ESPN: B1G's wild, wild West needs a Wyatt Earp

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BleedGopher

BleedGopher

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per ESPN:

And then there's the wild, wild West Division. It appeared to be the more balanced, more wide-open division entering the season, and it has stayed true to form. While some handed the division to Wisconsin back in August, they were the same folks spending too much time studying the Badgers' schedule and not enough time studying the Badgers' roster.

Minnesota and Iowa sit atop the division at 2-0 in league play, followed by Northwestern at 2-1 and Nebraska and Wisconsin both at 1-1. Nebraska's lone loss came in a cross-division game at Michigan State, while Northwestern (Minnesota) and Wisconsin (Northwestern) both have lost a division game.

There's not much separation between the five, and you can make a case for each to represent the West in Indy. This has all the makings of a plot-twisting, cannibalizing, down-to-the-last-weekend, complex-tiebreaker-requiring, wildly entertaining division race.

That's why the Big Ten needs someone to take charge in the West. The ideal candidates are Minnesota and Nebraska because both have quality losses (Gophers on the road against TCU, Huskers on the road against Michigan State). Iowa isn't a bad option at 11-1, but a home loss to Iowa State will be held against the Hawkeyes.

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/109016/b1gs-wild-wild-west-needs-a-wyatt-earp

Go Gophers!!
 

"That's why the Big Ten needs someone to take charge in the West. The ideal candidates are Minnesota and Nebraska...."

The West champs could end up at 6-2. Assuming NU is for real, which I think they are, the gauntlet just got touigher for teams like Nebraska, Iowa and we all know about Wisky. Beating NU may turn out to be a big hurdle for the Gophers.

I see the Huskers, Iowa, Wisky and NU beating up on each other with Nebraska maybe the most dominant team. If Rutgers is for real, they will certainly pose a challenge for NU and Wisky if their QB woes continue.

The Gophers have the most difficult road being we are the only one to play OSU and have Iowa, Nebrask and Wisky and NU could have the least difficult BIG schedule the rest of the way

I know this seems unlikely, but a 5-3 record could end up sharing the West.

At this time, I think Nebraska has the edge. The game at NU Saturday should reveal a lot.
 


No one is really talking about Iowa (probably due to the ISU loss) but their schedule lays out really nicely for them to be a factor. They get Northwestern, Wisconsin, and Nebraska all at Kinnick.

The Big Ten really feels like it is Michigan State's to lose at this point. But yeah the West is crazy wide open right now with non one looking unbeatable. At this point it easily could be any of the top 5 with Purdue and Illinois brining up the rear.
 

In the battle of NU this Saturday, this more of a must win for Northwestern. The Cats can't afford to have a 2nd divisional loss, especially one at home.
 


The Wild Wild West needs Country Jer to take over...

2wgej45.png
 









Somebody needs to submit this picture to ESPN.
 





First of all...OUTSTANDING photoshop of Tombstone Jer.... Second of all, I hated this article. Here's how I interpreted it: We really need someone from the West to be good so Ohio State or Michigan State can get to the playoff! I mean, how patronizing can you be? I realize that tOSU is the brand of the Big Ten and MSU is the current flavor of the moment, but seriously...why would a 1-loss West division winner be any less of a contender than a 1-loss team from the East? Again, ESPN's blatant cheerleading for the "name" schools of the Big Ten makes me sick. But maybe I'm reading it wrong...anyone care to put me in my place?

Go Gophers!
 

GopherDieHardDyingHard said:
First of all...OUTSTANDING photoshop of Tombstone Jer.... Second of all, I hated this article. Here's how I interpreted it: We really need someone from the West to be good so Ohio State or Michigan State can get to the playoff! I mean, how patronizing can you be? I realize that tOSU is the brand of the Big Ten and MSU is the current flavor of the moment, but seriously...why would a 1-loss West division winner be any less of a contender than a 1-loss team from the East? Again, ESPN's blatant cheerleading for the "name" schools of the Big Ten makes me sick. But maybe I'm reading it wrong...anyone care to put me in my place?

Go Gophers!
Click to expand...

+1 You can bet that after hearing a year's worth of this type of ESPN garbage, I'll be pulling for whoever wins the West... except wisconsin... or Iowa: F those humans.
 





ESPN hacks said:
(Yes, I realize some Big Ten fans despise the ESPN-driven, all-about-the-playoff narrative. But it's the world we live in, so deal.)
Click to expand...

This paragraph made my hatred of the ESPN writers reach another level. What a collection of clowns.
 


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