We were all about ready to say that the Big Ten might be as good as the SEC this year. Unfortunately for Jim Delany, everyone is holding their tongues to avoid a premature anointment of greatness. The top of the Big Ten, save Ohio State (who rolled to a 43-7 victory over in-state rival Ohio), did not look very good at all this past weekend. Although the Buckeyes won, they still showed a weakness that has proven to be, at least at this point in the season, their only vulnerability; special teams. Iowa got into the mess that they did in the first half thanks to a blocked punt (which resulted in a touchdown) and a kickoff return for a touchdown. Wisconsin didn't look solid on special teams either, other than their block of Arizona State's extra point attempt in the fourth quarter, which ultimately proved to be the difference in a 20-19 Badgers win. What does all this say so far about the Big Ten? Well, since one of their best went down this past weekend, another survived a scare at home, and a third didn't have much trouble against a walkover (but still didn't look great on special teams), they need to fix the special teams dilemma. The weakness was highlighted in Ohio State's game against Miami two weekends ago. If the Big Ten wants to have a realistic shot of dethroning the SEC, they need to be able to contain these speedy return men, of which are plenty in the SEC. Special teams can win or lose games, and if the Big Ten wants to be on the winning side, they need to tighten up the special teams.
Part of being an NFL fan is that you must proclaim your team the greatest with each win, and cover your head to avoid a piece of the sky falling with each loss. This is especially true considering a team which, on paper, has all the tools to hold up the Lombardi Trophy at the end of the season. Yes, I am talking about the Dallas Cowboys. It is hard to pinpoint what the real problem is for the Cowboys. They have been in close games with teams who may be surprisingly difficult to beat this year (sure, Chicago was a controversial call away from losing in Detroit. They are 2-0, though. Washington followed up their win against Dallas with a valiant effort against the 2-0 Texans). Tony Romo hasn't played terribly, either. I think that Dallas themselves are a little confused, which is why it has been rather quiet from the Cowboys camp. No one is pointing fingers. Yet. However, the Cowboys get to face the Houston Texans this weekend for their first road test. A third loss to start the season and fingers will be flying in every direction. The only mystery will be at whom.
I really hope that the Colorado Rockies make the playoffs. It seems that each year, the Rockies catch fire at precisely the right time in order to make a run for the playoffs, and add excitement to what can often be a rather bland National League picture. Now that Troy Tulowitzki is back, he has energized this Colorado team once again, and is playing like the best player in baseball. If the Rockies do manage to make the playoffs, I don't see why they can't make it all the way to the World Series, much like they did back in 2007. Statistically, the Rockies' pitching performance as a whole is not any better than the Phillies' pitching. However, thanks to the play of guys like Tulowitzski and Colorado's consistent raising of the bar deep into the season, I think it would be an extremely exciting series. If the Rockies don't make in the NLCS, then I think the league is the Phillies for the taking once again (that is, of course, assuming that they make the playoffs as well). I don't see enough from San Diego or San Francisco to suggest otherwise, and I think that Cincinnati's inexperience in the playoffs will ultimately be their demise.
Questions or comments about anything I've written or about anything in sports you'd like to discuss? Send me an email at aroundthecornsportsblog@gmail.com or post a comment in the comments section, and I'll get back to you as quickly as possible. Have a Facebook page? Then please check out the Around The Corn Sports Blog fan page, and become a fan if you enjoy the site. Also, remember that you can now type in www.aroundthecorn.com into your browser and be redirected to the blog. Thanks everyone!
