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Sherman's March to the SEC // The Big 10 on SBN

By Jonathan Franz
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"If drafted, I will not run; if nominated, I will not accept; if elected, I will not serve...But I'm sure as heck going to vote."

- W.T. SHERMAN

Fully cognizant of the fact that reading this column won't be the most important thing you do today, The Rivalry, Esq. encourages to you get out and vote, and promises that if you don't, eventually the Bowl Championship Series people will be put in charge of the electoral process.  Whatever your allegiances, nobody wants to see The Election: Presented by Citi on Fox.

The General's Tactics:

This has been a particularly relevant week for the Big Ten, notably:

  • Competition in the belly of the conference continues to be uncommonly intense with No. 18 Michigan State, No. 24 Northwestern, Illinois and Minnesota trading barbs.  For the first time in too long the Saturday afternoon matchups forced viewers to urgently cycle through channels to take it all in.  This inter-conference, "any given Saturday" parity reminds Sherman of how the SEC used to look.  You know, before it became a two team conference like everyone else.
  • As the fallout continues in the wake of Phil Fulmer's decision to step down as head coach at Tennessee more than one source has tagged Tim Brewster as a likely replacement.  Sherman says Brewster stays in Minnesota.  A $288.5 million dollar new facility doesn't hurt.  Check out ESPN Big Ten Blogger Adam Rittenberg's early look at TCF Bank Stadium.  
  • Conference Monarch Michigan dropped the ball on the nation's longest steak of 33 consecutive bowl appearences, and guaranteed themselves a losing season.  On the bright side, Rich Ridriguez will be home for Christmas...
  • Want to sue the BCS?  Here's a blueprint: Franz is focusing his Note research for The Ohio State Law Journal on the Bowl Championship Series.  As he writes, "A decade after its inception, NCAA College Football’s FBS Division Bowl Championship Series (BCS) postseason system continues to be a source of popular unrest.  In April, United States Representatives Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii), Lynn Westmoreland (R-Ga.) and Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) spearheaded a resolution to bolster Congress’s 2005 efforts to examine whether the system constitutes an illegal restraint of trade.  Commentators have almost unanimously found that the BCS arrangement does not run afoul of the Sherman Antitrust Act (15 U.S.C. § 1-7).  My research will consider, 1. Whether there’s any new evidence that discredits these findings, and 2. Alternative legal avenues for critics of the system, in addressing the ultimate question of whether the FBS division is an illegal restraint of trade."