This afternoon, Chris Low over at ESPN called attention to a quiet phenomenon that was set in motion when Urban Meyer arrived in Columbus: that the Big Ten is trying to "out-SEC" the SEC. It started with Meyer refusing to abide by the "gentleman's agreement" that had previously characterized recruiting in the Big Ten, by going after recruits who had already committed to other Big Ten schools. His peers were furious, but there's no denying that his bold approach has changed the conference's culture.
One of Meyer's other "SEC-type" moves is one of geography. The long-held wisdom is that the top football talent in the country comes from the south, so Meyer shifted his focus heavily to recruiting those players to come to Columbus.