However, they have a long way to go before they can be consistently competitive like Illinois or MSU are.
As much of an Illlinois fan as I am, Illinois is not consistently competitive. Before going to the Rose Bowl last year, Illinois won something like 5 games in 3 years.
Red Grange wrote:
However, they have a long way to go before they can be consistently competitive like Illinois or MSU are.As much of an Illlinois fan as I am, Illinois is not consistently competitive. Before going to the Rose Bowl last year, Illinois won something like 5 games in 3 years.
From game to game. Illinois two years ago was like Sparty last year where they lost close. UI got over the hump obviously last year, but Minnesota has a long way to go in that regard.
Illinois is going to be solid this year, no doubt, but the only real question I have about the conference is which team that shouldn't even be there to begin with is going to be mauled by the SEC in the BCS championship and which runner-up is going to be slaughtered by USC in the Rose Bowl as happens just about every other year? I wouldn't be surprised if USC lost that first game in Columbus, though they have a history of playing extremely well out of conference early in the season, but when it actually MATTERS in the bowl games, USC will win the rematch or against any other Big Ten "titan."
Ohio State sucks. Trust me, I was there this past year.
Well, OSU doesn't "suck" and they're certainly not going to this year, BUT, there's no doubt in anyone's mind, except an OSU fan's of course, that the #1 and #2 teams have not paired up for the championship game for the last two years anyway, which is just such a disappointment to any college football fan who wants to see the best, not top ranked, but BEST two teams play, not the teams that managed the system better. A plus one system would just be so much better. Having said that, the only way OSU wins the national championship this year is if they draw Notre Dame, which ain't gonna happen.
UM is going to get absolutely killed this year. Killed. Make no mistake, they will have one of the worst offenses in the Big 10 and in the nation. Only their D will keep them from being 1-12 bad. I'm calling 3-9, with wins against Miami (Oh.), Toledo and Minnesota.
someone finally talks some sense...two years ago everyone was saying how ohio state would crush florida. welp, that didnt happen. then, they were divided on LSU ohio state. another shellacking. when are people going to realize that the big ten as a conference is slow and unathletic? ohio state looks fast and great against other crappy big ten teams, then they get crushed by any SEC team they play. Georgia beats Ohio state by 30 this year
I am a fan of Ohio State. I would say that two years ago they deserved to play Florida because they were one of the two best teams. This past year they were helped by a weak schedule which they were smart to do but I do not think they should have been playing in the national championship game. On the same hand I don't think LSU was one of the two best teams either. I think it should have been OU Vs UGA. This year the thing that stinks is I do believe Ohio State will be one of the two best teams in the country but they will struggle to get to play this year due to the last two years.
I can see tOSU winning the conference and finishing with 1 loss (to USC).
If they go undefeated, will the voters and computers dare put them in the BCS game against UGA to see them lose for the 3rd straight year to an SEC team?
Past collegiate runner wrote:
I am a fan of Ohio State. I would say that two years ago they deserved to play Florida because they were one of the two best teams. This past year they were helped by a weak schedule which they were smart to do but I do not think they should have been playing in the national championship game. On the same hand I don't think LSU was one of the two best teams either. I think it should have been OU Vs UGA. This year the thing that stinks is I do believe Ohio State will be one of the two best teams in the country but they will struggle to get to play this year due to the last two years.
You think OU was better than LSU last year? You fail at life. LSU lost to two 8 win teams and it took them 3 OTs to win. OU lost to a team that didn't even finish with a winning record, at home! Then they got walloped by WVU in the Fiesta Bowl. LSU deserved it more than anyone else. That being said, no one played each and every game like champions, but the right team was crowned with the title.
I am sorry I live in Arkansas and that is not a good football team. Kentucky is also not a very good team. I personally thoght that OU on their best day was better then LSU on their best day. In my opinion also the best team was not crowned because that was Georgia.
