One conference's supremacy over another is something that can't be established in one season. That's my opinion anyway. If the MAC beats up on the Big Ten for the next few years like the Big Ten has been beating up on the MAC since the dawn of time (or at least the dawn of the MAC), then maybe we can have this discussion.
Regan
· 1 year ago
I have no love reason to love the Big Ten, but I have to say that this conference simply does not deserve the criticism it is being shellacked with this year.
I haven't in recent memory seen so much criticism of a conference simply due to the poor performance of one team on the national stage, no matter how badly they performed and how often.
Tell me honestly who would want a piece of Penn State this weekend.
Michigan is clearly in a rebuilding state and RichRod is a proven winner.
Ohio State is traditionally too good to continue in their current funk much longer, especially with a dynamic Pryor now taking snaps.
Minnesota has enacted the biggest turnaround from going 1-11 last year to 7-3 so far in 2008.
The Big Ten isn't going anywhere, and while the MAC is improving, Toledo beating Michigan and W. Michigan beating Illinois are clearly anomolies.
Conference Strength is Cyclical; right now the SEC and Big 12 are up, and the Big Ten and Pac-10 are down - nothing more.
CardinalPride513
· 1 year ago
Great post man. people lack to realize the Big Ten is still a great confrence. Michigan will be a force to reckon with in the next year or two. OSU has the #1 recruitung class for 09. Penn state will always be a contender. Michigan state is great also. the SEC is on a downslide. Alabama will self destruct with Saban at the helm. Florida will fade away with the abscence of Tebow. I think you will start to see the Big Ten and ACC slowly start to take over the reigns of College Football. Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!
Kevin @ Fanblogs
· 1 year ago
Mayday - give it up, bro. Move along to another blog.
Tom_Blogical
· 1 year ago
Was Mayday the Michigan fan?
Kevin @ Fanblogs
· 1 year ago
It's surprising to me that we started the season with pundits saying the ACC is was on life support. Now they're saying the Big 10 is neither Big nor 10.
I think this is just a radio guy shaking up the snowglobe to get attention.
Regan
· 1 year ago
Agree.
The ACC, I think, was trashed early in the year mainly because of Clemson's high-profile loss to Alabama, which as time goes on seems like less and less of a story.
Just as with Ohio State and the Big Ten, the conference's "top dog" took a big beating on national TV and the whole conference is judged to be inferior.
While UVA lost to SCAL (badly), VT lost to ECU, and NCSU lost to SCAR (badly), that was merely more gas on the fire of the super-hyped Tigers getting smacked to what was believed to be a "middle-of-the-pack" SEC team.
The ACC has proven to be (altogether) tremendously competitive, which is a good thing at this stage I believe. This, I believe, is now the "completion" of the "journey" portion of the ACC's plans, given the fact that the conference is now the polar opposite of what it was in the 1990's.
Massive coaching upgrades have taken/are taking place, and that will only help bring the ACC up to the level of the other BCS conferences.
But yeah, snowglobe....
Wardboy3
· 1 year ago
I agree with you also...people only remember the HIGH profile games. Nobody is trashing the SEC when they loose to WVA (ok, understandable) but it is not OK under any circumstance to loose to LA TECH & WYOMING.
Zac
· 1 year ago
I think it's all just a lotta hype to sell news. Let's take a storied conference, on the basis of the misfortunes of its 2 most storied programs, and drag it through the mud. Contrary to what we've seen at MI, Rich Rod (like him or not) is a winner. He only won 3 games his 1st year at WVU; he won 9 the following year. Slim as it may seem to most, he's got a solid chance of getting at least one more win this year. OSU & WI have arguably underachieved, as if my Mountaineers have never done that a time or 2 (dozen, that is). And, what about Penn St? I thought they weren't supposed to be that good this year. Well, I guess IA proved everybody right. Or, did they really prove that no win is guaranteed in the Big Televen?
The only way this argument can be settled is for the Big Televen to play the MAC straight up. I don't think we'll see that in our life-time.
In the mean time, razing good guys like Tom Blogical, all in good fun, is one thing. Posting Bull-$hit which could be mistaken for slander in some circles is quite another.
BTW, Regan, I like your analysis of the ACC. There beez a lot of teams with similar or like records in that conference. Besides, anytime a 12 team conference puts 9 teams in bowls, that's saying something. Just ask any SEC guy.
