First things first… football and basketball are two completely different sports.

Basketball coaches usually wrap up their own non-conference schedules just months ahead of their next season.

In football — with much more money on the table — athletic directors handle the non-conference scheduling.  Typically any “big” games are lined up at least a year or two in advance.  Aside from neutral site money games (Atlanta, Arlington, Houston, etc), most all games between BCS-level foes are scheduled three, four, five or more years in advance.

For that reason, it’s much easier to pull off a two-conference “challenge” type event on the hardwood than it is on the gridiron.  There are only 12 football games per season (as opposed to 27-30 regular-season basketball games).  Each one of those 12 games has an enormous impact on an athletic department’s year-end revenue.  And with a playoff on the way, the top-tier games on a school’s schedule will have to locked down for strength of schedule purposes.

All that said, in recent months, with conference realignment talk filling cyberspace and the airwaves, talk of conference challenges and scheduling alliances has still generated more talk than ever among football fans… and between actual conferences.

The Big XII admitted that it had had talks with the ACC about such a scheduling partnership.  Then — just as we suggested on this site — it was learned that some talks between the Big XII and the SEC had occurred as well.

Just this week news broke that the Mountain West and Pac-12 are exploring a possible scheduling deal.  That’s the same Pac-12 that had initially reached such an agreement with the Big Ten.

And what do all of those alliances — Big XII/ACC, Big XII/SEC, MWC/Pac-12, Pac-12/Big Ten — have in common?

Not one of them has actually gone from theory to reality.  Not one.  But they sure look neat on paper, don’t they?

On this site, before John Swofford pulled a grant of rights agreement out of his hat, we suggested that the SEC could help save the ACC — if it wanted to — by agreeing to a scheduling alliance with that league.  The ACC was looking for extra cash — cash that ESPN is now stepping in to provide in an effort to halt further realignment — and a series of neutral site games against SEC squads all branded under a corporate sponsor’s logo would have been worth some nice cash for both the SEC and the ACC.

An ACC/SEC partnership would make sense in non-financial ways, too.  Already Florida/Florida State, Georgia/Georgia Tech and South Carolina/Clemson meet annually.  With Louisville set to join the ACC, the Kentucky/Louisville game would become the fourth built-in tilt between the leagues.  Vanderbilt and Wake Forest just wrapped up a series of games suggesting those two schools could form a fifth partnership.  If those five games remained/became annual events it would leave nine schools from each league — not counting part-time ACC member Notre Dame — to match up on a rotating basis.  The best matchups could be moved to NFL stadiums in Atlanta or Nashville or Charlotte or Washington or Pittsburgh.  ESPN would love it.  In-season “bowl” games.

Just as a random example, imagine the following as one season’s lineup of games:

Not every game would be a winner but even the worst games would beat matchups with FCS squads.  And again, the above is just an example.  (Please, look at the possibilities and don’t get hung up on who we matched with whom and where… this isn’t about the specifics).

In the above scenario there would be a battle between two corps of cadets.  A new border battle.  Extreme North versus extreme South.  A David Cutcliffe Bowl.  Plus some good games between traditionally strong programs.

Slap an AT&T logo on all of them, give them to ESPN (potentially for its SEC and ACC networks) and let everyone rake in the cash.

But that’s just one option for an SEC scheduling alliance.

We also suggested that with the ACC reaching out to the Big XII for a series of games, the SEC could damage Swofford’s league’s chances of survival — if it wanted to — by stealing their dates, so to speak.  Sources claim the Big XII and SEC had some discussions at some level about the possibility of an alliance.  The two leagues have already broken new ground with their co-ownership of the Sugar Bowl.  They’ve also just officially announced a basketball challenge.  If two leagues appear to be getting chummy at the moment, it’s the SEC and the Big XII (ironic considering the moves of Missouri and Texas A&M).

In theory — there’s that word again — the four existing SEC/ACC rivalries could be left intact with the 10 remaining SEC teams lining up games with the 10 squads from the Big XII.

