The Little Eleven Big Ten is the fourth conference we are previewing here at ADS. The ACC, Big 12, and Big East can be found at their respective links.
Everyone beats up on the Big Ten. For good reason. Have you watched a Big Ten game lately? Geeeyaaah they are boring. Hey Big Ten teams, the forward pass is legal. Use it. And for a conference whose fans have such a superiority complex, they sure do not win a lot of bowl games, or play anyone reputable outside of their conference (note: Ohio State is exempt from that last statement. Despite playing Youngstown St. every year, they usually schedule one good non-conference game).
Last year, Penn State and Ohio State tied atop the Big Ten with 7-1 conference records. Penn State won the tie-breaker by virtue of their head-to-head victory over the Buckeyes. Michigan State, Iowa, and Northwestern all finished with nine wins in 2008. Although the nine wins were more a product of those three teams playing some pretty weak non-conference opponents.
The Big Ten does not release a full preseason media poll. They only reveal the top three teams. Up until now, I was not aware that Bill Belichick ran the Big Ten. Access is not a bad thing, guys. Without further adieu, here is the top-3 in the Big Ten:
- Ohio State
- Penn State
- Michigan State
Find a TV for these games:
- Ohio State vs. USC - Sept. 12: The Big Ten can quiet a lot of critics if they take down USC in the Horseshoe. Although, this looks to be freshman Matt Barkley's second start ever in college football.
- Michigan State at Notre Dame - Sept. 19: Tired of being laughed at Big Ten? Win some games like this. Everyone is allllll over Notre Dame this year. Win this game Sparty, and you'll shut them up.
-
Penn State vs. Ohio State - Nov. 7: The battle for the Big Ten crown...again? Happy Valley is going to be rocking. I am guessing this will be moved to a night game, and you may see a white-out in the crowd.
- Michigan State vs. Penn State - Nov. 21: The final shot for Michigan State to break into the top-2 of the Big Ten.
The Big Ten has seven bowl tie ins in 2009.
- BCS (Rose Bowl)
- Capital One Bowl
- Outback Bowl
- Alamo Bowl
- Champs Sports Bowl
- Insight Bowl
- Motor City Bowl
Come back tomorrow for the SEC preview.