Big Red in the B1G Week 5: Beat Like a "Little Red"-headed Stepchild -or- Why Bucky Deserves a Shot

Still, everything points to him being happy at this point. I guess that’s the point. OSU still could have some issues, and I think the next coach has the tough job and the coach after that gets the glory. Of course, who knows? Pelini’s name deserves to be on that list, and he’d listen. I’m just not convinced he’d turn down the slightly lower pressure job that affords him the opportunity to compete, a crazy sum of money, good facilities, and an AD who will bend over backwards for him.

You had your wheaties today good sir! recrec

While I get what you’re getting at, this is a bullshit premise. Good NFL players does not equate to good national recognition, and arguing that people who know good football know that this is just fine is irrelevant. So here are my thoughts:

1) Are you arguing Tennessee is better football than the Big Ten? Or Texas football? Or Miami football? Because they are all ahead of the B1G. How about the SEC? Are they better football? Are you saying you’d rather watch Maryland than Penn State? You know, because we bow down to their 27 over our 26. Way to be an asshole about it. Look, this “We send players to the NFL” should be more of a problem than anything. It means you develop but can’t turn talent into championships. That’s how I see this argument.

2) I don’t disagree that education seems to be pushed here more than other places, but is that really true? We talk big and we say nice things, but is it REALLY true. Are you going to sit here and tell me that Michigan and Ohio State don’t let some things slide? Do you remember Andy Katzemoyer? Didn’t he fail Golf?

3) My article wasn’t trying to say the B1G played bad football. In fact, it was saying the opposite. While the media who drives public opinion was ripping the B1G apart, no one stepped up to defend it. Instead of defending football, they go right to how many NFL players they send. That’s kind of a problem, right? How about saying, “Yeah, Wisconsin looked like a real contender this year.” No one does that here. It’s bizzarre.

4) The NFL simply does not value footspeed… Are you serious? Do you watch the draft at all? The NFL cares a ridiculous amount about footspeed. I know it’s not always translatable, but that’s how guys make rosters every day. Mike Gundy is an asshole, don’t get me wrong, but he’s not an idiot either. Call the Big XII second-tier all you want, but they’re a better conference than the B1G right now.

5) The Bo Pelini Joke. I’m fine with it. It was a bad game. Kind of like Kirk Ferentz at Iowa State. You know, because that was a beacon of good coaching.

Your guys couldn’t hang with the best offense in the country. No shame in that.

However, what’s embarrassing about losing? That’s what rubs me the wrong way. Unless you think you are obligated to win, entitled to win, what’s so terrible about saying, “The other guys were better tonight. We’ll get back to work.” It’s never embarrassing to lose a contest where the boys play their best. Nebraska played their best, and they lost. On to OSU. Elite football teams beat good football teams. No one says that anyone on the Nebraska team didn’t play his heart out. So what’s embarrassing?

One of the top 3 teams in the country beat us. No matter how well you think Beck and Co. called the game, the better team won. I think you, like some Husker fans (and I mean no disrespect with this), think we’re entitled to win because “We’re Nebraska” and it’s just plain, brown, horse shit.

With that, I will say that we helped Wisconsin out, because we sure as hell did on quite a few levels. But to call this loss embarrassing is asinine. Now if we lose to Minnesota…Well, swing away then Mr. FP

If you look at the position, MLB has been a tackling machine since the days of Tarek Saleh in the early 90s.

It is in ESPN’s best interest to talk up the Big 10, not down. ESPN/ABC owns the rights to the Big 10’s tier one and tier 2 games. (The BTN is tier 3 games) ESPN owns the rights to the SEC tier two and three games, and even then the tier three games are often broadcast only on local affiliates, which may or may not be ABC.

When #1 OSU played #2 Michigan, it was the highest rated college football game of all time, and I believe the 22 million viewers for that game is still the highest regular season CFB game, ever. The better the Big 10 looks, the more money ESPN makes. It makes no sense for the ESPN to talk up the SEC from a business perspective. That pushes viewers to a competitive network.

The simple fact of the matter is the Big 10 is not very good right now. It was not ESPN that went 0-5 on New Years Day, it was not ESPN that got dismantled by Alabama and Mississippi State. It was not ESPN that made the marquee program of the conference absolutely blow up the immediate future of the program for the sake of a Sugar Bowl win. It was not ESPN that scheduled an absolutely abysmal non conference slate (when ND and Miami in 2011, not 1993 are the “big” non conference games, you’re not trying very hard) and then struggled against that schedule.

The Big 10 needs to stop crying “media conspiracy” and start beating top teams from other conferences. A few years of big bowl wins and some primetime non conference victories and the respect will come with it. People forget that LSU won a national title in 2003 and the very next year, an undefeated SEC team was left out of the national title picture. 2 years later they started what would become a 5 year national title streak.