- K. Becks
Showing posts with label big 10. Show all posts
Showing posts with label big 10. Show all posts
Monday, September 20, 2010
Saturday, July 17, 2010
The Wind Moved The Ball Off The Green, Farmer Brown, Not A "Flyin' Saucer"
The leaderboard at this weekend's British Open seems to change as much as the wind, and considering that play on Friday was suspended due to high winds, it changes a lot. At various points throughout the 150th Open Championship, names such as Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods, Paul Casey, and even John Daly have been moving around the leaderboard like ping pong balls. Even with the unpredictable winds making things tough on anyone atop the leaderboard, it will be hard for Tiger Woods, who sits ten shots back, to mount a comeback capable of pulling off the win. Assuming that there will be no ten stroke comeback by Tiger tomorrow, he will have one more shot at a Major championship this year when the PGA Championship takes place in mid-August. The championship will take place at Whistling Straits Golf Course, which last hosted the PGA Championship in 2004. At that tournament, Tiger Woods finished an unspectacular two-under par, six shots off of the lead. Is it crazy to think that this may be the first year since 2004 (coincidentally, the same year that the PGA Championship was played at Whistling Straits) that Tiger will finish the season without a Major championship victory? More importantly, how does this affect Woods' quest to best Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 career Major championships? A couple of years ago, it was almost a sure bet that Woods would eventually surpass Nicklaus on the all-time list. However, Woods cannot afford to have any more seasons like he has had this year. While he continues to get older, guys like McIlroy keep getting better and closer to their prime.
The possibility of the Big 10 having a championship game in football has become much more realistic ever since Nebraska declared for the conference last month. The question that remains to be answered is where the conference would play the game if they were to have one. I've heard everything from Ford Field in Detroit to Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, and even historic sites such as Lambeau Field and Soldier Field. Isn't it obvious which venue is the best fit for a potential Big Ten title game? Indianapolis is a fairly centralized location considering the teams that make up the Big 10, and it's an indoor facility, which is almost a must unless the conference is located in the South like the ACC. With that being said, Lambeau Field is out, not only because it's outdoors, but because Wisconsin is about as un-centralized a location as possible. The same goes for Solider Field. As for Detroit, it meets the requirements of being indoors and being a central location, but scheduling would be an issue. With the MAC already hosting their title game at Ford Field, one of the conferences would have to play their championship game a week before or after every other conference has their game, which could upset the conference that doesn't play on Championship Week. Also, with Detroit being Detroit, chances are a game in Indianapolis would draw a much larger crowd. In addition to those reasons, the Big 10 already plays their conference tournament for basketball in Indianapolis as well.
Last post I asked my readers if the All-Star game winning streak for the American League was as great as other winning streaks since it is technically still an exhibition game. Well, since none of you responded, I can only assume that none of my regular readers actually watched the game (the game received its lowest rating in years, which is why I feel confident in assuming this). Since the National League won, there is no reason to debate the streak. However, it was an extremely entertaining game to watch, which is why I am perplexed as to why it got such a low rating. The MLB All-Star game is so much more entertaining than the NBA All-Star game or the Pro Bowl, and unlike the NBA or NFL, the MLB's game actually means something. I hope this trend doesn't continue, because you know what happens when the ratings aren't great; someone wants to change something. The only thing that should be changed about the MLB All-Star festivities is the Home Run Derby; other than that, it's great and people apparently are missing out.
I'm getting close to deciding on how I want the Around The Corn Sports Blog shirts to look. Keep checking the Facebook fan page for more information about that, which should be posted in the next week or so. Thanks everyone.
- K. Becks
The possibility of the Big 10 having a championship game in football has become much more realistic ever since Nebraska declared for the conference last month. The question that remains to be answered is where the conference would play the game if they were to have one. I've heard everything from Ford Field in Detroit to Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, and even historic sites such as Lambeau Field and Soldier Field. Isn't it obvious which venue is the best fit for a potential Big Ten title game? Indianapolis is a fairly centralized location considering the teams that make up the Big 10, and it's an indoor facility, which is almost a must unless the conference is located in the South like the ACC. With that being said, Lambeau Field is out, not only because it's outdoors, but because Wisconsin is about as un-centralized a location as possible. The same goes for Solider Field. As for Detroit, it meets the requirements of being indoors and being a central location, but scheduling would be an issue. With the MAC already hosting their title game at Ford Field, one of the conferences would have to play their championship game a week before or after every other conference has their game, which could upset the conference that doesn't play on Championship Week. Also, with Detroit being Detroit, chances are a game in Indianapolis would draw a much larger crowd. In addition to those reasons, the Big 10 already plays their conference tournament for basketball in Indianapolis as well.