Tom_Blogical
· 1 year ago
"In the mean time, razing good guys like Tom Blogical..."
I'm an easy target. :-)
Tom_Blogical
· 1 year ago
h
War_Eagle_Atlanta
· 1 year ago
That'll show them, Tom!
LMAO!!!!
I thought the plan was to HAZE good guys like Tom Blogical...
Tom_Blogical
· 1 year ago
Yeah! Kevin, Regan and Zac covered everything I'd say anyway so...it was either that or a "yawn". :-)
Maybe I should've added, "So there!"
Zac
· 1 year ago
Yeah, and bring on your cats too! (It's from a mouse joke...oh, never mind.)
Yeah. I agree. Notre Lame put the kibosh on that, much to their downfall. Here's to hoping we can get Pittsburgh to defect.
Ben Prather
· 1 year ago
Have you considered a top MAC team??
Ball State, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Miami (OH)?
Tom_Blogical
· 1 year ago
h
1Tomcat
· 1 year ago
They couldnt hang in the C-USA
Zac
· 1 year ago
This option really worries me. Not to mention, I'm amazed Joe Pa would be willing to endorse it, given Pitt's role in keeping Penn St out of the Big East many moons ago. While this is a viable geographic fit, and does force the renewal of the Penn St/Pitt rivalry, it threatens to dismantle the Pitt/WVU rivalry; one which has been around a lot longer.
What I would really like to see is for either ND to join the Big Televen (Re-name it the Conference of ND.), or for the Big Televen to drop Penn St and pick up MO & IA St. That 2nd option would allow for the Big East to finally include Penn St (among others), and the Big 12 could pick up any number of good teams (Air Force, CO St, TCU, etc.) to round back out to 12.
It really bumbed me to see the Big East lose VA Tech and the "Black Diamond Trophy" between Tech & WVU. I think I'd have to become an SEC fan if Pitt were to bolt for the Big Televen.
Tom_Blogical
· 1 year ago
All good points, Zac, and I also think it would be best for the Big 10(11) to pick up Notre Dame, but their arrogance is still alive and well despite being pummeled into irrelevancy. Their fans still think wins over Army and Navy still mean something. I think the Big 10(11) and Notre Dame would definitely help each other.
Pitt/WV could keep the Backyard Brawl if they moved it to the first game of their seasons. Wouldn't that be a fantastic start to the new football season?
Zac
· 1 year ago
Were Pitt to join the Big-Televen, I think the Pitt/WVU game would return to the last game of the season; just like GA/GA Tech, which may prove to be a decent game this year. What ever happens, I wish those involved would quit mulling it over and make a decision. The suspense is killing me!
Regan
· 1 year ago
I have always thought that PSU not being in the Big East was a crime against nature - the Big East was the collection of the old Eastern Independent schools that by their very nature had rivalries with each other due to scheduling.
Big Ten expansion, I believe, would have to be eastward - the Big East; which seems to be the "treasure chest" for expanding conferences (sadly). PITT and SYR are the most likely candidates that way (SYR because of history and Market Area).
Westward, I have difficulty seeing any 12-team conference losing members due to the beneficial nature of such systems where they are being successful, especially the Big 12, but I would think that MIZZ would be the most likely candidate for Big Ten expansion if they ever did.
ND won't join the Big Ten in our lifetimes, or at least as long as Regis Philben and Rudy are alive.
When I look at the MAC, I just don't see any teams that the Big Ten would welcome that would match the "Big" Tradition-mindset that the conference has held.
Whereas the MWC has historically Tradition-heavy schools like BYU, Utah, and TCU, the MAC doesn't have any teams that could fit the high-tradition profile Big Ten, with the sole exception (I think) of Miami (OH)....but admittedly I don't know that region well.
U.of S.C.1978
· 1 year ago
If, you subscribe to the "Theory of Parity", then, you might suspect that the MAC schools are just plain hungrier. Due to historical inequities.
Ben Prather
· 1 year ago
That's more ridiculous than saying the MWC has eclipsed the PAC 10.
Cougar_Fan
· 1 year ago
wow! I love rooting for the my non-bcs cousins but that is a major stretch.
Tommy_Trojan
· 1 year ago
The answer is a resounding NO! NO WAY! Luck doesn't mean good.
