Around the 'Shoe

year after year someone starts a thread: why does espn love the sec but hate the big ten so much? next year my reply will be, "do you remember what happened on 1/2/2012." espn doesnt hate the big ten, it is a frontrunner. it loves winners. hate it or love it the sec is winners and we are not(as a conference)

The B1G needs to stop worrying about comparing themselves to the SEC, no one is touching them but they do need to focus on being competative with the Pac12, ACC, and Big12. We need to be at least that good, we need better coaches, more importantly better players. I'm hoping this new agreement with the Pac12 will help bring the level up even though it doesn't go into effect until 2017. Also, Urban Meyer's hiring might upleft the subpar old school football coaching that is out of date. Maybe Delany should have some kind of Summit for the football coaches and see what they can do to help improve play. But honestly, I have no hope for the B1G, I don't think this is just a cycle but the way of the world of the B1G. I think we have to lower our expectations as a conference and as OSU fans. Beating Michigan, and winning the B1G has to be our focus. Forget about winning national championships because I don't see it happening for this league, just take our beating on the 1st, tip your cap for the buttwhooping, and take the millions home.

the crap bowl games before Jan 1 - who really gives a rats ass that the B12 won a few .....or the ACC lost 4 ..
what ever it was. Big 10 has 10 teams in bowl games this year = more than anyother conference. They will always see some unfavorable matchups. -- such as Oklahoma verse an Iowa. Lets face the reality - confence wins 5 games, its a really good year.
Its not happening this year.

The big games matter. Forgot all the crap games. Big10 was 1-2 verse SEC. Take away the special teams play of OSU and we would be 2-1 verse SEC. Wisconsin played very will - however they once again stepped on their own ...same as they did last year. Ho hum. B12 won a bunch of crap games.

SEC is only conference that can ring its own bell.

B10 needs to win the big games to garner respect. We gives a rat ass what your winning percentage per conference if all your teams are playing in shitting bowl games. When the conference starts the big games .....we can talk. Regardless if
we lost 5 or 6 others.

Going to have to disagree with you. If it wasn't for a missed FG in OT MSU should have lost that game against GA. B10 could have been 0-3 - but we don't play shoulda woulda games.

Look at the B12, their top teams won - Okl, TX and Okie light. Plus add Mizzo big win over UNC. Pac12 is 1-1 in BCS games, and could have bigger wins if USC was allowed to play in one. Nothing to add on SEC - they win.

Now take a look at the top tier in the B10. Wisky, Iowa, PSU, OSU Braska all lost. UM still has to play. If they lose that could 0-2 in BCS games.

I am not talking about those shitty bowl games either. I look at the top teams vs top teams of other conferences.

excuses???????

Are you new to this. The bowls take place in warmer climates because that is where people want the bowl games to be. Go ahead and schedule a a bowl game on new year's day in the north and see how many people from out of ton show up.

Playing in the south, in warmer climates, in neutral conditions....what more do you want.

I have a hard time believing folks would not fill Soldier Field in January for a bowl game. How about Indianapolis' new dome? Or Detriot, Cleveland, Pitt ect.? The bowls should be spread throughout the country. We have bowls in Idaho and Utah for God's sake, but not NYC or Boston???

That gives SEC a advantage.We played LSU at New Orleans.Bit Ten plays at a disadvantage all the time.

I agree that the bowl set-up favors southern teams, sometimes more than others, but come on, man. Saying the Big 10 can't be expected to beat a good team from another conference unless the playing conditions are horrible is pathetic. When we get to that point, we should just move the B10 over into the FCS.

Big 10 is probably never going to "win most of its bowl games especially against the sec." At least not on a consistent basis. In 2009 Ohio State beat Oregon, Iowa beat Georgia Tech, Penn State beat LSU, and Wisconsin beat Miami of Florida.

However, Big 10 year in and year out plays the toughest bowl schedule in the nation and do so almost entirely outside of their region.

2011 for instance.

11-2 Wisconsin v. 11-2 Oregon in Pasadena, California
10-2 Michigan v. 11-2 Virginia Tech in New Orleans, Louisiana
10-3 Michigan State v. 10-3 Georgia in Tampa, Florida
9-3 Nebraska v. 10-2 South Carolina in Orlando, Florida
6-6 Ohio State v. 6-6 Florida in Jacksonville, Florida
9-3 Penn State v. 12-1 Houston in Dallas, Texas
7-5 Iowa v. 9-3 Oklahoma in Tempe, Arizona
6-6 Northwestern v. 6-6 Texas A&M in Houston, Texas
6-6 Illinois v. 6-6 UCLA in San Francisco, California
6-6 Purdue v. 7-5 Western Michigan in Detroit, Michigan

Where are the clear advantages for the Big 10 in terms of record and or location?

The records are the same or better for the opponents in every game.

5 of the 10 bowl games are played in opponents home state (Florida, Houston, Texas A&M, UCLA, and Western Michigan).

2 of the 10 bowl games are played in states neighboring opponents home state (Oregon, Georgia).

1 of the remaining 3 was played in conference region of opponent (South Carolina).

Only 2 were in true neutral locations - Iowa v. Oklahoma in Arizona, and Michigan v. Virginia Tech in Louisiana.

Going in with my Big 10 homer hat on I felt like 6-4 was the absolute best the conference could do with Purdue, Illinois, Nebraska, Ohio State, Wisconsin, and Michigan winning. I felt like 2-8 would be worst case scenario.

I felt like Oklahoma over Iowa, Texas A&M over Northwestern, Houston over Penn State without McGloin, and Georgia over Michigan State were locks. Big 10 went 1-3 in these games.

I felt like Ohio State v. Florida, Nebraska v. South Carolina, Wisconsin v. Oregon, Michigan v. Virginia Tech, Purdue v. Western Michigan, and Illinois v. UCLA were tossups that could go either way. Big 10 is 2-3 in these games with 1 to play.

Again, where are the games that Big 10 should win?

Coaching sucks and QB play reflects that. How many 4-star kids does PSU have that a bunch of people wanted and they start a walk on ahead of them?

I said that.

Every game the record is the same or opponent has the better record.

Which games did you think Big 10 was a lock to win?

Like I said I felt like Big 10 was a lock to lose 4 games.

Houston at 12-1 v. Penn State with Rob Bolden playing QB looked a lock to me!

I've watched enough Big 12 football this year to know that Texas A&M playing in Houston is a lock to beat Northwestern.

And as you mentioned Oklahoma over Iowa without Coker at Tailback is pretty much a lock as well.

So, Big 10 is 0-3 going in.

Not one game did Big 10 have a record or location advantage. Not one game.

6-4 to 5-5 is a good bowl season for the Big 10.

Which games should the Big 10 have been locks to win?

Mark Shapiro? What did I miss? Where do the Indians come in on this?