For those interested in other approaches to how the BCS conferences rank for academic quality, see this recent article:

http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2011/09/29/how_football_conferences_fare_when_ranked_by_their_universities_scholarly_performance

Here is the summary table comparing the conferences. Big Ten is number one. I think it would have been better to calculate metrics per university rather than summing all conference members, but the numbers are still interesting.