College Football Roundup – Is The Big 10 Vastly Overrated Again

The big game of the week was, of course, the traditional Ohio State-Michigan showdown which actually meant something this year as the teams were ranked #2 and #3 respectively. Ohio State pulled that game out 30-27 in double overtime. Maybe these teams have two of the best defenses, or at least defensive lines, in the country, but it was hard not to notice how poor their offenses really are. J.T. Barrett looked like a deer in the headlights virtually every time he had to go back to pass. Wilton Speight had three brutal turnovers as the Michigan quarterback which essentially cost the Wolverines the game. Of course, when Speight wasn’t throwing interceptions or fumbling, he was making the Ohio State defensive backfield look more like a Big 12 team as receivers were wide open for much of the game. Ohio State has scored just 17 points in regulation in its last two games. Michigan, admittedly playing without Speight, has scored just 13, 20, and 17 regulation points in its last three. Hardly the kind of offensive output that will win the national championship.

For some reason, many people think Ohio State has had a tough schedule but it looks like their biggest wins were against Michigan and Oklahoma, hardly a win to brag about. On the other hand, Michigan has significant wins over Colorado, Wisconsin, and Penn State. So three of the five biggest wins for Ohio State and Michigan are actually other Big 10 teams. And the other two are against teams for the two conferences deemed the weakest, the Pac12 and the Big 12. If you don’t think the Big 10 might be overrated, that should be a little disconcerting. Of course, neither Ohio State nor Michigan will even be in the Big 10 championship game. That game will be between Wisconsin and Penn State. A quick review of their schedules shows Penn State with its only significant win being over Ohio State while the best Wisconsin show is just two close losses to Ohio State and Michigan.

In last week’s rankings, the bowl committee had Ohio State at #2, Michigan at #3, Wisconsin at #6, and Penn State at #7. Clemson was #4 and Washington came in at #5. Assuming that Clemson and Washington win their games next week, it is hard to see how Michigan can get into the playoff. And it is also hard to see how Wisconsin and/or Penn State can move up in front of Washington and get into the playoff, despite the weakness in the PAC 12 and Washington’s weak schedule. And Ohio State will be in, despite not even playing in their conference’s championship game.

That should really tick off the Big 12 who saw their teams kept out of the playoffs in prior years simply because the conference did not have a championship game and the committee implied that it preferred conference champions. And like the PAC 12, the committee has dissed the Big 12 all year long. But with the Big 12, that lack of respect is entirely deserved as the conference apparently does not believe in defense. Like a bad penny, Oklahoma has reappeared by winning nine straight after two early losses and Oklahoma State is ranked all the way back at #10 with two losses as well. However, one of those losses was early in the season to Central Michigan when the referees misapplied the rules and give Central Michigan an extra play to throw a successful Hail Mary and win the game.

We haven’t even mentioned Alabama who continues to just roll along at #1. The continue to just dominate their opponents and show no sign of weakness. They face a less than formidable Florida in the SEC championship game.

Finally, let’s talk about a couple of coaches. First, poor Charlie Strong was fired at Texas so that Houston’s Tom Herman could take over. Strong took over for Mack Brown, a god in Texas for bringing home a national championship. But Mack left the cupboard absolutely bare for Strong when he came in This was Strong’s third season and his last two recruiting classes were top-notch. Most colleges give the coach at least four years to build the program, but not in this case. From the very start, there were rumors that some of the big boosters were not happy with the choice of Strong and had been itching to get rid of him. It being Texas, you have to wonder if the color of Strong’s skin added to some of that impatience.

And then there is Brian Kelly at Notre Dame. Earlier this week, the NCAA notified Notre Dame that is would have to forfeit its wins in 2012 and 2013 due to improper academic benefits given to eight football players. The school has vowed to appeal that ruling, calling it unprecedented for what was essentially a self-report. Brain Kelly responded to the ruling by saying, “If doing the right thing means you’ve got to put an asterisk next to these games, that’s fine by me. We still beat Oklahoma. We still beat Wake Forest. We still beat all those teams, so you can put an asterisk next to it. If that makes you feel better, then that’s fine with me.” That just doesn’t seem like the right attitude for a program that has always prided itself on at least the appearance of being squeaky clean. In addition, the Irish were supposed to be real contenders this year but a porous defense and critical offensive turnovers have led to a poor 4-8 record. It also doesn’t help that Kelly actually called out players individually for certain losses this season, which is hardly a way to bring a team together. It seems that Kelly has the support of the university right now but you have to think he will be skating on very thin ice if things don’t improve significantly next year.