ESPN: Perception of B1G football offers mixed bag

[BleedGopher]

per ESPN:

Here are a few words that jumped out or, noticeably, didn’t: Big guys who were not athletic enough to play in the SEC: Maybe this is also the right time to make note of “corn-fed” in the upper left-hand corner? Perhaps there’s a correlation. Perhaps not. But there’s no way to get around the fact that if the SEC is speed, then the Big Ten would be size. Not every Big Ten position group has bigger guys than in other conferences and not every Big Ten position group is less athletic than guys in similar positions in the SEC, but that does seem to be the perception. Most Big Ten teams enjoy fielding big, nasty offensive linemen, and it has been a staple of the conference for decades. That reputation has apparently spilled over into other position groups now, too.

Noticeably absent: respect. Not the word itself, but that general feeling. Looking over the words, it’s clear that BCS schools don’t really look at the Big Ten as a huge national threat. While Ohio State technically did or did not (depending on how you look at it) go undefeated last season, the Big Ten hasn’t received a ton of respect nationally. That’s not a huge surprise -- the last time a Big Ten team won a national title was when most of these players were in elementary school (2002, Ohio State).

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/81516/perception-of-b1g-football-offers-mixed-bag

Go Gophers!!

 

[WorkingMyTailOff]

After watching Alabama's O Line pound Notre Dame in the bowl game last year, I think the SEC is not only quick but also big.

 

[GophersInIowa]

per ESPN:

Here are a few words that jumped out or, noticeably, didn’t: Big guys who were not athletic enough to play in the SEC: Maybe this is also the right time to make note of “corn-fed” in the upper left-hand corner? Perhaps there’s a correlation. Perhaps not. But there’s no way to get around the fact that if the SEC is speed, then the Big Ten would be size. Not every Big Ten position group has bigger guys than in other conferences and not every Big Ten position group is less athletic than guys in similar positions in the SEC, but that does seem to be the perception. Most Big Ten teams enjoy fielding big, nasty offensive linemen, and it has been a staple of the conference for decades. That reputation has apparently spilled over into other position groups now, too.

Noticeably absent: respect. Not the word itself, but that general feeling. Looking over the words, it’s clear that BCS schools don’t really look at the Big Ten as a huge national threat. While Ohio State technically did or did not (depending on how you look at it) go undefeated last season, the Big Ten hasn’t received a ton of respect nationally. That’s not a huge surprise -- the last time a Big Ten team won a national title was when most of these players were in elementary school (2002, Ohio State).

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/81516/perception-of-b1g-football-offers-mixed-bag

Go Gophers!!

Couldn't this be said about other conferences then? The SEC has won the past 7 National Championships.

 

[die hard gopher]

the big ten can match up with the SEC in any position except for the athleticism of the defensive lines, although that could change with Noah Spence and Adolphus Washington at OSU(Ra'shede is an exception to this statement)

 

[Schnauzer]

ESPN seems to spend a lot of time comparing the B1G and the SEC these days. I can't say that any of this is surprising given ESPN's high level of INTERE$T in the $EC.

I'm not sure if Adam Rittenberg can go a whole day without reminding readers of the B1G blog about how good the SEC is.

And, I love the general terms that are always thrown around when ESPN forces these discussions which one would be led to believe Michigan State beating Georgia is an exeption and South Carolina beating Michigan is a sign of dominance.

I get it... the SEC is good. Can't argue (much) with 7 in a row. The annoying part is forcing the other stuff to fit what ESPN is selling

 

[SonOfTheVarsity]

Perhaps there’s a correlation. Perhaps not.

Not every Big Ten position group has bigger guys than in other conferences and not every Big Ten position group is less athletic than guys in similar positions in the SEC, but that does seem to be the perception.

you’d think most BCS players believed that a Big Ten quarterback had never attempted a pass. And while that’s not true,

While Ohio State technically did or did not (depending on how you look at it) go undefeated last season, the Big Ten hasn’t received a ton of respect nationally.

This is from the same writer who did the ESPN Blog Gophers season preview, and she honestly might be the worst writer I've ever seen in a major publication (if you want to consider an ESPN blog a major publication). Both of the articles were just plain horribly written, both in meaningful content and writing style. Awful. And, of course, she devotes an entire section to Michigan.

I'm not expecting David Halberstam here, but how ESPN presumably pays this person to write things is beyond me.

 

[cncmin]

ESPN seems to spend a lot of time comparing the B1G and the SEC these days. I can't say that any of this is surprising given ESPN's high level of INTERE$T in the $EC.

I'm not sure if Adam Rittenberg can go a whole day without reminding readers of the B1G blog about how good the SEC is.

And, I love the general terms that are always thrown around when ESPN forces these discussions which one would be led to believe Michigan State beating Georgia is an exeption and South Carolina beating Michigan is a sign of dominance.

I get it... the SEC is good. Can't argue (much) with 7 in a row. The annoying part is forcing the other stuff to fit what ESPN is selling

There's a solution to this - stop watching ESPN and visit other websites.

 

[Schnauzer]

There's a solution to this - stop watching ESPN and visit other websites.

I agree to a point... I visit the ESPN B1G blog weekly now where I used to make it a daily ritual. In terms of "stop watching ESPN"... funny. I'd love to, as soon as they quit broadcasting my favorite live sports.

 

[GopherinPhilly]

I agree to a point... I visit the ESPN B1G blog weekly now where I used to make it a daily ritual. In terms of "stop watching ESPN"... funny. I'd love to, as soon as they quit broadcasting my favorite live sports.

Praying for Fox Sports 1 to make inroads!

 

[4four4]

I agree to a point... I visit the ESPN B1G blog weekly now where I used to make it a daily ritual. In terms of "stop watching ESPN"... funny. I'd love to, as soon as they quit broadcasting my favorite live sports.

Well there have been old time players who believe football is on its way out.