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The Midwest was hard hit by a structural recession in the 1980s. Consequently, many Midwestern families moved to the South. Players that would have otherwise grown up in Michigan or Ohio, and played for Big Ten schools, are now growing up in Alabama and Georgia, and play for SEC schools instead. So the demographic changes of the last couple of decades have robbed the Midwest of much of its football talent to the benefit of the South?
Can anyone generate a list of current players whose parents were part of the Reverse Migration to the South? Most families moving from the North to the South are moving to cities like Charlotte, Durham and Atlanta. There are few, if any, moving to Fort Myers, Florida or Opelika, Alabama. Many of the NFL's big stars such as Calvin Johnson, Andre Johnson, Chris Johnson and A-Pete are from small towns in the South that likely saw no infusion of Yankees. So how does this theory hold up when really put under scrutiny?
Michael Irvin (The "U"), Deion Sanders (FSU) and Emmitt Smith (UF) came from southern, Florida families. The South didn't steal them away from the Big Ten. If those guys had all picked one school in Florida instead of going to three different schools, is there any doubt they would have won 3 championships together?
I think it has a good deal more to do with the fact that the South has become wealthier and better educated over the past 30 years. While, statistically, southern states remain at the bottom, the gap has closed significantly, to the point of being non-existent in many cases. In fact one economic think tank shows Alabama passing Michigan in per capita income sometime soon, if not already.
The trickle down effect of this burgeoning wealth can be found in better schools, better funding for athletic facilities, etc. etc. So if the South is approaching rough parity with the Midwest in terms of wealth, then it stands to reason that the South's fanaticism regarding football would occupy a high priority.
Sort of. Maybe its coincidence that it took some time for the SEC to accept black students. Last time Minnesota won a National Championship the SEC was all white.
Maybe, just maybe, the OP is over thinking this. I think this stuff is just cyclical. Just a few years ago Alabama was a mess and no good at all. Georgia wasn't special for most of the last ten years.
But LSU hires Saban, then Miles. Bama hires Saban. Georgia gets good. Etc. They play a very appealing brand of football - fast, powerful, with great defense.
Michigan is down. OSU is in trouble. Penn St. is a mess. They add Nebraska, whose coach acts like a child. The Big 10's brand of football looks slow and old.
Recruits go where the action is. Excellence (with good coaching) follows.
Things could change again. Maybe the Texas ex-assistants like Muschamp and Chizek really aren't very good and those programs go down. Maybe Urban Meyer rebuilds OSU and Michigan continues its improvement.
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