Two factors often are overlooked in Big Ten-vs.-SEC analysis.
The first is that many SEC teams consider a road trip to be a visit to the corner store. SEC teams traveled 42,141 miles for non-league road games from 1998-2007, according to thewizofodds.com. That ranked last among the 11 conferences. The Big Ten logged 107,881 miles, good for fifth.
So the leagues' disparity in non-conference record last season (40-8 for the SEC, 35-9 for the Big Ten) deserves an asterisk. Just 17 percent of those SEC games were played at road or neutral sites, compared with 27 percent for the Big Ten.
LSU won't have to leave Tiger Stadium this season to complete its non-conference slate of Appalachian State, Troy, North Texas and Tulane.
Last year the Tigers traveled once — to New Orleans, 80 miles away — to play Tulane.
And as for bowl games, did we mention where the BCS title game was played? At the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. Michigan beat Florida in Orlando, Penn State edged Texas A&M at the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio while Illinois got crushed in Pasadena, 12 miles from USC's campus.
"We play these games in their backyard," Delany said recently.
Two years ago Big Ten coaches discussed initiating a series with the SEC, like the Big Ten/ACC Challenge in basketball.
"I'd be all for something like that," said Bielema, whose Badgers have played SEC teams in five straight bowls, going 2-3.
But good luck getting a home-and-home series. Five SEC teams played no non-league road games last season. Only Mississippi State left campus more than once.