Past collegiate runner wrote:
I am sorry I live in Arkansas and that is not a good football team. Kentucky is also not a very good team. I personally thoght that OU on their best day was better then LSU on their best day. In my opinion also the best team was not crowned because that was Georgia.
Not a good football team? Are you kidding? They aren't a great football team but any team that wins 8 games in D1 is at least a good team. Secondly, who was OU's big wins? Mizzou and UT? LSU had to go through VT and 3 other teams that won at least 9 games.
If you are going to make the argument about teams based on records then Ohio State would be just as legit as anyone else for the chance to play based on their 11 wins last year.
As far as Arkansas goes 6 of their wins were against
Troy
North Texas
Chattanooga
Mississippi
Florida International
South Carolina
I don't belive you can really tell me they are a good team based on the fact that they have 8 wins when 6 are against those teams. 4 of those teams are horrible. Arkansas had no quarterback and any team that could come up with a little bit of a run stop had an easy win. I will say stopping McFadden is easier said than done.
Past collegiate runner wrote:
If you are going to make the argument about teams based on records then Ohio State would be just as legit as anyone else for the chance to play based on their 11 wins last year.
You wanna knock ARK but OSU's OOC games were like they were trying to be the state champions of Ohio.
No read my post my argument is saying that talking about # of wins is stupid because anyone can set up an easy schedule. From the beginning I said Ohio State was not that great last year but they were smart because they did realize that if they make a cupcake schedule and win most of their games then to the BCS they go. I think a lot of teams should think about this to be honest.
Runnerguy0990 wrote:
You think OU was better than LSU last year? You fail at life. LSU lost to two 8 win teams and it took them 3 OTs to win. OU lost to a team that didn't even finish with a winning record, at home! Then they got walloped by WVU in the Fiesta Bowl. LSU deserved it more than anyone else. That being said, no one played each and every game like champions, but the right team was crowned with the title.
I'm a Big 12 fan. OU was not better than LSU last year, nor were they the year they were favored to beat LSU in the championship game by 6 points but lost. Stoops is the consummate underachiever. The only thing more certain than OSU getting walloped on the grand stage by the SEC or USC crushing the Big Ten in the Rose Bowl is OU losing its BCS game. Last year, the two best teams were LSU-USC (Georgia gets an honorable mention as they would have beaten OSU but didn't win their conference). The year prior, UF and USC. A plus-one system would have pitted those teams together so we could actually have averted a snoozer of a championship game. True, LSU had some close games, but that obviously prepares a team better than to win big over a marginal schedule.
You can say what you want but at the end of the year Georgia was the best team. Better then USC.
Man, I saw you responding to a OU debate and I thought okay here is a post that there is no way Sagarin could possibly find a way to bash Big 10....but I was wrong. Still perfect in your Big 10 bashing record - congrats on that!
Sagarin wrote:
I'm a Big 12 fan. OU was not better than LSU last year, nor were they the year they were favored to beat LSU in the championship game by 6 points but lost. Stoops is the consummate underachiever. The only thing more certain than OSU getting walloped on the grand stage by the SEC or USC crushing the Big Ten in the Rose Bowl is OU losing its BCS game. Last year, the two best teams were LSU-USC (Georgia gets an honorable mention as they would have beaten OSU but didn't win their conference). The year prior, UF and USC. A plus-one system would have pitted those teams together so we could actually have averted a snoozer of a championship game. True, LSU had some close games, but that obviously prepares a team better than to win big over a marginal schedule.
This SEC-USC shat is supremely uninteresting and borderline retarded.
My picks for the players of the year/MVPs, whatever
Offensive Player of the Year: Beanie Wells, OSU
Defensive Player of the Year: Sean Lee, PSU
Special Teams Player of the Year: Austin Starr, IU
Freshman of the Year: Pryor, OSU (Boeckman gets hurt early)
Coach of the Year: Joe Pa (Swan Song?)