Last post I asked my readers if the All-Star game winning streak for the American League was as great as other winning streaks since it is technically still an exhibition game. Well, since none of you responded, I can only assume that none of my regular readers actually watched the game (the game received its lowest rating in years, which is why I feel confident in assuming this). Since the National League won, there is no reason to debate the streak. However, it was an extremely entertaining game to watch, which is why I am perplexed as to why it got such a low rating. The MLB All-Star game is so much more entertaining than the NBA All-Star game or the Pro Bowl, and unlike the NBA or NFL, the MLB's game actually means something. I hope this trend doesn't continue, because you know what happens when the ratings aren't great; someone wants to change something. The only thing that should be changed about the MLB All-Star festivities is the Home Run Derby; other than that, it's great and people apparently are missing out.
I'm getting close to deciding on how I want the Around The Corn Sports Blog shirts to look. Keep checking the Facebook fan page for more information about that, which should be posted in the next week or so. Thanks everyone.
- K. Becks
Friday, June 11, 2010
It's A Techtonic Shift
We are amidst a major change in the landscape of college athletics; namely, college football. With Colorado bolting for the Pac-10, Boise State moving to the Mountain West, and Nebraska moving to the Big 10, the domino effect has been triggered. When all is said and done, I predict that we will have a collection of "super" conferences that will dominate the politics in college football. By politics, I mean the steps that will go in place to institute some type of playoff that, believe it or not, the college presidents have wanted for a long time.
Here is what I think will happen (and obviously, by the middle of next week we will know if I am correct or not, as many more changes are on their way in the near future). Joining Nebraska in the Big 10 will be Missouri. Not only does this make sense geographically, but Missouri already has a longstanding rivalry in place with Illinois, and it would compliment their schedule to become a part of the Big 10. Next, Texas will leave the Big 12 high and dry, as they, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State will join the Pac-10. This will give the Pac-10 a total of 16 teams, completing what will be our first "super" conference. This also leaves the Big 12 limping to the barn with four teams, obviously not enough to be a full conference. This will prompt the remaining teams (Kansas, Iowa State, Baylor, and Kansas State) to combine with the Mountain West Conference, who are actually a very respectable conference with BYU, Utah, TCU, and Boise State. The Big 10 will still be at twelve teams by the end of next week, but will be hungry to expand their conference to sixteen as the Pac-10 will have done.
That is what I believe will happen by the end of next week. The next section is pure speculation; or rather, what I think will be done to ensure that a playoff can be achieved.
Since the Pac-10 has sixteen teams, the other "power" football conferences, the Big 10 and SEC, will try to follow suit. It makes sense for the SEC to take Florida State, Miami, Virginia Tech, and Georgia Tech. This will complete our second "super" conference. The third "super" conference will come as a result of a mass merger between the remaining eight teams in the ACC and the eight teams in the Big East. For those clever readers out there, I know what you're thinking: "What about basketball? You can't have a 24 team conference." Number one, basketball isn't the major revenue generator for a university. Number two, yes you can. Make two divisions. Eight teams from each division qualify for the conference tournament, and BOOM, you have the same setup you had before the merger.
Now that just leaves one more conference. The Big 10, having run out of opportunities to further expand, only have one possible team left that they can attempt to add. That would be Notre Dame. Notre Dame, seeing the "super" conference picture almost complete, will realize that without joining a conference, it will be close to impossible to get into the playoff system that will soon be devised. The Fighting Irish let go of their beloved independence and their NBC contract, and join the Big 10. This gives the Big 10 thirteen teams, three short of the sixteen that all the other "super" conferences have. However, it won't matter, because now the power is in the college presidents' hands to institute a playoff.
Let's take a look at what we have so far.
Pac-10- 16 teams
SEC- 16 teams
Mountain West- 16 teams
ACC/Big East (which name is kept is unimportant)- 16 teams
Big 10- 13 teams
Now, you can have an eight team playoff by doing the following. Take the conference champion from each of the aforementioned "super" conferences, as well as one team from one of the smaller conferences (MAC, Conference USA, Sun Belt, WAC) or an independent team that is the highest ranked. The final two spots will go to the highest ranked teams that have not already qualified for the playoff.
What will this do? Well, not only will it solve the problem of not having a college football playoff, but it is a goldmine (no pun intended) from a money making perspective, which is what the college presidents are most interested in. Not only that, but every bowl game can be preserved. The two teams in the playoff finals will play for the national championship, and the six remaining teams will go to the other three BCS bowl games. Notice that I called them BCS bowl games. Yes, for ranking purposes, the BCS will still be around. However, since it will no longer choose the two teams that play for the national championship, it won't be hated. As for the rest of the smaller bowl games, they will be played as usual.
