Academic

Thoughts on the Rose Bowl and the Big Ten's really bad day

By Tung Yin

"Another rough bowl season for the Big Ten" (Yahoo! Sports):

The Big Ten is 2-5 in bowls this season. The first two league teams to play their bowl games won, with a depleted Iowa team upsetting Missouri in the Insight and Illinois blowing out Baylor in the Texas Bowl.

But then came New Year's Day. Northwestern fell to Texas Tech in the Ticket City Bowl, not a surprise considering the Wildcats were without starting quarterback Dan Persa. But Michigan and Michigan State were mauled by SEC West teams Mississippi State and Alabama, respectively. Penn State was dumped by SEC East also-ran Florida. And to cap it all off, Wisconsin was shut down by Mountain West champ TCU in the Rose Bowl.

Having spent seven years in Big Ten land (not to mention, having a dad and little brother who are big Wolverine fans -- and I don't mean the X-Man), I root for the Iowa Hawkeyes, so long as they aren't playing Cal or UCLA.  But as for the rest of the Big Ten, I have yet to develop any affection.  I suppose I have some mild interest in Northwestern, simply because it seems to be the most-Cal-like team in the Big Ten, but that's about it.

So seeing most of the bullies and pretenders in the Big Ten get edged out, if not hammered, on New Year's Day, was kind of amusing.  Seeing Big Ten co-champ Wisconsin -- the highest ranked team in the conference -- lose to TCU was especially satisfying.  I don't particularly care about TCU, but it's fitting that TCU beat Wisconsin, who beat Ohio State, whose President said this about TCU:

"I do know, having been both a Southeastern Conference president and a Big Ten president, that it's like murderer's row every week for these schools. We do not play the Little Sisters of the Poor. We play very fine schools on any given day.

"So I think until a university runs through that gantlet that there's some reason to believe that they not be the best teams to [be] in the big ballgame."

Now, I won't argue that the Mountain West (TCU's soon-to-be former conference) isn't that strong; nor is the Western Athletic Conference (Boise State's soon-to-be former conference).  But unless the Big Ten (or other automatic qualifying conferences) invite Boise State or TCU to join, those two schools are stuck.  For TCU, at least, the problem has been solved, since it's going to be joining the Big East (which is no great shakes itself, but is an automatic qualifying conference).  But 'til now, Boise State and TCU have wanted to play teams from the big dog conferences, but have largely been rebuffed.  If Ohio State wants to play TCU and teach them a lesson about who's a good team, then Gee's comments would be more understandable.  But when no teams from Gee's supposedly tough conference are willing to step up, he's just being obnoxious.

For that reason, I was glad to see TCU beat Wisconsin.

Full post as published by The Yin Blog on January 03, 2011 (boomark / email).