Imagine this draw as a possible slate of games:

Under that plan you’d have Nick Saban coaching against his home state school.  Mike Gundy would face the team whose job he didn’t take.  There would a We-Hate-Tommy-Tuberville Bowl.  There would also be showdown between Bears and Black Bears.  (Sorry, Rebel fans.  It had to be done).

Throw a Dr. Pepper logo on that “SEC/Big XII Challenge” and split the games between ESPN and FOX depending on each game’s location.  Money, money, money for all.

Now, again, not all of those games would be home runs.  They would, however, be infinitely more interesting than the total strikeouts that are Florida versus Georgia Southern, Arkansas versus Samford, Tennessee versus Austin Peay, etc.

So if scheduling alliances look so good on paper, what’s the problem?

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Given the opportunity yesterday to place a headstone above the grave of conference realignment, Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany passed.  “Dead is a strong word” he said when asked about further conference expansion.

That shouldn’t scare anyone.  It’s a “forever” question and a lot can change in a day, a year, 10 years or 20 years.  To say expansion is stone-cold dead means it’s forever dead and that’s not going to be the case…. even though the ACC appears stable at the moment.  Also, Big East, er, American Athletic Conference schools don’t appear to be attractive enough for the Big Ten or others to come calling right now.  But Delany says his league still has its eyes open and when it moves, it will likely move east:

“I can’t speak for others, but we’ve been focused on making a home in a new region (with Rutgers and Maryland), making new members feel at home in this region.  Everything we’ll do competitively and in television and in bowls is to bring, as quickly as we can, a level of comfort.  The Eastern corridor is… the richest corridor in the world from the standpoint of financial institutions, political institutions, media institutions, and we’re new to it.  So if we can build relationships, make friend and be impactful and relevant over time, that’s the goal.

We’re not going to be changing the world, but we are looking forward to doing everything we can to build a presence in that place.”

Whether a conference can thrive as a two-region entity remains to be seen.  And while Delany is correct about the advantages to be found on the Atlantic Seaboard, those advantages haven’t helped the ACC or Big East very much.  The former has been picked clean of its best athletic programs and totally rebranded while the latter now ranks as the poorest league cash-wise among the five remaining major conferences.

Of course, ACC and Big East schools haven’t matched Big Ten schools in terms of size — where 50,000 students on a campus isn’t unheard of — and, therefore, in terms of alumni.  Delany pointed out yesterday that the Big Ten has 1.2 million alumni living between Northern Virginia and New York.  Not bad for a conference that’s not even located in the area.

Delany also said that his league is planning to open up a second conference office — probably in New York — to serve the East Coast.  All for Rutgers, Maryland, and maybe Penn State?

Expansion isn’t dead.  It’s resting.  And at some point — hopefully several years down the pike — it will awake and rise again.  When that happens, it’s clear in which direction the Big Ten will start looking.  If it sees that it can make it as a two-region league.

First thought: The Big Ten knows how to make money.

Second thought: No wonder the SEC is starting its own network.

According to USA Today, the Big Ten’s latest tax return shows that the league pulled in $315 million during its last fiscal year (which ended in June of 2012).  That’s $50 million more than the league made the previous year and $42 million more than the SEC reported during its last fiscal year (which ended in August of 2012).

Additionally, USA Today writes: “The return also showed the league-owned Big Ten Network has progressed from start-up to overall profitability in less than five years.”

The Big Ten co-owns its television channel with FOX.  ESPN owns the new SEC Network and is expected to pay the SEC a licensing fee for content and 50% of profits.  The SEC should see money sooner from its network than the Big Ten did from its channel.

Now let’s tinker with the data USA Today is reporting.  For the fiscal year ending in Summer 2012, both the Big Ten and SEC were 12-school leagues.  With the SEC office taking an equal share — and we assume the Big Ten office does the same — that carves total revenue into 13 units.  Doing a little ballpark math… if the Big Ten made about $42 million more than the SEC during both leagues’ last fiscal year and that revenue was divided into 13 units, the average Big Ten school would have made about $3.2 million more than the average SEC school in 2011-12.

