NCAAW: Is the Big Ten really a better conference than the SEC?

On Sunday, three ranked teams lost their undefeated status.

While previously-No. 13 Ole Miss and previously-No. 20 Michigan State were upset by unranked opponents, then-No. 21 Washington was defeated by No. 16 USC. The Rebels and Spartans thus took the biggest tumbles of the week, dropping a respective four and five spots. The Huskies, in fact, slid up a spot, despite their loss to the Trojans.

Here’s a look at the otherwise relatively stagnant top 25, with first-place votes denoted in parentheses and movement from last week’s poll tracked in brackets:

Here are more musings on what the rankings reveal about conference superiority:

Is the Big Ten the best conference?

Just over one year after the conference first saw a record nine teams ranked in the top 25, the Big Ten has matched the feat, with nine of the conference’s 18 teams ranked in the top 25.

No. 4 UCLA and No. 7 Maryland are in the top 10, with No. 11 Iowa just outside. The conference then dominates the latter half of the rankings, from No. 16 USC to No. 20 Washington and No. 21 Ohio State to No. 24 Nebraska and No. 25 Michigan State. Oregon and Illinois also received votes.

Nebraska is the new entrant that vaulted the Big Ten back to a record-matching nine ranked teams. The Cornhuskers extended their record to 9-0 when they dropped 101 points on Penn State on Saturday. Husker sophomore guard Britt Prince is one of the most quietly impactful players in the nation, with her name sitting among the sport’s higher-profile stars in some advanced metrics. Impressively, she’s become a more efficient scorer, while taking a higher volume of shots. A very solid 13.4-point per game scorer on 45.9 percent shooting, and 39.8 percent from 3, last season, Prince is up to 21.2 points per game on 63.9 percent shooting, including 53.8 percent from 3.

Even if one may dispute that the Big Ten is, in fact, the best conference (see below), it’s hard to argue that the Big Ten didn’t provide the weekend’s best games.

Maryland preserved their No. 7 ranking and undefeated record with a double-overtime win for the ages against a Minnesota side, late collapse aside, that looks poised to be a pain to play for upcoming conference opponents. Wisconsin, likewise, issued their own statement, shutting down a previously-electric Michigan State offense to send the Spartans to the very fringe of the top 25.

The conference also produced some top-notch, potentially best in class, performances. The headliner was Lauren Betts, who had her most productive game of the season with 24 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks as UCLA had no trouble with previously-undefeated Oregon. Jazzy Davidson again dazzled for USC, scoring a season-high 22 points while also grabbing 12 boards as the Trojans outlasted Washington.

Does the SEC have a stronger conference case?

While the Big Ten’s bid to be the sport’s best conference is based on quantity, SEC has the quality argument.

Fresh off of winning 13 of 16 ACC/SEC Challenge games, the SEC has eight teams in the top 25.

Three of the nation’s top five teams belong to the SEC in No. 2 Texas, No. 3 South Carolina and No. 5 LSU. Oklahoma also claims a spot in the top 10 at No. 9. Then, there’s No. 14 Vanderbilt, No. 15 Kentucky, No. 17 Ole Miss and No. 18 Tennessee. Georgia and Alabama also received votes.

The Big Ten may have more teams ranked, but the SEC has more teams with rankings that just mean more, as a top 10 ranking signals true national championship contender status. At this point, it would be a shock if a non-UCLA team from the Big Ten won it all, while at least three SEC teams profile as easily imaginable champions.

Quite possibly, the ACC/SEC Challenge, which replaced the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, needs to become the Big Ten/SEC Challenge.

Don’t forget about the Big East?

But if we’re emphasizing quality, does simply having the best team make a conference the best conference?

In that case, the honor belongs to the Big East, with No. 1 UConn and their 23 first-place votes. No, the Big East won’t have the most teams invited to the Dance, but there’s a good chance that, once again, they’ll have the last one standing.

And as Beckett Harrison highlighted, the Big East, which lives in the liminal space between the Power Four and mid-majors, houses some interesting teams.

Seton Hall, certainly, proved their worth on Sunday, nearly sending NC State to another home loss. The Pirates were in the game until the end despite an off afternoon from junior guard Savannah Catalon. They did benefit from the energy boosting drives of sophomore guard Jada Eads, who led Seton Hall with 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Georgetown did finish the job to earn a win over a Power Four foe on the road, sneaking out a two-point victory over Wake Forest behind a buzzer-beater from sophomore Summer Davis.