Interesting data posted by LJB, but note that it also correlates with population shifts, loss of industry -
But I think it also has a good deal to do with culture. As early as the 1930s school administrators in the east and midwest began to put limits on the excesses of sports programs. It is still reflected in the fact that the Big Ten and the Pac 12 are headed by the presidents of the member schools, not the ADs. This is distinctly different from the SEC. though it's not stated, you can believe that some of the practices enjoyed by SEC schools, over-signing, coaches' pay, lower entrance requirements, are a result of this difference in control and philosophy. And since LJB chose to use 1961 - can you just imagine a faculty in the SEC voting to refuse a bowl bid - and then sticking to that decision? No, the culture on those campuses simply would not let such a decision stand.
Frpm Wiki:
Academics & Committee on Institutional Cooperation[edit]
Main article: Committee on Institutional Cooperation
The Big Ten Conference is known for its commitment to academic excellence as well as its proud athletic tradition. Eleven of the thirteen public schools in the Big Ten (Purdue and Nebraska excepted) are considered "Public Ivies".[86] Each Big Ten institution (Nebraska excepted) is a member of the American Association of Universities and is ranked in the US News & World Report top-100 and the Times Higher Education top-200.[87] Nebraska joined the AAU in 1909 but was removed in April 2011 when the AAU disallowed University of Nebraska Medical Center data points to be included in the AAU formula and began to decrease the weight given to agricultural research. Commissioner Jim Delany stated that Nebraska's removal from the AAU would have no bearing upon their Big Ten membership. Nebraska does, however, lead the NCAA with a record of 314 Academic All-Americans (followed by Notre Dame with 221).[88][89] Currently, no Division I conference is comprised exclusively of AAU members. However, the University Athletic Association, a Division III conference is composed of entirely AAU members.
All Big Ten members are, along with charter member the University of Chicago which withdrew from the conference in 1946, part of the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC), an academic consortium which allows students at Big Ten institutions to take distance courses at other participating institutions.[90] Students at participating schools are also allowed "in-house" viewing privileges at other participating schools' libraries.[91] The CIC also employs collective purchasing, which has saved member institutions $19 million to date.[92]
In short, the Big Ten was created as much for academic benefit as for athletics and that is reflected in how it is managed at the top. Compare that with the SEC. Note first that the SEC was formed FOR athletics and that a focus on Academics does not come about until 2002. Note also the sponsorship of ESPN - a payoff for better control of the product they need for air time?
Per Wiki: Under the leadership of Michael F. Adams the then President of the University of Georgia and chair of SEC Presidents and Chancellors, the member institutions of the Southeastern Conference joined forces in 2005 to form the SEC Academic Consortium (SECAC), a collaborative endeavor designed to promote research, scholarship, and achievement amongst the universities.[15]
In 2011, the SEC Academic Consortium was relocated to the SEC headquarters in Birmingham, Alabama, from its original home on the campus of the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas and was renamed SECU. The SECU rebranded its mission to better serve as a means through which the collaborative academic endeavors and achievements of Southeastern Conference universities would be promoted and advanced. The SECU's goals included highlighting the endeavors and achievements of SEC faculty, students and its universities; advancing the academic reputation of SEC universities; identifying and preparing future leaders for high-level service in academia; increasing the amount and type of study abroad opportunities available for students; and providing opportunities for collaboration among SEC university personnel.[16][17] The Big Ten Conference has a similar program called the Committee on Institutional Cooperation.
The SEC Symposium component of SECU was crafted by Vanderbilt University Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos, who at the time was the Vice President of the SEC Executive Committee and liaison to SECU.[18] In an interview with Dr. Zeppos about the formation of the SECU he noted, “that the member institutions of the Southeastern Conference are committed to a shared mission of fostering research, scholarship, and achievement. The SEC Symposium represents a platform to connect, collaborate and promote a productive dialogue that will span disciplinary and institutional boundaries and allow us to work together for the betterment of society.”[19]
The SEC Academic Network was created in 2009 in partnership with ESPN. The SEC Academic Network was an online library of institutionally produced videos featuring academic initiatives and stories from all Southeastern Conference institutions. The SEC Academic Network was officially merged into the SECU operation.[20]