As the Big Ten Network continues to grow, the Big Ten will continue to bring in more loot.  And with the conference expanding to 14 schools eventually stretching all the way to New York City and Washington, DC, it will most certainly continue to grow.

Down South, the new SEC Network could become a billion-dollar-a-year revenue stream for Mike Slive’s league at some point down the road (as is the case with the Big Ten Network and Jim Delany’s league).

So as we’ve written on a number of occasions, new contracts and deals will continue to be cut by networks and conferences over the coming decades, but you can expect the Big Ten and SEC to always remain one-two in terms of revenue among the major conferences.  Who’s on top will depend greatly on whose network grows the largest.

And if you’re wondering how a league with average football in recent years is out-earning the king of the football world in a marketplace driven by football… click here.

Big Ten leaders are trying to be proactive when it comes to scheduling in the soon-to-dawn age of a college football playoff.  The league has already decided to use a nine-game conference schedule beginning in 2016.  In addition, the Big Ten has decided to put down some new guidelines for its schools when it comes to their non-conference scheduling options: no games against FCS opponents and at least one game each year against a team from one of the other major conferences.

Readers of this site know that we are in favor of the SEC doing the exact same thing.

With the Big Ten holding its annual meeting this week, a number of Big Ten personalities opened up about their league’s push to toughen up its scheduling:

“We want to get out of the business of scheduling games that feel like scrimmages to our fans… Football can be pretty boring in September if you don’t create great contests.  We don’t want to be boring.  We want to strengthen the schedule to create more excitement early in the season…. Yes, you’re going to take a few losses, but, ultimately, you’ll become more competitive.” — Michigan AD Dave Brandon

“It’s a little more difficult (to draw fans) with 60-inch TVs and the price of concessions and having to wait in line to go to the bathroom.  We have to do our part for the in-game experience, but who we’re playing is also (important).” — Illinois AD Mike Thomas

“We collaborate a lot.  If we’re looking for a game, does somebody know about one?  Let’s say somebody had a team on their schedule, but for whatever reason, they needed to move the game.  Maybe you call Purdue and say, ‘Hey, I’ve got X.  You looking for a game?’  And maybe you trade-off.  It’s kind of a co-op.  We work together and try to help each other schedule.” – Penn State AD Dave Joyner

For those who missed it, Michigan coach Brady Hoke also got on Notre Dame’s case this week for “chickening out” of future games against his Wolverines.

The Big Ten’s moves to beef up its scheduling — and its loud talk of doing so — should aid Jim Delany’s league moving forward.

First, playing teams from the other major conferences guarantees — in most cases — home-and-home contracts.  That will result in Big Ten football getting exposure in the West and in the South where the population is booming.  Population growth has slowed or stalled in the Big Ten footprint, a point that Delany himself has made when explaining his conference’s decision to expand.  Big Ten teams visiting the Southern or Western states should help on the recruiting front.  With its own talent pool drying up, there couldn’t be a better time for the league to take its show on the road.  And even when Big Ten teams host teams from the ACC, SEC, Big XII or Pac-12, they will still get attention from prospects in the ACC, SEC, Big XII and Pac-12 regions.

Second, going public with its scheduling plans — and doing so very loudly — will help create the perception that the Big Ten is a leader when it comes to non-conference scheduling.  When a selection committee for the new College Football Playoff convenes in 2014, strength of schedule is supposed to be an A-1, top-shelf consideration.  The Big Ten’s self-propelled image as a tough schedulin’ league coupled with a committee that will likely want to bring in teams from all over the country could help Delany’s schools gain invitations.

The old quote attributed to Muhammad Ali comes to mind: “I figured that if I said it enough, I would convince the world that I really was the greatest.”

For SEC fans rolling their eyes at our thumbs-up to the Big Ten, keep in mind that the Big Ten currently makes more money than any other conference while also maintaining the best academic reputation.  All while dealing with a growing talent gap produced by its location in an area of the country that’s being passed population-wise.

