Vanderbilt is the Northwestern of the SEC

[Хahar 🤔]

Discuss with maps

[Kaine for Senate '18]

Certainly plausible.  I'd argue that the overall SEC is weaker academically than the Big 10 (which includes Michigan, The Ohio State, and Wisconsin, versus really just Vandy and Florida for the SEC).

[Simfan34]

Academically? Perhaps, but I'd say Emory is its Chicago. No, Duke. Those are the big three there.

The lack of a major private university in the Pacific Northwest is kind of surprising.

[Psychic Octopus]

Pretty much true, though as Ben noted the Big 10 is far stronger and more renowned academically than the SEC.

What major conference has the best academic quality (besides the Ivy League, of course)? The Pac 12 or Big 10?

[Kaine for Senate '18]

PAC 12 has Berkeley, UCLA, Stanford, and USC; Big 10 has Northwestern, Michigan, The Ohio State, and Wisconsin.  I'd say Big 10 wins by a hair.

[Simfan34]

PAC 12 has Berkeley, UCLA, Stanford, and USC; Big 10 has Northwestern, Michigan, The Ohio State, and Wisconsin.  I'd say Big 10 wins by a hair.

Academically? I mean in the big 10 I won't count Ohio or Wisconsin as being comparable to Michigan or USC, much less Stanford or Northwestern or Berkeley. PAC 12, no doubt.

[dead0man]

Certainly plausible.  I'd argue that the overall SEC is weaker academically than the Big 10 (which includes Michigan, The Ohio State, and Wisconsin, versus really just Vandy and Florida for the SEC).

Big 10 smarter than the SEC doesn't need to be argued, it's an obvious fact.  It's why Mizzu couldn't get in the Big 10 and the Huskers could.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

What major conference has the best academic quality (besides the Ivy League, of course)? The Pac 12 or Big 10?

On average, the Big Ten.  While the Pacific-12 has the super-heavyweight Stanford as a member which is probably the best academic school in either conference and a candidate for the best BCS school academically, it also has middleweights such as Oregon St., Arizona St., and now  Utah that aren't as good academically as any of the Big Ten schools save perhaps Nebraska.

[TheDeadFlagBlues]

Academically? Perhaps, but I'd say Emory is its Chicago. No, Duke. Those are the big three there.

The lack of a major private university in the Pacific Northwest is kind of surprising.

The lack of good universities in general in the Pacific Northwest is surprising. We have:
UW
Reed
Whitman

That's about it.

[CultureKing]

Academically? Perhaps, but I'd say Emory is its Chicago. No, Duke. Those are the big three there.

The lack of a major private university in the Pacific Northwest is kind of surprising.

The lack of good universities in general in the Pacific Northwest is surprising. We have:
UW
Reed
Whitman

That's about it.

Hey... you didn't include my school in there. We're 3rd in the west for the small universities (after Trinity and Santa Clara).

Personally I think Western Washington deserves more credit. In the NW I think we lack major private universities simply because there is a strong faith in public institutions here (and a strong communitarian bent).

[TheDeadFlagBlues]

Academically? Perhaps, but I'd say Emory is its Chicago. No, Duke. Those are the big three there.

The lack of a major private university in the Pacific Northwest is kind of surprising.

The lack of good universities in general in the Pacific Northwest is surprising. We have:
UW
Reed
Whitman

That's about it.

Hey... you didn't include my school in there. We're 3rd in the west for the small universities (after Trinity and Santa Clara).

Personally I think Western Washington deserves more credit. In the NW I think we lack major private universities simply because there is a strong faith in public institutions here (and a strong communitarian bent).

The local news has conditioned me to think of Gonzaga as a basketball team and not a university.