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Big Ten bowled over again; changes needed
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Ohio State's credible performance in the Fiesta Bowl notwithstanding, the Big Ten's football reputation continues to take a hit.
It may be at a new low.
ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit called the conference "a punch line" and "just awful" last fall, and Fox's Terry Bradshaw described it as "so bad." The Big Ten went 1-6 this bowl season, 9-20 over the last four years and has lost six consecutive Bowl Championship Series games (3-8 overall).
"The perception is that the champion from the Big Ten is about the sixth-best team in the SEC," Herbstreit said.
The best football players are in the Big 12, Southeastern Conference and the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Big Ten still produces quality NFL draft picks, but the conference is not getting the results on the field.
You don't find the speed in the Big Ten like you do elsewhere. In Michigan's 39-7 loss to Oregon, Herbstreit said, "Oregon made Michigan look like they were wearing ankle weights." The conference has to rid itself of its smash-mouth, ground-hugging identity.
• Here we go again. A national high school basketball event will be held April 3-5 in Bethesda, Md., with an eight-team boys tournament and a four-team girls' tournament. An ESPN spokesman said invitations will be based on rankings compiled by ESPN Rise. Many of the best teams will not be able to participate — and it is likely that no public schools will participate. Good for them. The national high school federation will likely not give its blessing, either.
I agree with Bob Gardner, the federation's chief operations officer, who told the Washington Post: "Our perspective is this would not fall under an educational mission for our members to participate." Why stretch out the season another month?
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2478
or rjackson@DaytonDailyNews.com.