SEC fans might not like Delany, but he and Larry Scott of the Pac-12 are progressive, strategic-thinking conference commissioners who must be taken seriously.  Each has made more money for their leagues than anyone thought possible without the benefit of seven BCS titles in a row.  The SEC leaders should take note of what the Big Ten is doing now (as well as keeping an eye on the marketing-minded Scott to the West).  You can be sure that Mike Slive is paying attention.

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With the Big Ten holding meetings in Chicago this week, microphones and cameras have been thrust into the face of commissioner Jim Delany.  Matt Hayes of The Sporting News relates Delany’s reaction to the question of why it’s been important for the Big Ten to add schools located in contiguous states:

“You look at those on the outside (of conferences), and things don’t always hold together.  Schools on the perimeter haven’t held together.  Arkansas was on the perimeter in the Southwest Conference and eventually left for the SEC.  Nebraska was on the perimeter in the Big XII (away from multiple schools in Texas), Maryland was on the perimeter in the ACC (away from multiple schools in North Carolina).  It’s not a coincidence that these things happened.  But again, I don’t think anyone could have predicted what has happened.”

To quote Alice Cooper, these words he speaks are true.  Schools farther from the hub of a league — Nebraska, Missouri and Colorado were not adjacent to the six Big XII schools in Texas and Oklahoma, Maryland was not adjacent to the six ACC schools in the Carolinas and Georgia — are more likely to be lured away by other conferences.

Obviously, other factors are involved other than geography.  In Maryland’s case, the issue was money.  In Nebraska and Texas A&M’s case, weariness of Texas’ domination of league politics played a role.  League strength and wealth also matters as no schools in the Big Ten or SEC — periphery or not — have toyed with leaving their current homes.

At MrSEC.com, we are not believers in fly-over conferences.  If schools on conference borders are more likely to switch leagues, what does that tell you about schools located in states that share no borders with conference mates?  It brought down the expanded Big East and it will likely bring down the reconstituted American Athletic Conference as well (though smaller leagues have an easier time pulling it off because most big leagues aren’t after small schools).  But when it comes to West Virginia’s place in the Big XII?  Unless the Big XII expands, that marriage likely won’t last beyond the current grant of rights agreement.  This is also another reason we believe the Florida State administration was ultimately wise to gauge the SEC’s interest and then sign on to stay put.  Had FSU (or Clemson or Virginia Tech) jumped to the Big XII they’d be just as much of an outside as West Virginia.

As for the SEC schools on the periphery, you can stop worrying.  The SEC makes too much money, has too much strength, and its schools work together too well for Texas A&M, Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, or South Carolina to look elsewhere.

Bob Stoops coached in the SEC many moons ago, when the league was dominated annually by Florida and Tennessee.  So last week when he said the SEC’s repuation as a strong league was a product of “propaganda,” it was easy to say he didn’t know what he was talking about.

But Charlie Weis coached in the SEC in 2011.  He knows the current slobber-knockin’ SEC.  And the Kansas head coach — who like Stoops served as an assistant at Florida — agrees that the SEC ain’t all it’s cracked up to be:

“Do you know the stats?  In the SEC, the record of the good guys and the bad guys?

… I’m just sayin’, you look at the bottom of our league and the bottom of their league, just going based off the numbers, there’s validity in what he said.  I’m just going based off the numbers, I mean, I’m a numbers guy.  Just based off the numbers, you’d have to say (Stoops) has got a point.”

Apparently the argument that the good guys and bad guys are worlds apart is based on the fact that the top six teams in the SEC went 30-0 against the bottom eight teams in the league last year.  And, yep, that’s a pretty ugly nugget for the bottom eight teams to have to swallow.

But in how many leagues can you talk about a “top six?”

The Big Ten over the past decade has basically had Ohio State on top.  Southern Cal and Oregon have owned the Pac-12.  In the Big XII, the league title has gone to Texas or Oklahoma every year since 2004.  By comparison, the SEC hasn’t had a repeat champion since 1998.