As I said, only the second paragraph is what will likely happen. The rest of the post is pure speculation. However, this should generate a lot of conversation, and I'm excited to hear all your thoughts on the topic. Post a comment in the comments section, or send me an email at aroundthecornsportsblog@gmail.com. I'd really like to hear what you guys think about this issue. Thanks everyone, and be sure to check out the new World Cup scoreboard on the left side of the page.
- K. Becks
Here is what I think will happen (and obviously, by the middle of next week we will know if I am correct or not, as many more changes are on their way in the near future). Joining Nebraska in the Big 10 will be Missouri. Not only does this make sense geographically, but Missouri already has a longstanding rivalry in place with Illinois, and it would compliment their schedule to become a part of the Big 10. Next, Texas will leave the Big 12 high and dry, as they, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State will join the Pac-10. This will give the Pac-10 a total of 16 teams, completing what will be our first "super" conference. This also leaves the Big 12 limping to the barn with four teams, obviously not enough to be a full conference. This will prompt the remaining teams (Kansas, Iowa State, Baylor, and Kansas State) to combine with the Mountain West Conference, who are actually a very respectable conference with BYU, Utah, TCU, and Boise State. The Big 10 will still be at twelve teams by the end of next week, but will be hungry to expand their conference to sixteen as the Pac-10 will have done.
That is what I believe will happen by the end of next week. The next section is pure speculation; or rather, what I think will be done to ensure that a playoff can be achieved.
Since the Pac-10 has sixteen teams, the other "power" football conferences, the Big 10 and SEC, will try to follow suit. It makes sense for the SEC to take Florida State, Miami, Virginia Tech, and Georgia Tech. This will complete our second "super" conference. The third "super" conference will come as a result of a mass merger between the remaining eight teams in the ACC and the eight teams in the Big East. For those clever readers out there, I know what you're thinking: "What about basketball? You can't have a 24 team conference." Number one, basketball isn't the major revenue generator for a university. Number two, yes you can. Make two divisions. Eight teams from each division qualify for the conference tournament, and BOOM, you have the same setup you had before the merger.
Now that just leaves one more conference. The Big 10, having run out of opportunities to further expand, only have one possible team left that they can attempt to add. That would be Notre Dame. Notre Dame, seeing the "super" conference picture almost complete, will realize that without joining a conference, it will be close to impossible to get into the playoff system that will soon be devised. The Fighting Irish let go of their beloved independence and their NBC contract, and join the Big 10. This gives the Big 10 thirteen teams, three short of the sixteen that all the other "super" conferences have. However, it won't matter, because now the power is in the college presidents' hands to institute a playoff.
Let's take a look at what we have so far.
Pac-10- 16 teams
SEC- 16 teams
Mountain West- 16 teams
ACC/Big East (which name is kept is unimportant)- 16 teams
Big 10- 13 teams
Now, you can have an eight team playoff by doing the following. Take the conference champion from each of the aforementioned "super" conferences, as well as one team from one of the smaller conferences (MAC, Conference USA, Sun Belt, WAC) or an independent team that is the highest ranked. The final two spots will go to the highest ranked teams that have not already qualified for the playoff.
What will this do? Well, not only will it solve the problem of not having a college football playoff, but it is a goldmine (no pun intended) from a money making perspective, which is what the college presidents are most interested in. Not only that, but every bowl game can be preserved. The two teams in the playoff finals will play for the national championship, and the six remaining teams will go to the other three BCS bowl games. Notice that I called them BCS bowl games. Yes, for ranking purposes, the BCS will still be around. However, since it will no longer choose the two teams that play for the national championship, it won't be hated. As for the rest of the smaller bowl games, they will be played as usual.
As I said, only the second paragraph is what will likely happen. The rest of the post is pure speculation. However, this should generate a lot of conversation, and I'm excited to hear all your thoughts on the topic. Post a comment in the comments section, or send me an email at aroundthecornsportsblog@gmail.com. I'd really like to hear what you guys think about this issue. Thanks everyone, and be sure to check out the new World Cup scoreboard on the left side of the page.
- K. Becks
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