It's so hard to compare conferences. The easy answer is to look at bowl games, but so many top players sit out anymore, so that doesn't work these days.
I try not to get too wrapped up in all of this. Just too many variables to say for sure. A lot of Big Ten homers will support the West no matter what the evidence says. I'm a Big 12 guy who lives in Big 10 land, so I "think" I can be objective. Maybe not? I'm sure Herky Fan will argue with me
Maybe the Big Ten defenses are good because the Big Ten offenses (generally speaking) are awful? If Iowa had to play a team with a pulse offensively, maybe their numbers wouldn't be so good? No one knows? Same goes for the good Big 12 offensive teams. Maybe their numbers wouldn't be so good if they played a good defense week in, week out? Who knows?
How would OU, Texas, KU, Okie State, K State, and ISU do in the Big West? Probably ok, but who knows? Anyone who argues differently is looking at things through their "Big 10 colored glasses".
Some have mocked ISU for their loss to Ohio, and deservedly so. They did rebound pretty well after that loss, so give them credit for that. Others have said that 3/4 of their conference wins were vs bottom feeders. Maybe so, but those wins count. Need to win the games you are supposed to win (see Minnesota). The last 4 are tough, and they may lose all 4. At the same time, they "could" win all 4 (based on HOW they are winning vs these bottom feeders). Barely beating a team like TCU, Cincy, or Baylor is one tbing, but ISU controlled all three wins and won handily. The win vs a good Okie State team was a dog fight until the end.
I'm just enjoying the season, and not getting too worked up either way. A win or a loss doesn't (and shouldn't) affect my life very much (if it all). If it does, I need to rethink some things.