For many people who think Big Ten football doesn't measure up to the level of other powerhouse conferences in the country (for one, you're right), it could be worse.
Many wonder why the Big Ten season ends usually two weeks before other conferences. It's because the Big Ten doesn't hold a conference championship. This is because the conference keeps the 11 teams in one division, instead of splitting them into two like other conferences (see Big XII, SEC) that are the traditional power conferences.
The problem with a split (other than uneven numbers) would be the discrepancy between the teams in the Big Ten. After Ohio State and Penn State, it's been made very clear that there is a significant drop-off in talent. After all, third place Michigan State was throttled by both these teams in the regular season. Fourth place Northwestern? Get real.
With conferences like those who split into two and have championship games, they have teams who can level out the playing field from top to bottom in the conference. If the Big Ten had a championship, it'd be a joke — either an average showing between two mediocre teams or a blowout of a lesser opponent by an above average top-15 team.
No comments:
Post a Comment