It’s hard to deny that the B1G changed when Urban Meyer took over as the head coach at Ohio State in 2012. His arrival prompted better recruiting, better coaching and better play on the field.

Meyer’s seven years in Columbus didn’t just catapult Ohio State into national championship conversation every year, it helped improve the league from top to bottom.

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But why was the league struggling so much when Meyer took over in 2012? The three-time national championship coach said that a weird “gentleman’s agreement” among B1G coaches might have been an issue for the conference’s struggles.

“When I was in the SEC, the attitude was ‘how to dominate.’ I mean, it was about recruiting,” Meyer said on Big Noon Kickoff.

“When I went to the B1G, I was kinda shocked. In 2012, I don’t know if you remember, but there was something about a gentleman’s agreement in recruiting. Everyone kinda recruited within their footprint. They didn’t step out for a national recruit and talk about national championships. I was shocked by that.”

Meyer helped lead Ohio State to the top of the recruiting rankings in the B1G and nationally. That resulted in Meyer winning three B1G titles and a national championship with the Buckeyes.

Meyer’s SEC mentality when it comes to recruiting is a huge reason why Ohio State has been so dominant in the conference over the past decade. And he also believes that, because of recruiting, the SEC is still the best conference in college football.