The Big Ten's (And NU's) Struggle for Respect

[NUpolo8]

I thoroughly enjoyed this article on Grantland today.

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/the-b1g-game-ohio-state-and-michigan-state-battle-the-big-tens-toxic-reputation-for-playoff-relevance/

Now, clearly this Espn shill will be taken out in some Stamford back alley and beaten with a sock full of doorknobs by daring to write about anything other than the wonder of the Sec and how nice it is south of the Mason/Dixon line, but I thought he brought up some several salient points about where the big ten stands and why that is.

Chiefly, that whomever made the schedules should be beaten with the same doorknob sock. Of note:

Nebraska Nebraska, a blue-blood program that has spent 70 weeks atop the AP poll in the past half-century, and finished there four times is in the midst of whats shaping up to be its best season in more than a decade, and hardly anyone outside the state seems to notice or care. Why should they? The most impressive entry on the Huskers résumé, by far, is a 41-31 win over unranked Miami on September 20. Otherwise, the rest of the home schedule reads as follows: Florida Atlantic, McNeese State, Illinois, Rutgers, Purdue, and, for the grand finale, Minnesota. Even the fiercely loyal Sea of Red cant be expected to keep shilling out for that malingerers row.

Man where's that sec shill get off calling us a blue blood program AMIRITE??????? But he's right though, we, (at least I, and some others)!called out this schedule back in June.

He also put a coffin nail into a pet peeve of mine too, the infamous, (and untrue) "right way"

In the face of the facts, many Big Ten fans (following Delanys lead) have abandoned defending the conferences on-field record, which was overrun long ago, and retreated to the higher ground, where they can take refuge in their conviction that they do things the right way unlike those feckless, win-at-any-cost heathens in the South.5 But even that lame facade is beginning to crumble

Basically, it says the B1G's rep started to get earned back in 07 and we as a conference haven't done anything to change it. We will if we beat someone, which we don't.

Random final note, I found it very odd that the last B1G team to beat a top ten team on the road was Northwestern. Against Nebraska. Weird.

 

[HTO]

Random final note, I found it very odd that the last B1G team to beat a top ten team on the road was Northwestern. Against Nebraska. Weird.

*******

Never knew bowl games were played at B1G stadiums, how convenient and interesting.

 

[Landlord]

This is the worst the conference has been as a whole in as far as I can recall.

Things are cyclical, including our schedule (although there was no need for it to be this hit or miss) and including the level of competition in the league. Ohio State will get better, Michigan has to get better, Penn State is hopefully trending up with Franklin, Wisconsin seems capable of maintaining a 9 win benchmark, MSU seems here to stay, and so are we.

The only trouble is being able to play more than one or two of them per year. Our 2011 conference schedule faced the #9, #10, #11, and #12 ranked teams in the country, and we went 2-2 (Ohio State would have added to that if they weren't in the first year following their self destruction). 2012 we went up against #3, #16, #23 (twice), and #24 and went 4-1 (again, Penn State could have added to that if they weren't treading water just trying to survive.)

The addition of Rutgers and Maryland don't help, but this season's schedule also seems as if it won't be the norm.

 

[Something Clever]

I understand the point is valid, but this is just another version of the same article we've seen for the past few years. I feel like any college football writer who cannot think of anything else to write about dusts this old chestnut off. Whenever the ACC or Big 12 have an off year, I hardly hear anything about it, but each and every B1G setback is beaten into the ground (and any gain for the conference, like MSU's Rose Bowl win last year or our victory over Georgia last year is quickly dismissed as a fluke). It does not surprise me however that even when it when ESPN's game of the week happens to be a B1G matchup, they spend the build-up downplaying it's very importance.

 

[bale]

Basically, it says the B1G's rep started to get earned back in 07 and we as a conference haven't done anything to change it. We will if we beat someone, which we don't.

Yeah, that really sucked when we beat Georgia last year. Or when [SIZE=14.3999996185303px]Sparty crushed Stanford in the Rose Bowl. [/SIZE]

Oh, UGA was injury depleted though, right? Like, they had to start some Sophomore QB in place of their Senior QB?

Oh, you mean like how Taylor, the most prolific QB in Nebraska history, was hurt for the year? And we had to start a freshman QB?

To say we haven't done 'anything' to change it is absolutely ridiculous. Is the B1G the worst conference? Yeah, probably. About tied with the ACC I would say. But the gap has shortened between all conferences vastly since the last few years. We're all pretty damn close now.

 

[NUpolo8]

Random final note, I found it very odd that the last B1G team to beat a top ten team on the road was Northwestern. Against Nebraska. Weird.

*******

Never knew bowl games were played at B1G stadiums, how convenient and interesting.

Those would be neutral site games.

 

[NUpolo8]

Basically, it says the B1G's rep started to get earned back in 07 and we as a conference haven't done anything to change it. We will if we beat someone, which we don't.

Yeah, that really sucked when we beat Georgia last year. Or when Sparty crushed Stanford in the Rose Bowl.

