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A League Ahead: Inside the Big Ten's return to the top of college football
SI ^ | December 7, 2016 | Michael Rosenberg

Posted on 12/07/2016 10:23:57 AM PST by C19fan

If history is written by the victors, then the story of the 2012 Big Ten championship game should be written by nobody. It was not much of a game, it should not have decided a championship, and it made the proud Big Ten look like it was selling fake Rolexes in a dark alley.

The game was supposed to pit the champions of the self-importantly-named Legends and Leaders divisions. But the Leaders' leader, undefeated Ohio State, was ineligible because of NCAA violations. So was second-place Penn State. That left third-place Wisconsin—which went 4–4 in the league—to face Legends champion Nebraska.

(Excerpt) Read more at si.com ...


TOPICS: Sports
KEYWORDS: college; football
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The SEC has degenerated to 'Bama and the 12 dwarves.
1 posted on 12/07/2016 10:23:57 AM PST by C19fan
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To: C19fan

Ugh...13 dwarves.


2 posted on 12/07/2016 10:24:12 AM PST by C19fan
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To: C19fan

And yet the Conference Champion doesn’t get a chance to play for the National Title.


3 posted on 12/07/2016 10:24:48 AM PST by dfwgator
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To: C19fan

I knew letting Mizzou in would drag the SEC down to Mizzou’s level.


4 posted on 12/07/2016 10:26:42 AM PST by DoodleDawg
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To: C19fan

The SEC East is an embarrassment. How UF has won it the last two years, I’ll never know.


5 posted on 12/07/2016 10:27:14 AM PST by dfwgator
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To: dfwgator

Someone has to win the SECLeast.


6 posted on 12/07/2016 10:27:42 AM PST by C19fan
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To: C19fan

Yep. The SEC talent is getting spread around to more schools in and out of the conference. The ACC is getting more as is the big 10 and the rest who are all getting just as much tv time and recruiting the heck out on the southeast.

Alabama is a juggernaut. I suspect we’ll see one or two reach top tier status again quickly. Possibly Tennessee or LSU. Maybe Georgia or Florida. We will see.


7 posted on 12/07/2016 10:27:47 AM PST by ilgipper
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To: ilgipper

I think TN is dead with Butch Jones. He gets the least out of the most. See how the Cajun does at LSU.


8 posted on 12/07/2016 10:29:00 AM PST by C19fan
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To: C19fan

Publicly, I’m sure Penn St. begged to be included in the Playoff with Ohio St.

But privately, they didn’t want to be the 4th seed to get humiliated by Alabama.

I don’t think Nick Saban is anything special as a head coach. He just knows how to recruit the best players. Every one on his team has NFL size and speed. He just has so many players bigger and faster than every one else they can play just an average game and beat anybody by 20.

Their only weakness is their QB.


9 posted on 12/07/2016 10:31:50 AM PST by skinndogNN
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To: skinndogNN

I don’t think a coach can be as successful as Saban and not be special.


10 posted on 12/07/2016 10:39:44 AM PST by OLDCU
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To: ilgipper
Maybe Georgia or Florida.

Not with McElwain.

11 posted on 12/07/2016 10:40:01 AM PST by dfwgator
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To: C19fan

I bet if Florida played in the SEC West, they would have finished last in the division.


12 posted on 12/07/2016 10:41:01 AM PST by dfwgator
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To: C19fan

Is anybody else bothered by the fact that the “Big Ten” conference contains fourteen teams?


13 posted on 12/07/2016 10:41:12 AM PST by WayneS (An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last. - Winston Churchill)
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To: WayneS

And the Big 12 contains 10.


14 posted on 12/07/2016 10:43:44 AM PST by C19fan
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To: C19fan

And at least the Pac-8 became the Pac-12 when they added teams.


15 posted on 12/07/2016 10:44:40 AM PST by dfwgator
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To: C19fan

Great.

I guess maybe math is not these schools’ strong point?


16 posted on 12/07/2016 10:44:51 AM PST by WayneS (An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last. - Winston Churchill)
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To: dfwgator

I thought of you when Oregon hired Hazzard when McElwain was on the list for the job.


17 posted on 12/07/2016 10:46:13 AM PST by C19fan
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To: WayneS

The call it the “BIG” now ... and the “G” in the logo looks a lot like a “6”.


18 posted on 12/07/2016 10:47:53 AM PST by Campion (Halten Sie sich unbedingt an die Lehre!)
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To: C19fan

There is only one way to return the Big Ten to its former greatness, bring back the University of Chicago!


19 posted on 12/07/2016 10:51:15 AM PST by Dr. Sivana (There is no salvation in politics.)
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To: DoodleDawg

That’s a load of crap.


20 posted on 12/07/2016 10:54:09 AM PST by Augie
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