Just last season the SEC finished the year with five teams ranked in the top 10 of the AP Poll.  The Pac-12 had two teams.  The Big Ten had one.  The ACC had one.  Notre Dame was also in the top 10.  No Big XII team finished in the AP top 10.

In the Big XII’s case, was that a product of uber-parity or the lack of nationally-strong teams up top?  In the SEC’s case, was the domination at the top due to a weak bottom of the league or superior talent among the frontrunners?  Seven consecutive BCS championships would suggest it had more to do with the strength at the top than weakness at the bottom.

A quick scan of both leagues’ records against the remaining “big five” conferences (plus Notre Dame) shows that Big XII teams went 9-5 against the big boys in 2012 for a .642 winning percentage.  The SEC went 13-6 against teams from the ACC, Big Ten, Big XII, and Pac-12 (plus Notre Dame) for a winning percentage of .684.

But this argument isn’t about numbers.  It’s about SEC fatigue.  Everyone outside the SEC is tired of hearing how strong the conference is – they probably shouldn’t listen to NFL GMs — and they’ll look for any possible excuse to run down the league that’s run up seven BCS titles in a row.

Even if it means coaches from a two-team league attacking a conference that’s only six teams deep.

Get used to it.  As long as the SEC is winning, this talk will continue.  And once the SEC finally loses a national championship game, the “I told ya so” chorus will be deafening.  Be prepared.

SEC Football

1. Is Auburn still shopping for a transfer quarterback? “We’ve got two guys currently, we’ve got three coming in. We feel like all of them can play.”

2. The trial of  former Auburn player Dakota Mosley - who was prominent in ESPN’s coverage of failed synthetic marijuana tests – remains tentatively scheduled for June 10.

3. Auburn assistant coach Dameyune Craig is getting attention for his work on the recruiting trail. (Also see our SEC Recruiting Notebook from earlier today).

4. Nick Saban with an endorsement of a power conference schedule.  He likes what the Big Ten is doing – moving away from playing FCS schools.  “I’m for five conferences – everybody playing everybody in those five conferences.”

5. Jeff Schultz on the Alabama coach : ”When Saban speaks, everybody listens now.” Pat Forde: “There is no longer a viable excuse for the rich not to play a nine-game conference schedule.”

6. Saban updates spring practice injuries – including running back Derrick Henry.

7. Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel and his NFL critics.

8. Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo is guarding against complacency.  ”I’m not the most popular guy with our offensive football team right now.”

9. Tennessee secondary looks thin after the departure of cornerback Daniel Gray.

10. Some marquee non-conference matchups involving SEC teams.

Bob Stoops/SEC

11. David Climer on Bob Stoops’ comments regarding the SEC.  ”The Oklahoma coach is right.”  Top six SEC teams went 30-0 against the bottom eight in 2012.

12. Matt Hayes disagrees: “Last year, the Big 12 had one team in the top 10 of the final BCS regular season poll. The SEC had six.”

13. Joe Walljasper: “Look, we don’t judge the Jacksons on the merits of Rebbie and La Toya.”

14. MrSEC’s take  -  top to bottom –the SEC dominates everyone else come bowl season.

SEC Basketball

15. Long rumored – finally happening. Georgia assistant coach Kwanza Johnson leaving for a job with TCU. Bulldogs only getting Florida, Tennessee and Kentucky on the road next year.  Coach Mark Fox:  ”Those are our biggest draws, and we don’t have that at home, so that’s concerning,”

16. I count five former SEC players on this list of those invited to NBA combine.  One of them is former Mizzou point guard Phil Pressey.

17. The question that will be asked all year – Kentucky or Louisville?

18. Referees could be getting some leeway on players elbowing an opponent above the shoulders. Also some changes coming to the block/charge call.

Extras

19. Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany will be deposed in Ed O’Bannon lawsuit against NCAA.

20. . Concern over a toe was apparently the reason why former Alabama running back Eddie Lacy fell to late in the second round of the NFL draft.

21. Jeff Pearlman: “ Were it not for (Donald) Trump, (Tim) Tebow may very well have a job right now.” (If you’ve ever watched the ESPN documentary-  ”Small Potatoes: Who Killed The USFL?” – you’ll know why Pearlman’s comments make sense.)

