CFB AM: Big Ten can brag about beating the SEC again (kind of)

Published Apr. 27, 2015 9:30 a.m. ET

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Teddy Mitrosilis

Spring game attendance numbers are all just for show -- a way for schools to brag about their great fan bases and for coaches to tell recruits, "Yeah, son, we might have two stop lights and one Publix here, but nobody loves footbawwwl more."

So take every reported spring game figure with that in mind, knowing they may be a little fudged.

That aside, Big Ten fans can brag a little bit today and send any SEC friends annoying emails saying their conference beat out the South for most fans this spring.

Both the Big Ten and SEC cleared 400,000 in spring game attendance this year -- no other conference will even get half of that -- with the B1G edging out the SEC by a little more than 2,000 fans.

The biggest Big Ten driver, of course, was Ohio State, which set a spring game record with 99,391 fans. But it wasn't ALL the Buckeyes. SB Nation compiled spring game attendance figures, and the Big Ten claims the top three spots, with Nebraska (76,881) and Penn State (68,000) coming in the next two spots. Then, at No. 4, is the SEC's first team with Alabama getting 65,175.

Michigan (60,000) and Michigan State (48,000) were the other two Big Ten teams in the top 10 nationally. Tennessee (63,016), Auburn (62,143) and Georgia (46,815) gave the SEC four teams in the top 10. Oklahoma (42,807) came in 10th and gave the Big 12 one top-10 team in spring game attendance.

Now here's the caveat Big Ten fans: While technically you beat the SEC, we have to not that not all 14 teams in the Southeastern Conference played spring games, with Texas A&M and Kentucky not counted. So the SEC had only 12 teams to match up with the Big Ten's 14. The Aggies are expected to host a spring game next year in their renovated stadium, which should draw a big number.

But, hell, for now go ahead and brag Big Ten fans. Just know you're gonna need more reinforcements to defend your spring game title next year.

THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

1. UAB linebacker wears helmet to graduation. I loved this so much. UAB linebacker Derek Slaughter wore his helmet to the graduation ceremony on Saturday to remind president Ray Watts that the decision to eliminate football at UAB is still a sore spot and a fight that isn't over. This comes after a recent study that concluded UAB football could actually be profitable if reinstated. Keep fighting the good fight, Blazers.

2. Ray Rice speaks to Rutgers at spring game. The former Scarlet Knight star attended Rutgers' spring game over the weekend and spoke to the team at the request of head coach Kyle Flood. Rice's message: making good decisions. The former Baltimore Ravens running back became the face of domestic violence last year when a video surfaced of his knocking out his then-fiance -- now wife -- in an elevator. Rice was released from the Ravens and is currently a free agent.

''I just shot them straight,'' Rice told NJ.com, referring to his speech. ''I'm sure if you speak to them, they'll give you a lot better explanation of what I told them, but I gave them the message to go out there and not make the mistakes that I made. If I can help them understand, then I've made an impact. It costs no money to give them a good message like that.''

Said Flood: "The message was very simple. You can do a lot of great things in your life. You can do charitable works at home and the cities you're working in, but if you make the wrong decision, you're going to have to be accountable for that. And Ray made a wrong decision and he's held himself accountable to it. And he's paid the price for it. I thought today was an opportunity for him to deliver a message to try to prevent one of our young people from doing that in the future."

3. Four-star running back burns Florida. Here's the problem with trying to "scoop" recruiting announcements: Teenagers change their minds. Four-star running back Robert Washington recorded a video with Bleacher Report last Thursday that announced he was committing to Florida. On Saturday, about 15 minutes before Washington's press conference, B/R released the video saying the RB was a Gator. But at some point between Thursday and Saturday, Washington flipped his decision to Syracuse apparently without telling Bleacher Report and announced at his press conference that he'd be joining the Orange instead. That's life in the murky waters of the recruiting business. Most importantly: Nice get for head coach Scott Shafer.

Have a great Monday, everybody.

Teddy Mitrosilis works in content production at FOX Sports Digital. Follow him on Twitter @TMitrosilis and email him at tmitrosilis@gmail.com.

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