BIG TEN and SEC FOOTBALL, more even than you think!!
by Doug Christoffersen
(Germantown, TN)
After years of debate on which conference is the best, I have concluded it is all about what side of the fight you wish to represent.
I do buy into the SEC having more talent at the bottom tier than that of the BIGTEN, but that is where the edge for the SEC stops.
Let the facts speak for themselves. Since the 99-00 football season, the BIGTEN and SEC have faced each other in 22 bowl games, in which each conference has won 11 games.
Over the past 3 years, they have faced each other 8 times, with the BIGTEN leading 5-3. Even last year ( with the BUCKEYES getting blown out by FL ) the BigTen won the edge 2-1.
This does little to support the SEC speed will run over the BIGTEN size any day theory. Where was the speed in the other 2 games? As far as what happened the BUCKEYES (that is college football).
In the SEC this year you have had UT run GA out of the stadium, but GA controlled FL on both sides of the line, however FL crushed UT worse than the BUCKEYES last year.
Bottom line, the better team ussually wins, but sometimes they do not, and that is the really cool part about college sports.
On the coaching side of things, I listened to the "Heard on ESPN" yesterday saying how crazy the SEC fans were and that LLOYD CARR would not last this long in the SEC (because there is less pressure in the BIGTEN to win) well - this really is ignoring the facts is it not - LLOYD won the National Championship in 97, so that has bought him some additional time ( right or wrong ) but i think you can compare to a coach in the SEC who won in 98, and has had more failures over the past 3 yrs than his BIGTEN counterpart - but still employed.
Sometimes - it is all in where you get your info. I say GO BIGTEN AND SEC - i love good football.