For years there’s been talk that some of the richest schools in the country might break away from the NCAA.  Readers of this site know that we’ve tackled that topic — here, here, here, here and here since December alone — and suggested that instead of a full split, it’s much more likely that the richest schools will simply form their own “super-division” within the NCAA.

With the bounty of a new college football playoff on the horizon and new league-owned networks soon to launch, there’s about to be even more distance put between the haves and have-nots.  And that’s got long-time NCAA leaders like outgoing Georgia president Michael Adams saying exactly what we’ve been writing lo these many years:

“It’s gonna accentuate the division between the haves and the have-nots.  I don’t think there’s any question about it.  And you might as well just admit it.  But the divisions already exist that are pretty pronounced.  So I think the 65 schools in the big conferences are going to separate themselves even further from those schools that are not…

I don’t know what you’d call it.  And I think some of those other conferences, like the MAC, like the West Coast Conference, what’s now gonna be Conference USA, those schools bring a lot to the NCAA.  And I think the reality is that the 65 schools are not gonna want to be bound by some of the rules that those other conferences are gonna want to impose on us, like the $2,000 payment to athletes, for instance.  I do think, again, whether you call it all Division I, of sub-divisions, I think that’s something for somebody after me to decide.

But I don’t think now with these big-time programs, particularly when you look at the strength of the Big Ten, the Pac-12, the SEC, I don’t think you’re gonna put those genies back in the bottle.  And you add in the Big 12 and the ACC, those places, they’re going to compete and play and fund at a totally different level.”

As Seth Emerson of The Columbus Ledger-Enquirer points out (click the link above), even SEC commissioner Mike Slive has brought up the potential of a new division being formed if NCAA schools don’t start providing full-cost-of-tuition scholarships to student-athletes.  Of course, he also said that he doesn’t want that to happen, but most people couldn’t hear that over the rattling of his saber:

“I’m not looking for change in the organization.  I’m not looking for new divisions.  But I do feel strongly on this particular issues — and there are a few others — but this one that those of us who want to do that ought to have the ability to do that.  And if we believe that’s in the best interests of the student-athletes, then we ought to be able to do that.  If other leagues don’t do it, then just don’t do it.”

Ah, but not all leagues can afford to pay more cash to players even if they do want to.  Slive knows that.  All of the large conference commissioners, presidents and athletic directors know that.  NCAA president Mark Emmert knows it, too.

This morning, USA Today posted a new study showing that most college athletic departments receive subsidies of one form or another.  Of the 228 public Division I schools in the US, just 23 turned a profit in 2012.  And of those 23, 16 schools received some type of subsidy.

It must be noted that schools cook their books differently.  Apples-to-apples comparisons do not exist, unfortunately.  But it is clear that even if some creative accounting is taking place — Minnesota just happened to bring in and spend exactly $83,619,526, for example — there are still far more athletic departments losing money than there are making money.

There will be no grand exodus from the NCAA.  There is no way that 70-80 schools — we believe some schools outside the biggest conferences will try to keep up with the Joneses — could possibly agree on a brand new organization, new rule book, new enforcement policies, new officers and administrators, etc.

But a world with a super-division of super-rich schools is coming.  With so few schools turning a profit in athletics, there’s no way everyone can provide stipends or full-cost-of-tuition scholarships as leagues like the SEC, Big Ten and Pac-12 desire.  The die has been cast.  The only questions remaining are: When does it happen and who will make the jump?

Yesterday we posted a note regarding the projected payouts for Big Ten schools this spring.  According to The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, those payouts are expected to be north of the $25 million barrier.  It’s the first time that a conference has had so much wealth to share.

After posting said note, we received questions from three people — a comment and a pair of emails — asking how a mediocre football league is raking in so much cash when football is clearly the main revenue stream for conferences today.

That’s easy — Look at the numbers.

