And while many have pointed to the Big Ten’s three straight titles by three different teams in the conference, ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit believes the Big Ten’s advantage runs even deeper than that. In an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show this week, Herbstreit argued that Big Ten teams are “more invested” and appear to have a stronger competitive spirit than their counterparts down south. Herbstreit pointed to the Big Ten’s head-to-head advantage over the SEC, as well as its ability to keep players motivated and retain them in the NIL era. “I think in this new era that we’re in, I think the Big Ten has proven to do a better job at keeping their players more invested in their team,” Herbstreit said. “One team looks really inspired, and one team doesn’t,” Herbstreit said of Big Ten-SEC clashes.