November 1, 2007
USA Today: Big10? More like the Little 11
USA TODAY's Christine Brennan goes out of her way to ask 'what the heck does the Big 10 Conference have to brag about' in her latest column.
Brennan, who grew up in Big 10 country, admits that the conference might be... umm... overrated.
The Big Ten has produced a record of 17-29 in the Rose Bowl in my lifetime, including a dreadful 1-9 run through the 1970s. Just last year, when Ohio State and Michigan met as the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the nation and played a game for the ages, both teams thudded back to reality with crushing defeats in their bowl games.Big Ten? Big Two? Big bust.
This legendary conference has given the football world just three national champions in 40 seasons: Ohio State in 1968, Michigan in 1997 and Ohio State again in 2002. It's astounding, really, how such a muscular league could produce such paltry results.
The University of Miami by itself gave us five national champions, four from 1983-91 alone, although it must be said that the Big Ten always has had better manners.
Wow. Somebody just found themselves crossed off Big 10 Commissioner Jim Delany's holiday card list.
Mark May adds even more fuel to the fire - the Big 10 is living off it's reputation.
"The bottom line is that most voters in the polls are old-school people who believe the Big Ten is still the Big Ten," ESPN college football analyst Mark May said Wednesday. "Ohio State is No. 1 basically by default. They get respect because they played in the national championship game last season, even though they got torched by Florida, and because they haven't lost this season."...
"Do you think the kid growing up in California or Florida really cares about 'dotting the I' in late November in the Horseshoe?" May asked, referring to the Ohio State band's traditional rendition of "Script Ohio."
Mark May off Delany's list, too. (Just think of all the Big 10 Network cash that the league won't have to spend on stamps this December!)
And Brennan finishes with a flurry....
This gaping difference between tradition and reality has caught up to Big Ten football where it matters most, on the field.
Now wait just a minute. Christine Brennan is a best-selling author of ice-skating books. How in the heck is she qualified to write about the Big 10 Conference?
In defense of the Big10... what America's favorite ice-skating book author fails to mention is that the Big10 conference is the sixth highest rated conference this year by Jeff Sagarin.
1 SOUTHEASTERN (A) = 80.77 80.40 ( 1) 12
2 BIG 12 (A) = 78.25 77.60 ( 5) 12
3 BIG EAST (A) = 78.23 77.64 ( 4) 8
4 ATLANTIC COAST (A) = 77.83 77.65 ( 3) 12
5 PAC-10 (A) = 77.68 78.05 ( 2) 10
6 BIG TEN (A) = 74.66 74.81 ( 6) 11
7 MOUNTAIN WEST (A) = 68.91 68.55 ( 7) 9
8 I-A INDEPENDENTS (A) = 62.83 63.13 ( 8) 4
9 WESTERN ATHLETIC (A) = 61.70 62.17 ( 9) 9
Oh. Ouch. Didn't see that one coming. Umm... well, maybe the ice skating lady was right after all.
Comments:
Mr2Bits said:
posted on November 1, 2007 3:12 PM — 66.89.151.21 — link — abuse?
This just reiterates what I’ve been saying for the last 2 years. We went down this road last year and it appears that nobody learned their lesson. This is clearly seen with OSU/MI at 1/12. If OSU stays on top we will see the same results this year as we did last year. This trend will keep going until the BCS stops liking the jock of USC, OSU and MI. Plain and simple.
I don’t agree with the rankings however. I think the PAC-10 is the best conference this year followed by the SEC.
M GO BLUE said:
posted on November 1, 2007 3:40 PM — 216.46.213.208 — link — abuse?
I want all fellow bloggers to let me know if I should stop being a fan of Michigan...........
It's like this, the Big Ten seems to be having trouble this year.........are we the worst conference this year??? Maybe.
I would like the author of the above article to tell the 110,000 Penn State fans who filled "Happy valley" to the brim this past saturday when #1 Ohio State came to town.....I would like Christine Brennan to tell all of those fan's that their Lions are so overrated.............how do you think they would feel??? After winning their bowl game over Tennessee last year.........
How do you think Wisconsin fans feel..........They finished 12-1 last season with a bowl win over Arkansas, and what do they get for it???? THEY ARE OVERRATED..............
The Big Ten has 2 ranked teams, but that's not enough for some people............they would'nt be happy untill there were no ranked Big Ten teams.
I would like to say, I think the SEC, Pac Ten, Big 12, and Big East are all great conferences because they have great teams, players, and most of all they have great fans........just like the Big Ten.
Cane Mutiny
posted on November 1, 2007 3:52 PM — 65.12.247.141 — link — abuse?
said:
Haha, the Big Ten can have all the manners they want... I honestly didn't realize that the Big 11 has only had 3 NCs in 40 years - I'll add it to my collection of anti-Big 11 facts and statistics.
