Archive for the ‘Big Ten Football’ category
Power Ranking the Famous Fans of Iowa Hawkeyes Football
July 16th, 2010Possible Big Ten Football Championship Locations
July 16th, 2010What the New Big 10 Must Do to Challenge the SEC for Football Supremacy
July 16th, 2010For four seasons, the SEC has been the undisputed king of college football, with four straight national titles finding their way south of the Mason-Dixon Line.
And while Alabama is favored to win the next national champion, the SEC's run at college football dominance could face a new challenge beginning in 2011.
In 2011 Nebraska will join the Big 10 and adds a great team to a conference that many feel is already the second best conference in college football.
And the bowl season in 2009 showed that the Big 10 was already on its way back, with Iowa and Ohio State winning their BCS bowl games, and Penn State upsetting LSU, albeit on one of the worst playing surfaces we have ever seen.
The final step in that comeback process will be if either Ohio State can overcome their 0-fer record against the SEC under coach Jim Tressel to win the national championship or Iowa can recreate the magic in 2009 and take the final step in Glendale.
Of course, they will have to go through either Alabama or Florida most likely to win a national championship, and both teams have question marks.
Can Alabama deal with the pressure of being the defending national champion, and can they overcome a nightmare schedule with six opponents coming off bye weeks?
Can Florida overcome the loss of Tim Tebow and repair a defense losing Brandon Spikes and Joe Haden, among others?
But there is no doubt that the road to the national title goes through the SEC.
And there is a growing question as to whether or not the Big 10 is ready to challenge the SEC for college supremacy after looking so feeble over the past few years, thanks in large part to USC.
Between these two conferences, including Nebraska, the two conferences combine to have half of the projected top 10 teams in the country, according to most early predictions.
But these conferences have so many differences between them.
The SEC is typically the more flashy league, with great offenses and some of the best athletes in the country.
The Big 10 is more simplistic, where the best teams rely on physical defenses and the old-school running game.
But what the new Big 10 has done a better job of lately is getting SEC-caliber talent to come up north, especially at Ohio State, to add some speed to the power game.
However, what is similar between the two is that these conferences share a tremendous passion for their teams, and an undying loyalty to their own colors.
That is probably why this rivalry between the conferences is good for college football.
And while the Big 10 might not be on the SEC's radar just yet, the timing might be ripe for them to make a big stride to get to that level as soon as this season.
But several things have to happen for the Big 10 to be a major threat to the SEC:
1. Ohio State must beat an SEC team and/or win the 2011 BCS National Championship Game in Glendale.
2. Nebraska has to live up to the hype of their past season and become an elite team in the conference, like Ohio State, Iowa, and Penn State have been in recent years.
3. Michigan must become relevant again.
All three of those things happening is entirely possible, whether it be now or somewhere down the road.
But all eyes in the college football world should be centered around the midwest and southeast this year.
Some of the best football of the year will play itself out in these parts of the country. And the chances are high that any combination of Iowa, Ohio State, Alabama, and Florida will meet for the national title this year.
None of these teams are clearly better than the others because they all have major question marks.
But should the new Big 10 capture a title and capturing multiple BCS wins, with Nebraska still in the Big 12 this season, the expectations heading into 2011 with 12 teams and a conference championship game at a site TBD could be massive.
And that is what the Big 10 needs to do if they want to come into 2011 challenging the SEC as the best conference in college.
The potential to do so is there, but the results in 2010 will weigh heavily into how this new Big 10 might shake down in 2011.
The Big 10, even with Nebraska, is not at the level of the SEC quite yet.
If they want to be there, it will take a great 2010 from the top programs, including the Huskers, to get to their level and raise the question of who is truly better.
But to do so, it will take a national championship from either Ohio State, Nebraska, or Iowa for this to happen.
There is simply no other way around it, because someone is always better than you until you beat them at what they do best.
In the case of the SEC, that is winning national championships.
This article can also be found on Storm the Field .
