Who's the Best? Doesn't Really Matter, Does It?
by John
(Georgia (because the USAF said so))
I will be completely forthright and admit: I am a Lifelong Buckeye Fan.
With that said, I could really care less.
The SEC has good football. The Big Ten has good football. Would the Bottom teams do better in each others conferences....couldn't tell you, I would predict that after a few years, they would still be bottom teams.
The traditional powerhouses, nationwide, will continue to be powerhouses. What Dad would rather have his recruited son go to Boise State than Ohio State or LSU if his son had a chance of playing?
There will also always be a few mediocre teams that have temporary spurts of greatness, see West Virginia, Boise State, and (hehehe) Notre Dame.
A few specific thoughts to your article: the Big Ten is mainly mid-western states, many weren't even players in the civil war. We do not consider ourselves northerners and really despise the northeast as much as southerners do. As an Ohioan, I know that we contributed a little bit to the war (downplayed in jest), but I also don't lose sleep worrying about that now - 140 years later.
Statistics: Interestingly, if you search Big Ten vs SEC, you'll find relative parity over the last decade between SEC and Big Ten. Recently the stats have actually favored the Big Ten. Both have similar numbers in the NFL. Both win Heismans, etc.
Finally, two thoughts: I will fully fully admit that Ohio State was trashed last year - that is obvious, and believe that until Jim Tressel learns to beat the spread offense with more offense, we will have trouble with SEC teams. But, I believe this is more a coaching issue than a quality of play issue.
The BCS is interesting, but will always be flawed. However, to have a playoff would take away much fun about College Football. Would people like another NFL, with 120 teams? I like trying to go undefeated. In the NFL, how often do teams go into a prevent injury, acceptable to lose, posture because they have made it to the dance?
Of course, we could just do away with College conferences and start every October with a bracket of the top-120 and let them work their way through. One loss and you go home. We could have a Champion by Thanksgiving then and just watch old Christmas movies over the holidays.