It's great to be a Miami Hurricane!! We've beat out a whole damn conference - the Big Ten, no less - in the last quarter century... how much greater does it get?
posted on November 1, 2007 4:59 PM — 205.188.116.136 — link — abuse?War Eagle Atlanta
said:
The Big 10 still has their prestige, but as I've been saying forever on here, if they don't get a conference championship game soon, they run the risk of becoming irrelevant.
Think Wisconsin would have liked a chance to play Ohio State last year for Big 11 supremacy? You bet their cheeseheads they would. Sure, conference championship games have a tendency to consume your teams, but if someone makes it through unscathed, you can bet they're not a poser.
M Go Blue: You hang in there, buddy! Hail to the victors! Hey, answer this: Do they still announce Slippery Rock scores during home games?
Another thing for the Big10/11: Let's get some more games scheduled with the SEC. Those are always winners. Our conferences need to put their heads together and get some sort of round-robin scheduling in place, perhaps where 2 B10 teams play 2 SEC teams each season at a minimum.
trip74 said:
posted on November 1, 2007 5:13 PM — 209.213.198.25 — link — abuse?
War Eagle,
we have 2 B10 teams play 2 SEC teams each year, in bowl games. the B10 more than holds it's own. everyone will point out that Florida beat OSU, but ignore that the B10 was 2-1 over the SEC last year in bowl games. or that the B10 has a winning record vs the SEC in recent bowl games.
sure, you can cherry pick whatever data you want to prove the big10 is awful. but you're also ignoring data to the contrary. the big10 is having a down year this year, but is getting a lot of backlash to last year's finale. I'm not worried, we'll hold our own in bowl games this year and be just fine next year.
gOSU27 said:
posted on November 1, 2007 6:00 PM — 207.74.25.36 — link — abuse?
I don't see why everyone thinks Ohio State is over-rated after last year...
What does that have to do with this year????The big ten may be in a slump, but what about the ACC???
And its not like the SEC is completely dominant like everyone says. They have no right to say OSU has an easy OOC schedule
Zac said:
posted on November 1, 2007 6:59 PM — 64.12.116.136 — link — abuse?
I don't know if OSU is the #1 team in the country or not. They did look like it at PA St last Saturday. In fact, I think a BC/OSU match-up would be good. BC hasn't been given credit for having much of a defense, and they have a good one. OSU hasn't been given much credit for having much of an offense, and they have a good one. I'm not saying they should go to the NC game, but I don't think it would be a terrible waste if it went that way.
MGOBlue, you bleed enough Blue & Maze by yourself to furnish dye for MI's & WVU's uniforms......for every sport. I can't imagine you being anything but a Wolverine. By the way, I still contend Appy's win was no where near the upset fans would like it to be. Stanford's win over USC was much bigger.
As for the rest of the Big Ten(11), I think they match up very well with the ACC. In fact, that's about where I think it should be ranking wise.
SEC
PAC-10/Big-12
Big East
ACC
Big-Ten(11)U. of S. C. 1978 said:
posted on November 1, 2007 8:04 PM — 97.82.188.250 — link — abuse?
Let's see now. Stanford is in the same conference as south cali. They get 85 total scollys as does every major program. Appalachian is not a Bowl Subdivision program and they only get 63 scollys. So a little, previously unknown, school in the mountains of North Carolina, defeats a loooong time perennial national powerhouse.
Stanford is USC's oldest rival,in a series that dates to 1905. Get real man.gOSU27 said:
posted on November 1, 2007 8:04 PM — 207.74.25.36 — link — abuse?
OSU>BC
idk about this one for sure, but i think OSU could pull it offUM>WF
I don't think UM would have much trouble with this game, i actually think UM deserves that #12 spotUW>Clemson
idk much about clemson this year...maybe they could pull it offPurdue i think virginia would actually come out on top
against an inconsistent offenseIllinois VT would domonate a turnover happy illinios offense
PSU>FSU
I really dont know how good the nittanly lions are..no one doesNow we reach the bottom of the big 10...which pulls down the whole conference
Top to bottom though, i say the ACC and Big 10 are in similar situations
the big 10 obviously has more depth according to the top 6 teams in the conference
so i would put the B10 above the ACC
but all that can tell us is the bowl season...
gOSU27 said:
posted on November 1, 2007 8:19 PM — 207.74.25.36 — link — abuse?
this is good lol
http://www.the-ozone.net/football/2007/Wisconsin/tipsheet.htmZac said:
posted on November 1, 2007 8:48 PM — 64.12.116.136 — link — abuse?
Real as a peel on Name That Tune, UofSC'78 (Post Lucky 13). While I wasn't aware of the difference in scholarships, let alone don't understand why there is one, I think Appy St is for real. Their 2nd consecutive Div-2 championship was against UMass, a team making preps for their jump to Div-1. These guys know how to play football, and I'm willing to bet they'd beat Stanford. Besides, MI was ranked 5th (A lot of the "experts" thought they were ranked too high) when they played Appy St. USC was ranked 2nd, when it lost to unranked Stanford.
