More goodness from the CFN roundtable...

Another interesting piece from the distinguished panel collegefootballnews.com has put together.

Today's topic, near and dear to my heart.

IS THE BIG TEN REALLY THAT BAD?

As I have stated previously in this space, Ohio State and the Big Ten as a whole seem to be taking an undue beating in the wake of two national title game losses, both of which happened to be against SEC teams. I, for one, was interested to see what these 'experts' had to say about the only conference that has trouble with simple math.

Here are a few excerpts from the panelists, edited for length.

Stewart Mandel (from SI.com): There's no question the Big Ten is in the throes of a down period. I was just looking at some numbers the other day -- 14-22 in bowl games over the past five years. Wow.

However, I'm not one to automatically pin Ohio State with these blanket generalizations everyone likes to make about the Big Ten. Ohio State has as much talent top to bottom as any team in the country.

Bruce Feldman (espn.com): I don’t think the Big Ten is that bad. In fact, I think Ohio State has as good a chance as anyone to play for the national title.

Charles Davis (Fox Sports): No, no, no on the Big 10 question. Yes, Ohio State’s last two National Title losses have hurt the luster of the conference, and elevated the SEC, but upon closer examination, in the last 20 to 25 SEC/Big 10 match-ups, I believe that the record is awfully close to even.

If the SEC is so superior, how did Michigan beat Florida in the Capitol One Bowl last season? Wisconsin in back to back years over Auburn and Arkansas? Penn State over Tennessee all time in bowl match ups? Didn’t Ohio State beat Miami for the National Title not that long ago (I understand that controversial call, but OSU also converted a 4th and 17 to keep the drive alive), and at that time Miami was better than any SEC team.

I played in the SEC and believe it is the best conference in the nation, but the hype exceeds the reality in my humble opinion.

Dennis Dodd (CBSportsline.com): The Big Ten is definitely in a down period.

That said, Ohio State is on the cusp of a dynasty. Three national championship games in seven years ain't too shabby. Jim Tressel has proved himself one of the best coaches in the country and by the time it's all over maybe the best ever at Ohio State. The program has pumped out scores of NFL players.

The Bucks have been victims of a bad matchup in the last two BCS title games. That those games were against SEC teams only proved what all of us believe anyway: The SEC is best.

The bottom line in all this is that these past two seasons mean the Big Ten is dead set against expansion now more than ever. Why put an Ohio State out there against a sub-standard opponent and lose a shot at the national championship game?

Teddy Greenstein (Chicago Tribune): The Big Ten was down last year, no question. Just ask Appalachian State. Or Western Michigan, which busted a seemingly bowl-bound Iowa. Then there was the Rose Bowl, in which Illinois looked completely overmatched to a USC team that dominated the NFL draft.

I'd actually love to see Ohio State-Georgia for the national title. The disparity at the top of the leagues is not as great as the chicken-fried-steak crowd thinks it is.

Steve Greenberg (sportingnews.com): The Big Ten sure as heck isn’t overrated anymore; I can’t remember the last time I heard someone other than a conference coach or the commish say nice things about it. But it’s definitely right there with any other league after the SEC and, I suppose, the Pac-10. I’m tired of watching Ohio State in the title game, but the Buckeyes have earned all the good things they’ve gotten.

Richard Cirminiello (collegefootballnews.com): Just because the Big Ten can’t stack up with the SEC doesn’t mean it’s a “bad” conference. After Ohio State, there isn’t a ton of beef capable of contending for a national title, but the league is no worse off than the Pac-10, ACC, or Big East. If there are mental groans over another Buckeye championship appearance, it won’t be coming from my direction. For the same reason it was so delicious watching the Buffalo Bills get four straight shots at redemption in the 1990s, Ohio State vs. Georgia, for instance, would be flush with great storylines and sub plots. That’s a match up you root to see.

Pete Fiutak (collegefootballnews.com): Compared to what? Compared to the SEC, of course. Compared to the Big 12, this year, yeah. Compared to everyone else, I’d still take my chances with the Big Ten from top to bottom. The league isn’t nearly as bad as it’s being made out to be, but it does need to come through with some splashy wins to change the skeptical public’s mind. Ohio State has to beat USC.

No, I have no problems with Ohio State going to another national title game. By OSU’s own admission, it didn’t get on the bus for the Florida debacle, and it showed. It’s not like that Buckeye team was the first to think that it could just show up and win a national title (ask 2000 Florida State or 1986 Miami). LSU was the better team than Ohio State last year; the Buckeyes were supposed to lose. I think this year’s team can play with, and beat, anyone.



Interesting stuff. Chicken-fried-steak crowd? HILARIOUS!

I am not all that surprised with these responses. The truth is parity is rampant in college football top-to-bottom due to scholarship restrictions. On any given day the worst can beat the best. See Stanford vs. USC, 2007.

All the conferences collectively are much more tightly packed together then people think. Is the SEC the best conference overall? Yes. Are they really that much better then whoever you decide is the second best conference? No.

As I have said before and will say again 1,000 times, conference strength is relatively overrated. It doesn't matter what your conference does, it matters what YOU DO.

Don't think so? Take Hawaii last year. They went undefeated last season against a very weak schedule and wrangled their way into a BCS game. That's as good as it's going to get. Was anyone whining about the relative weakness of the WAC? Nope.

Now that I think about it, there was one thing that stuck out from these comments. Dennis Dodd stated that the B10 is dead set on expantion now? Huh? No idea where he was going with that one.

Sit tight for a few more installments from the CFN roundtable.