The Not-So-Big 10 Underperforms This Past Saturday

By Kyle Windle on September 10, 2012

picture taken by ColumbusCameraOp

I don’t see myself writing a lot of sports-related articles in the future. There are many who are more knowledgeable and more interested who can provide much better insight than I can. However, as a Columbus native, I do have a pretty decent knowledge about college football, since the sport seems to be a keystone to the culture of central Ohio. Therefore, this time of year garners a lot of attention and excitement from my friends and family. It’s nearly impossible NOT to pay at least a little bit of attention to the sport on game day.

So what on Earth happened to the Big 10? Many critics often give sports broadcasters a hard time for their alleged bias toward conferences like the SEC or the Pac 10, and for their apparent dismissal of the Big 10 conference. These broadcasters are accused of not taking the Big 10 seriously. ESPN’s Mark May is among the first to come to mind.

Fans of the Big 10, it is days like September 8th, 2012 that encourages sports analysts to disregard the Big 10 as a formidable conference.

Let’s recap the day’s events. Of the twelve Big 10 teams, six went away with losses: Illinois, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Iowa, Purdue and Penn State. Some of those schools are traditionally heavy hitters within the Big 10 conference, but failed to bring home a win. Ohio State and Michigan, arguably the two preeminent teams in the conference, both achieved wins in performances ranging from mediocre to inexcusably sloppy. Ohio State’s secondary defense gave up 249 yards while Braxton Miller’s offense threw only for 155 yards. Penalties and turnovers were happening far too frequently for the Buckeyes, garnering 10 penalties for a loss of 79 yards, and giving up two fumbles and an interception. Michigan, meanwhile, having lost at Alabama 14-41 the week prior, squeaked by the Air Force with a 25-31 victory, giving up 290 yards in rushing and 127 yards passing. Denard Robinson was the sole producer of the Michigan offense’s yardage, throwing for 208 yards and rushing for 218, proving that Michigan’s offense is completely reliant on one player, creating the one-dimensional offense that Alabama was able to hold to 14 points.

I am an unabashed Buckeye fan, but I am no apologist for the team or the conference. Urban Meyer brings with him a lot of expectation, and he cannot be pleased with the performance his team gave last Saturday. Sadly, his is not the only team to play poorly this past Saturday. The Big 10 has had a difficult time in the last three years or so. Coaching shuffles, scandals, and recruitment losses have plagued many of the teams in recent years. However, if the conference wants to gain some legitimacy and some respect, they need to not only start producing wins, but exceptional performances. Unfortunately, very little of either was seen last weekend.

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