I'll agree to disagree on the Appy St thing, but I gotta call ya on who's the bigger rival. USC may have been playing Stanford since 1905, but everybody knows UCLA is USC's Arch Rival. Just ask Spartacus.
Big Tide said:
posted on November 1, 2007 8:56 PM — 12.208.88.211 — link — abuse?
Ron Zook could be the Steve Spurrier of the Big 10. The "Evil Genius" certainly shook up the SEC during his time at Florida. He certainly wasn't unbeatable, but he was always unpredictable. He was the first coach in the SEC to really spread the field and think "pass then run" when most everyone else was thinking "run then pass."
I completely agree with War Eagle on the conference championship game. The Big 10 needs one badly. So does the PAC 10. I don't have the stats, etc. but the Big 12, SEC and ACC have all become better conferences after establishing the conference championship game. I think it helps teams establish goals, etc. First you win your side of the conference, then you play in the championship game and then you play in a bowl game. Just like last year. Florida has already played in a bowl type atmosphere in the SEC championship game while Ohio State was sitting around watching film and practicing. Those kind of games give your team confidence. Just my 2 cents.
UMICH is better than your school said:
posted on November 1, 2007 9:14 PM — 76.88.123.105 — link — abuse?
I am confused. Why are you defending a football anaylsis written by a woman? I could understand a little more if the article was about which conference has the prettiest uniforms...oh wait, i know why now....you (the preponderance being SEC types) are all fa*s.
When you a look at the end of the year, Big 10 pretty much always holds its own during bowl games by percentage. Sometimes the better team loses (as is always the case when Big Blue goes down).
Bottom line...Big 10 is awesome, everyone else is lame (or "happy" as is shown above).
Diggs the Mountie said:
posted on November 2, 2007 12:26 AM — 76.114.231.180 — link — abuse?
I'm all for teams that earn that spot in the Title Game. But like it or not.......OSU vs. BC would be downright boring....Maybe even the lowest rated Title Game in History of the BCS.
However, I don't think it'll happen. I see BC losing at least 1 of their remaining games.
I also see Wisconsin surprising OSU. Not saying Wiscy will win....but it'll be interesting. I also see Michigan giving OSU all it can handle and possibly winning.
Hopefully both of these teams lost 1 game soon?
TampaGator said:
posted on November 2, 2007 1:39 AM — 205.188.116.136 — link — abuse?
"...In defense of the Big10... what America's favorite ice-skating book author fails to mention is that the Big10 conference is the sixth highest rated conference this year by Jeff Sagarin...."
Now I don't parleevoo fran-cey, or franqua (or however it goes), but....as Misseur Omer' Simpson would say:
"DEAUX!!!"
GEAUX GATORS!!Spartacus
posted on November 2, 2007 9:18 AM — 72.25.84.228 — link — abuse? said:
I will only say that I think that Ohio State has the best chance right now to get to and win the National Championship - unless they run into LSU. But, LSU could lose another game in the tough SEC. Ohio State has the better road - although beating Michigan in Ann Arbor will not be easy. But, by far, the Buckeyes have been the most consisent of all teams, week in and week out, this year. Add in that horrible humiliation to the Gators last year - and I will not be surprised to see this Ohio State team run the table. And, as a Trojan fan, I have no love lost for the Big 10. It's just that this Ohio State team looks alot better to me than last years version. I was not sold at all on that overhyped team of last year. This team looks more like the blue-collar types that may finish the job. Other than that I would agree that the Big 10 does not usually fair well in the big games. I think that this Ohio State team would probably do pretty well against any team except for LSU and Oklahoma.
Tommie Trojan
TampaGator said:
posted on November 2, 2007 12:24 PM — 64.12.116.136 — link — abuse?
Spartacus:
I think you're dead on about OSU. More blue collar, lower profile...more like the team that won in '02 (like they kinda' gotta' a chip on their shoulders, it seems).
I think they could hang with OU; as for LSU--they're 0-life v. SEC. Not saying they couldn't do it--just that that's one hell of a monkey on their back; the SEC is in their head--I'd have to see it to believe it...
...then again, I didn't give them much of a chance v. Miami in '02.
GO GATORS!!Bevo Boy said:
posted on November 3, 2007 8:52 PM — 205.188.116.136 — link — abuse?
gOSU27 #27, OSU vs. Texas would depend entirely on which Colt McCoy shows up. If he throwing the ball with confidence and running when necessary, Texas could easily beat OSU. If Colt throws interceptions and loses his confidence, it could easily become a blowout. As to Oklahoma not showing that they are good, what has OSU done to show that they're good? Penn St. is OSU's best win and they wouldn't beat Texas (who OU beat with McCoy playing well). OSU is a good team, but I won't say that they are legitimate contender until they beat Michigan.
Big Tide said:
posted on November 1, 2007 2:52 PM — 69.34.227.69 — link — abuse?Just preaching to the choir......