Zac
· 1 year ago
Ya know whut, Tommy? Given the posts on here, I think you're the only one who actually came out and answered the question. By the way, personally, I think I'd rather be lucky than good; just me, that is, not my team.
U.of S.C.1978
· 1 year ago
If you say so Ben. But tell me why it is even under discussion? So TT, your theory is that the MAC is just "lucky" these days?
Tommy_Trojan
· 1 year ago
USC1978:
My "theory" is that the MAC does not have anywhere near the talent that the Big 10 teams do. They are not even in the same universe. Maybe, they might have better coaching though. That is a very hard intangible to measure. You could quite often believe, that a team that had superior talent and was upset, was flat out outcoached. I would have to say that Pete Carroll was definately outcoached by Jim Harbaugh on the day that USC lost to Stanford. So, how often are coaches and coordinators, gonna be rollin' with the "hot hand" against superior talent. Well, I guess it can happen once in awhile. Eventually, the pendulum will swing in the other direction. The MAC may not win one in the next fifty games against the Big 10. LSU had won 31 games in a row over Sunbelt competition going into the Troy State game. Troy almost pulled that off. But, LSU's superior talent got that job done. You might want to think that Les Miles might have got outcoached though. LSU was a heavy favorite. Nevertheless, LSU will probably go on to win another 30 in a row. Other Sunbelt teams have gotten a few wins over the SEC lately. It doesn't mean that they are on the verge of overtaking the SEC. It's not gonna happen.
Ben Prather
· 1 year ago
Talent is not everything. Perhaps it is a difference in work ethic.
How often is it the case that dedicated individuals outperform those with superiour talents who don't exert themselves?
So what do we assume if a similar weakness is anticipated before the start of next season?
Ben Prather
· 1 year ago
I think conference strength is cyclical and the Big 10 will be stronger next year.
Michigan will be back in the picture.
U.of S.C.1978
· 1 year ago
Ok, I'm done yanking chains. Of course it is not realistic to suspect that a conference of relatively small schools, will ever be able to compete evenly, year after year, with a conference of large universities, in football. There will not even be "cycles" between the two.
Mr2Bits
· 1 year ago
I think the article should have been directed at the Pac-10 seeing as how the Beavs are on the brink of chewing on some roses.
NMLSooner
· 1 year ago
I have a better question. Has the Sunbelt eclipsed Division 1-AA?
Clemson_Joe
· 1 year ago
No. Appalachian State would win the conference, as would James Madison.
SirSmokeAlot
· 1 year ago
This is coming from a Big 10 (ILLINI) fan-Every damn conference and team goes through baddd times. The SEC deserves their acclaim, due to winning the Big Bowl Games. Personally I believe that the Big 12 is becoming the dominant conference. Big 10 is still a few years away from being dominant again.
psux9
· 1 year ago
Dude, you're an absolute idiot. The MAC has teams like Temple and Toledo in their conference. Despite Michigan's loss to Toledo, you can't honestly believe that the MAC has outperformed the Big Ten. You have no college football knowledge if you honestly think that the MIchigans (Western, Central) and Ball State, let me repeat BALL STATE, can really compete against dynasties of the likes of Ohio State and Penn State
All Comments
I haven't in recent memory seen so much criticism of a conference simply due to the poor performance of one team on the national stage, no matter how badly they performed and how often.
Tell me honestly who would want a piece of Penn State this weekend.
Michigan is clearly in a rebuilding state and RichRod is a proven winner.
Ohio State is traditionally too good to continue in their current funk much longer, especially with a dynamic Pryor now taking snaps.
Minnesota has enacted the biggest turnaround from going 1-11 last year to 7-3 so far in 2008.
The Big Ten isn't going anywhere, and while the MAC is improving, Toledo beating Michigan and W. Michigan beating Illinois are clearly anomolies.
Conference Strength is Cyclical; right now the SEC and Big 12 are up, and the Big Ten and Pac-10 are down - nothing more.
Chirp!
Chirp!
Chirp!
I think this is just a radio guy shaking up the snowglobe to get attention.
The ACC, I think, was trashed early in the year mainly because of Clemson's high-profile loss to Alabama, which as time goes on seems like less and less of a story.
Just as with Ohio State and the Big Ten, the conference's "top dog" took a big beating on national TV and the whole conference is judged to be inferior.