The Big Ten Network is a cash cow.  That much everyone knows.  It’s a 51/49 ownership split between the conference and FOX.  It currently stretches across the nation with serious penetration in the Midwest from Nebraska to Pennsylvania.  The additions of Rutgers and Maryland are expected by Big Ten leadership to increase the channel’s cable/satellite penetration into Maryland, the District of Columbia, New Jersey and New York.

For the sake of comparison, let’s look at the number of top 30 television markets that can be found in the footprints of the Big Ten and the SEC.

Big Ten:  New York (#1) coming, Chicago (#3), Philadelphia (#4), Washington DC (#8) coming, Detroit (#11), Minneapolis/St. Paul (#15), Cleveland/Akron/Canton (#18), St. Louis (#21), Pittsburgh (#23), Indianapolis (#26), Baltimore (#27) coming

SEC:  Dallas/Ft. Worth (#5), Atlanta (#9), Houston (#10), Tampa/St. Petersburgh (#14), Miami/Ft. Lauderdale (#16), Orlando/Daytona/Melbourne (#19), St. Louis (#21), Nashville (#29)

First, yes, we credited St. Louis to both camps because the city sits on the border between Missouri and Illinois.  Second, it’s obvious that the Big Ten is home to more big cities.  Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany has referenced on numerous occasions the fact that people in the Rust Belt are currently moving to the Sun Belt — which led his league to expand again — but for now his conference reaches a whole lot of people in some of America’s biggest cities.

Ya know another reason the Big Ten gets such good television contracts for what’s currently a so-so product?  Interest.

Think of it like this — Harvard might not be a big school with big athletics, but you can bet its graduates care about Crimson athletics.  Now consider just how big the schools of the Big Ten are (again, with the SEC used as a comparison).

The following enrollment statistics are from 2012:

It’s not hard to spot the differences between those two lists.  The Big Ten footprint might be losing population, but for now, its schools are cranking out graduates at an unparalleled pace.  In 2012, the current and future Big Ten schools had a total enrollment of 568,460 students.  In the same year, the SEC schools had 418,055 students on campus.  That’s about 150,000 more Big Ten fans cranked out per year than SEC fans.  Over a decade that’s 1.5 million more fans.

Now, the SEC plays better football — attracting national eyeballs — and its fans are fiercely loyal.  That’s how Mike Slive and company keep cutting brain-melting television deals.

But whether Big Ten football is up or down in a given year, there are simply more Big Ten grads and alums running around to follow that conference.  Homestate U. may stink and its conference may be weak, but someone who went to Homestate U. will still tune into his alma mater’s games on television.  That’s how Delany and company keep cutting their own wallet-fattening television contracts.

The quality of football in the SEC allows it to make a ton of cash.  The sheer size of the Big Ten — its schools’ enrollment numbers and its cities’ populations — allow that league to bring in monster bucks.

According to figures obtained from the University of Illinois by The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Big Ten teams will see their annual revenue checks from the conference office cross the $25 million barrier this year.  That makes the Big Ten, once again, the biggest of the big money leagues in college athletics.

The Post-Dispatch reports that Illinois will make $25.7 million this year with $7.6 million of that coming from the league’s Big Ten Network (which is co-owned by FOX).  Last year, Illinois received $24.6 million with $8.1 million coming from the channel.

According to the math done by The Post-Dispatch, if the $7.6 million projection is correct, schools in the league “will have collected $42.5 million from the venture” over its six-year lifespan.

As we first wrote last fall — and as USA Today then followed up with January — SEC schools are expected to make between $30-35 million once its new network, the new playoff system, and the league’s new bowl lineup kick off over the next couple of years.  Currently, SEC schools make in the $20-21 million range.

Like the SEC, Big Ten schools will also see a boost from the new playoff and from their own league’s new bowl deals.  The Big Ten Network will also benefit from recent expansion moves stretching the league into Maryland, the District of Columbia, New York and New Jersey.

The bottom line on bottom lines is this — In 10 years, the SEC and Big Ten will still be neck-and-neck with each other and leading the way in revenue… well ahead of any other conferences.