As has been evident through the past seasons in college football, the Big Ten has completely caught up with the SEC. The SEC enjoyed certain advantages through the 2000s. Since all programs (while indirectly before this year) now have the ability to pay players, the Big Ten has shown that they have certain advantages over the SEC that are continuing to show up on the field.
The initial preseason AP Top 25 Poll has five of the top 15 teams from the Big Ten. There are some teams that could very easily be in the mix to be ranked as the season unfolds, including USC.