While UVA lost to SCAL (badly), VT lost to ECU, and NCSU lost to SCAR (badly), that was merely more gas on the fire of the super-hyped Tigers getting smacked to what was believed to be a "middle-of-the-pack" SEC team.
The ACC has proven to be (altogether) tremendously competitive, which is a good thing at this stage I believe. This, I believe, is now the "completion" of the "journey" portion of the ACC's plans, given the fact that the conference is now the polar opposite of what it was in the 1990's.
Massive coaching upgrades have taken/are taking place, and that will only help bring the ACC up to the level of the other BCS conferences.
But yeah, snowglobe....
The only way this argument can be settled is for the Big Televen to play the MAC straight up. I don't think we'll see that in our life-time.
In the mean time, razing good guys like Tom Blogical, all in good fun, is one thing. Posting Bull-$hit which could be mistaken for slander in some circles is quite another.
BTW, Regan, I like your analysis of the ACC. There beez a lot of teams with similar or like records in that conference. Besides, anytime a 12 team conference puts 9 teams in bowls, that's saying something. Just ask any SEC guy.
I'm an easy target. :-)
LMAO!!!!
I thought the plan was to HAZE good guys like Tom Blogical...
Maybe I should've added, "So there!"
Must...have...Fighting...Zookers...pick...up...pace...
Must...get...SEC...speed... (JUST kidding!!!!!)
Yeah. I agree. Notre Lame put the kibosh on that, much to their downfall. Here's to hoping we can get Pittsburgh to defect.
Ball State, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Miami (OH)?
What I would really like to see is for either ND to join the Big Televen (Re-name it the Conference of ND.), or for the Big Televen to drop Penn St and pick up MO & IA St. That 2nd option would allow for the Big East to finally include Penn St (among others), and the Big 12 could pick up any number of good teams (Air Force, CO St, TCU, etc.) to round back out to 12.
It really bumbed me to see the Big East lose VA Tech and the "Black Diamond Trophy" between Tech & WVU. I think I'd have to become an SEC fan if Pitt were to bolt for the Big Televen.
Pitt/WV could keep the Backyard Brawl if they moved it to the first game of their seasons. Wouldn't that be a fantastic start to the new football season?
Big Ten expansion, I believe, would have to be eastward - the Big East; which seems to be the "treasure chest" for expanding conferences (sadly). PITT and SYR are the most likely candidates that way (SYR because of history and Market Area).
Westward, I have difficulty seeing any 12-team conference losing members due to the beneficial nature of such systems where they are being successful, especially the Big 12, but I would think that MIZZ would be the most likely candidate for Big Ten expansion if they ever did.
ND won't join the Big Ten in our lifetimes, or at least as long as Regis Philben and Rudy are alive.
When I look at the MAC, I just don't see any teams that the Big Ten would welcome that would match the "Big" Tradition-mindset that the conference has held.
Whereas the MWC has historically Tradition-heavy schools like BYU, Utah, and TCU, the MAC doesn't have any teams that could fit the high-tradition profile Big Ten, with the sole exception (I think) of Miami (OH)....but admittedly I don't know that region well.
My "theory" is that the MAC does not have anywhere near the talent that the Big 10 teams do. They are not even in the same universe. Maybe, they might have better coaching though. That is a very hard intangible to measure. You could quite often believe, that a team that had superior talent and was upset, was flat out outcoached. I would have to say that Pete Carroll was definately outcoached by Jim Harbaugh on the day that USC lost to Stanford. So, how often are coaches and coordinators, gonna be rollin' with the "hot hand" against superior talent. Well, I guess it can happen once in awhile. Eventually, the pendulum will swing in the other direction. The MAC may not win one in the next fifty games against the Big 10. LSU had won 31 games in a row over Sunbelt competition going into the Troy State game. Troy almost pulled that off. But, LSU's superior talent got that job done. You might want to think that Les Miles might have got outcoached though. LSU was a heavy favorite. Nevertheless, LSU will probably go on to win another 30 in a row. Other Sunbelt teams have gotten a few wins over the SEC lately. It doesn't mean that they are on the verge of overtaking the SEC. It's not gonna happen.
How often is it the case that dedicated individuals outperform those with superiour talents who don't exert themselves?
The Tourtus can beat the hare. GO TERPS!
Michigan will be back in the picture.