5), Ball State (1-5), Buffalo (0-6)
This has been a bit of a down year for the MAC, but legit talent and a couple of solid teams remain. Toledo and Bowling Green could make for interesting bowl teams, and at least one other team will likely get a bid, but overall this conference is very average.
9. Conference USA
Cream of the crop: N/A
Solid top 25: N/A
Bowl bound, but nothing more: UTEP (4-1), Tulsa (4-3), Southern Miss (3-2)
Hoping for a bowl: Central Florida (3-3), Memphis (3-3)
Pretenders: East Carolina (3-3) Marshall (3-3), UAB (3-3), Houston (3-3), Tulane (2-3)
Bottom of the totem pole: SMU (2-5), Rice (0-5)
Mediocrity reigns in C-USA this year, but Mike Price just might have something going at UTEP. Tulsa continues to make strides, and Southern Miss has a shot at a bowl, but after that there are 7 teams that are hovering around .500 and not looking to be on the upswing.
10. WAC
Cream of the crop: N/A
Solid top 25: Fresno State* (4-1)
Bowl bound, but nothing more: Boise State (4-2), Nevada (4-2)
Hoping for a bowl: N/A
Pretenders: Louisiana Tech (2-3), Hawaii (2-4)
Bottom of the totem pole: Utah State (2-3), San Jose State (1-5), Idaho (1-5), New Mexico State (0-7)
The WAC has more potential at the top than the MAC, MWC or C-USA, but the bottom falls out after the top trio. Fresno has made a run at the top 25, and Boise State is the Gonzaga of mid-major college football, but there is little else to be excited about.
* = top five among non-ranked teams receiving votes