Since the Big 10 network aired, there has been an orchestrated effort to marginalize the conference not only in football, but basketball as well. Ok, the Baby Boilers didn’t help the B1G in that respect (overhyped non-contenders…), but the conference did well overall.

Because it says something when the majority of your teams are strong. There’s nothing wrong with cheering on the conference brethren…

I don’t want to speak for the fanbase, but as far as in conference play, I personally don’t feel enough hatred towards many teams to care who win/loses. The only teams I root against are OSU PSU Mich(97,) and Iowa(Omaha has a lot of these ass holes,) but really only in conference. This is all subject to change and more hate develops.

I rooted for the Big XII, and now I’ll root for the B1G, but it’s not quite SEC level. I want the conference to be good (hence the article) but I don’t have this sense of satisfaction if my team loses and the conference wins.

until they turned us into scape goats.

Big Ten? Hmmm…. I would like to see the Big Ten get more national acceptance, ala, the SEC, and in order to do that they’ll need to win a title or more BCS games. That’s just how it goes.

However, I’ve lived in Big Ten country long enough to understand that you guys really don’t root for each other, and that most of you would rather see another Big Ten burn in hell than win anything noticeable.

So, I’m still up in the air.

because I hate Michigan too much to ever consciously root for their football team.

manhandled them easy enough last year in Camp Randall.

I keed. I keed.

Nebraska is to be taken seriously.
We, the people of the conference, know that you’re not to be taken seriously and that nothing in the Big Ten is easy.
Nebraska gets pantsed.
Nebraska fans now realize that nothing in the Big Ten is easy.

Well then, I see we’re making progress.

Is an Iowa fan going to call a Husker fan smug? Look, I have said time and time again that Nebraska is not the measuring stick for Wisconsin. In fact, the entire premise of this article was to say that Big Ten teams get zero respect from media members and that a team that pretty much every B1G member thinks will win the conference doesn’t stand a chance making the BCS Title game on its own. That was my point. It’s almost like Iowa fans are looking for reasons to puff out their chests… Then again, that’s something you all seem to be good at.

Look, nobody said that Wisconsin beat us so they are in the national title hunt. What I did say is, they are undefeated and that offense looks polished, maybe people should be talking about them. As for this entitled bullshit. Iowa fans say the same things when they lose (shall we examine any threads after Iowa State? How about last year’s Arizona game threads? What about Northwestern threads?). It’s what fans do. Nebraska was embarrassing on Saturday. It had nothing to do with losing, either. When you make unforced errors like not lining up correctly and get penalized, throw poor interceptions (seriously, they were bad), and watch receivers run by you, you get annoyed. So yeah, that part was bad. You would be pissed off regardless of opponent if you played a game like Nebraska did, so get off your ivory towers.

Lastly, Pelini called the defensive effort towards the end of the second half embarrassing. He didn’t say that we would have won. He was pointing out that our defenders didn’t run out plays. It was a lack of heart that made him mad. You know what? That’s a good thing. Anyhow, say whatever you want. Hawkeye fans are extremely good at throwing out insults. Ironically, you’re just as, if not the epitome of, smug as anyone else… including OSU fans. Get off your fucking high horse and throw something constructive into the conversation. Also, how about you read context instead of cherry-picking quotes you want to hear.

I think Wisconsin deserves more press than Boise, but it won’t happen. I was talking about very possible scenarios with my dad the other day. You could have an undefeated SEC (LSU/Bama), undefeated Big XII (Oklahoma… or even OSU, you never know), undefeated PAC12 (Stanford), undefeated B1G (Wisconsin… maybe Michigan or Illinois? Doubtful, but work with me here) and undefeated ACC (Clemson? Not likely).

With the rankings as is, you know the SEC team makes it, and rightfully so, but who would get the nod next? OU beat a ranked FSU, would have to beat a ranked Texas, K-State, aTm, Baylor and OSU team. Stanford would have to beat a Top 10 Oregon team, but an admittedly weak conference slate unless ND steps up and if ASU makes the championship game as a ranked team. Clemson, as an outlier, beat Auburn, FSU, Va Tech, and would need to beat Ga Tech and SC and whoever makes the ACC title game (I don’t know who is opposite of them). Wisconsin? Well, a ranked Nebraska and a ranked Illinois and then maybe a ranked West team in the CCG?

With that, who makes it? OU gets dibs, but if Clemson wins out… unfortunately I think they have potential to jumping Wisconsin. By stature alone (and by virtue of having the world’s favorite player right now) I think Stanford might get sympathy votes. I know that Wisconsin won’t care if they finish undefeated and win the Rose Bowl, but it’s still sad, right? Also, where does Boise go in this scenario? I mean, does Wisconsin get screwed into playing a Non AQ two years in a row? I just don’t know. Very strange possibilities.

Finally, yeah, I’d take Moore over anyone we’ve had in the past four years every day of the week. No doubt about it.