Oh, UGA was injury depleted though, right? Like, they had to start some Sophomore QB in place of their Senior QB?

Oh, you mean like how Taylor, the most prolific QB in Nebraska history, was hurt for the year? And we had to start a freshman QB?

To say we haven't done 'anything' to change it is absolutely ridiculous. Is the B1G the worst conference? Yeah, probably. About tied with the ACC I would say. But the gap has shortened between all conferences vastly since the last few years. We're all pretty damn close now.

Why are we arguing if we agree the big is likely the worst comference?

If the argument here is "we suck but we don't suck as bad as they say we do. Bias!" That's not very compelling.

 

[Landlord]

If the argument here is "we suck but we don't suck as bad as they say we do. Bias!" That's not very compelling.

Why do you care about compelling? It's reality, compelling or not.

Nobody is beating their chest over it, just pointing it out.

 

[NUpolo8]

If the argument here is "we suck but we don't suck as bad as they say we do. Bias!" That's not very compelling.

Why do you care about compelling? It's reality, compelling or not.

Nobody is beating their chest over it, just pointing it out.

People are beating their cheats, crying bias and unfairness, all the while admitting that the conference is still probably the worst one, but the gap isn't as big. You'll excuse me if I think that's more than a little ridiculous and sad.

 

[bale]

Basically, it says the B1G's rep started to get earned back in 07 and we as a conference haven't done anything to change it. We will if we beat someone, which we don't.

Yeah, that really sucked when we beat Georgia last year. Or when Sparty crushed Stanford in the Rose Bowl.

Oh, UGA was injury depleted though, right? Like, they had to start some Sophomore QB in place of their Senior QB?

Oh, you mean like how Taylor, the most prolific QB in Nebraska history, was hurt for the year? And we had to start a freshman QB?

To say we haven't done 'anything' to change it is absolutely ridiculous. Is the B1G the worst conference? Yeah, probably. About tied with the ACC I would say. But the gap has shortened between all conferences vastly since the last few years. We're all pretty damn close now.

Why are we arguing if we agree the big is likely the worst comference?

If the argument here is "we suck but we don't suck as bad as they say we do. Bias!" That's not very compelling.

I'm screaming bias from both sides. The B1G is not very good. I also think the SEC isn't that great. All I'm saying is that it goes both ways. Some B1G supporters overrate ourselves, the SEC supporters do the same. We're a lot closer this year than in years past.

Wiscy was up 24-7 against LSU late in the 3rd until they were crumbled by injuries. Would they have won if those didn't happen? I really don't think so, but even so, they only lost by 4. And Wiscy is the 3rd-4th best team in the B1G. Right about where LSU is in the SEC.

Bias happens on both sides, is all I'm saying. And if you watch the games, I think it's pretty clear it's unwarranted. The SEC plays really, really sloppy football. Just like the B1G.

 

[Landlord]

People are beating their cheats, crying bias and unfairness, all the while admitting that the conference is still probably the worst one, but the gap isn't as big. You'll excuse me if I think that's more than a little ridiculous and sad.

Provided that you're not just being intentionally dense as per usual (i hope it's intentional, at least), you like to see things as being binary, either yes or no or on or off, when really they are a sliding scale.

All of the following statements can be true at the same time:

The SEC is the best conference in college football.

The SEC's superiority over other conferences is overblown and not indicative of the actual level of separation between them and the rest of the country.

The B1G is near the bottom of the power five conferences.

The B1G's public perception is unjustly poorer than it should be.

 

[Saunders]

Nobody is admitting the Big Ten is the worst conference. That would be the ACC, and it's not close.

 

[Guy Chamberlin]

Basically, it says the B1G's rep started to get earned back in 07 and we as a conference haven't done anything to change it. We will if we beat someone, which we don't.

Yeah, that really sucked when we beat Georgia last year. Or when Sparty crushed Stanford in the Rose Bowl.

Oh, UGA was injury depleted though, right? Like, they had to start some Sophomore QB in place of their Senior QB?

Oh, you mean like how Taylor, the most prolific QB in Nebraska history, was hurt for the year? And we had to start a freshman QB?

To say we haven't done 'anything' to change it is absolutely ridiculous. Is the B1G the worst conference? Yeah, probably. About tied with the ACC I would say. But the gap has shortened between all conferences vastly since the last few years. We're all pretty damn close now.

Why are we arguing if we agree the big is likely the worst comference?

If the argument here is "we suck but we don't suck as bad as they say we do. Bias!" That's not very compelling.

I'm screaming bias from both sides. The B1G is not very good. I also think the SEC isn't that great. All I'm saying is that it goes both ways.

The narrative I'm hearing is that few teams look dominant, everyone looks vulnerable, and this might be a down year for college football in general.

A down year in the NFL as well.

 

[NUpolo8]

Nobody is admitting the Big Ten is the worst conference. That would be the ACC, and it's not close.

So that win against Miami then?