Get Ready for the Buckeyes 2009! Oh, and Did I Mention the Big 10 is a Weak Conference?

It is that time of year again! We are sitting only a week out from the opening game at THE Ohio State University and it is going to shape up to be an interesting year. There should be some interesting matchups this season, with not only the usual Big 10 suspects, but a visitor from all the way out in Los Angeles. Our PAC-10 rivals, the USC Trojans, will be making their first visit to the Horseshoe in 19 years.

The last time they were here, Cooper elected to call the game (and the ensuing defeat to USC) when a thunderstorm overtook Columbus when there was about 2:36 left on the clock with the score at 35-26.

Understandably, the fans were outraged that Cooper elected to make this call. Of course, for Buckeye fans generally, if there was a tsunami with a tidal wave a mile high heading towards the stadium, they probably would choose to keep playing so long as the wave would not arrive until the game ended. When it comes to PAC-10 rivals, you keep playing regardless of how dangerous it is outside. We want to beat the hell out them, safety be damned.

Today I want to talk about the Big 10 generally, because the current makeup is the conference is troubling to me. To put it as plainly as I can, no Big 10 team will ever beat a Big 12 or an SEC team in a bowl game given a couple of different factors. The Big 10 has a much better shot with the PAC-10, but I still would have to give the edge to the PAC-10.

Our conference stinks folks. As a whole, the Big 10 is one of the weaker conferences in the league. We are not as bad as the Big East or the ACC (though the ACC tends to be run hot and cold depending on the year), but certainly we fail to match up against the bigger powers in the NCAA. Let me show you what I am talking about.

The following is a listing of the teams in major conferences.

Big 10 members: Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, Purdue, and Northwestern.

Big 12 members: Texas, Iowa State, Kansas, Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Baylor, Kansas State.

SEC members: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt.

PAC 10 members: Arizona, Arizona State, California (Cal), Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Washington, and Washington State.

And of course… Notre Dame, no conference. They really ought to join the Big 10, however much I hate them as a team. ND is just one of those teams to have to love to hate I guess.

Clearly, the Big 10 has some weaker teams. It is not that these teams are bad, because they do go to the bowl games and even win sometimes. It just when comparing them to the rest of the NCAA, they just do not seem to be major contenders. The PAC-10 is more manageable for our purposes of playing them, but if you look at the SEC or the Big 12, there is no comparison.

In short, of the above conferences, which would you really prefer to play in given the teams?

The reality is that the Big 12 teams and SEC teams play in very difficult conferences, and the number of powerhouses a team like Texas or LSU plays in a season far exceeds the difficulty and caliber of team someone like Ohio State or Penn State would play in the regular season. Big 12 and SEC teams play at that high level constantly, whereas Ohio State has a hard time beating a school like Minnesota some years.

The playing styles differ significantly as well, and the kind of football a Big 10 team is used to playing is very different from that the SEC plays. The fact is Big 10 football cannot beat SEC football, unless they find some serious speed and play some very in-your-face smashmouth football.

I am hoping for a great Buckeye season this year, in light of the fact we have a lot to work on. I have been hearing good things about Pryor and the defensive line, though it is also my understanding that there are still some unknowns concerning the offensive line. We will see what happens.

I was fortunate enough to get two USC tickets this year (out of sheer luck mind you), so I am looking forward to going back to Columbus to watch the Buckeyes stomp all over the asses of the Trojans. And we need to trounce our west coast foes, because after last year, the Buckeyes ought to be pissed as hell.

And this time, I do not want to hear any talk about calling a game because of weather. If there is a tornado in the middle of the Horseshoe, Tressel better have his men play around it. We’ll just try and hold onto the seats.

Go BUCKS! Below you will find a classic from the McCoys.

The Mang
Conservative Capo of Youngstown and Proud Buckeye Fan and Alumnus