http://www.themaneater.com/stories/2008/9/8/big-ten-football-wake-me-when-its-over/
With all apologies to Illinois and Indiana, Big Ten football is awful. The games are boring, the talent isn’t as good as in other conferences and they have many teams that are pretty easy to dislike – namely, Ohio State and Michigan.
And, yet, Big Ten football gets shoved down our throats every weekend, thanks to the worldwide leader in sports. Last weekend, viewers were treated to Ohio vs. Ohio State and Miami (Ohio) vs. Michigan. Fact is, neither of these games were good matchups, but the Big Ten found a way to make them exciting with bad offense that allowed lesser opponents to stay in both of the games into the fourth quarter.
If you’re into schadenfreude, or fun at others’ expense, watching Big Ten football is enjoyable. It can be fun to see Ohio State get stopped on fourth and one by a team that lost to a Football Championship Subdivision squad last week. It can be fun to see Michigan’s athleticism be severely exposed by the spread offense that they’re attempting to run. And it can be even more fun to see the reactions of OSU and Michigan fans as their teams fail to do anything moderately exciting on offense.
I have to feel sorry for Big Ten fans – their eyes likely haven’t been opened to the true greatness of college football that can be seen in the SEC, Big 12 and Pac 10. Yes, there are some fun teams to watch in the Big Ten – once again, Illinois and Indiana – but, for the most part and in terms of piquing my interest, Big Ten football is just not up to par with the rest of college football. I don’t think I’m alone in thinking that, either.
The Maneater
9/8/08
Magnolia Tribune
