By Matt Smith
SouthernPigskin.com

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The SEC and Big Ten are two of our power conferences. Exactly how much are they alike?

Believe it or not, there is a colder, darker, and much less attractive part of the country known as the Midwest. While many of you cringe at the possibility (rightly so) of having been born in the North, they do play some football up that way. Regardless of your SEC allegiance, there is a comparable Big Ten team who you would cheer for had you been raised in the North.

Alabama – Michigan

Both programs can seem elitist at times, especially amongst their so-called “little brother” schools in their respective states. Few schools have more football tradition (and wins) than these two, and both thought Rich Rodriguez was the answer to their team’s struggles. These teams will open the 2012 season against each other at Cowboys Stadium.

Arkansas – Michigan State

These programs have had their moments in the sun, but are constantly shoved under the radar in deference to the bigger names in their respective conference. Both teams had very successful 2010 seasons and have strong leaders, but now the challenge is to sustain success, which hasn’t been the easiest proposition through the years in Fayetteville and East Lansing.

Auburn-Ohio State

Both teams have been rocked by recent scandals involving cover-ups regarding incidents around their star quarterbacks who wore #2. Both teams are part of arguably the two biggest rivalries in college football, and have dominated those series in recent years (AU 7-2 vs. Alabama, OSU 9-1 vs. Michigan).

LSU-Wisconsin

If you want to party, there are few better places to do so than Baton Rouge and Madison. From bratwursts to gumbo, tailgating is taken very seriously at both places, and their respective stadiums are among the most hostile in the country. On the field, these teams have been very impressive as well in recent years.

Ole Miss-Minnesota

These two U. of M’s made highly questionable coaching fires in the middle of the decade, with the Rebels dumping David Cutcliffe a year removed from winning the Cotton Bowl, and Minnesota giving the heave-ho to Glen Mason after seven bowl trips in eight years. Ole Miss has recovered from the Ed Orgeron mistake, and Minnesota is attempting to move forward now from the Tim Brewster disaster.

Mississippi State-Purdue

Both schools have fine agriculture programs, and both have had limited success on the football field, with both teams peaking in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. Both fly a bit under the radar in their respective states. Joe Tiller brought pizzazz to a fairly boring Boilermakers program in the late 90’s, and Dan Mullen is currently doing the same in Starkville with the Bulldogs, where points were at a premium under Sly Croom.

Florida-Nebraska

If you watched college football in the 1990’s, you heard the names Florida and Nebraska as much as any team, as these two juggernauts accounted for four consecutive national titles in the middle part of the decade. Both fell on hard times in the mid-2000s, but have quickly returned to prominence, and appear to be in great hands under young, energetic leaders in Will Muschamp and Bo Pellini.

Georgia-Illinois

Talent has not been lacking in Athens or Champaign, but the production on the field has at times failed to live up to expectations. Recruiting is not an issue at these two schools, and both had phenomenal 2007 seasons, but have regressed in recent years and both coaches’ futures are tenuous at best after having to make forced coordinator changes prior to the 2010 season.

Kentucky-Indiana

These neighboring schools used to play every year, but ended their series in the early 2000s. Neither school is steeped in football tradition, as both schools much prefer the hardwood to the gridiron. Kevin Wilson and Joker Phillips have brought energy to their programs, but the support will likely never be there to make these programs perennial conference contenders.

South Carolina-Penn State

Joe Paterno and Steve Spurrier are college football icons, and are two of only three active coaches (Dennis Erickson) with national titles on their resume prior to 2000. Both programs entered their respective conference in the early 90’s after being independents, and both have extremely loyal fanbases who pack the house win or lose.

Tennessee-Iowa

Both teams have stadiums named after war heroes, General Robert Neyland and Nile Kinnick. Neither program has been known for their flashiness, but they have been solid and consistent winners through the years. The Vols and Hawkeyes have had to deal with many off-the-field incidents in recent years. Iowa has only had two coaches since 1979, and Tennessee went 32 years from 1977-2008 with only two coaches.

Vanderbilt-Northwestern

The parallels here start in the classroom, as these two schools are far and away the most academically strong universities in their conference. On the field, there have been limited moments of success (more so at Northwestern), but both teams pride themselves on being smart, tough, and doing things the right away, regardless of what the scoreboard says on Saturday afternoons.