I've lived in Arkansas for a little bit over a year now. As far as football is concerned, I expected a world of change once I got here. I heard all about the SEC before I even got here: tradition was a word thrown around a lot, the rabid fandom, the intense competition. Since I've been in SEC country, the reputation preceding my arrival is still more of a fantasy than it is a reality; at least that is the case with the Razorbacks. Though, I sincerely hope Bret Bielema turns it around here. With all that said, it's safe to say I'm not going to be a diehard fan of SEC football. I respect it and I'll cheer on the Hogs. But I'm a B1G Boy. There is something I've learned here, though. Something I greatly desire as a Wolverine, as an all around supporter of the Big Ten Conference.
Consistency.
There is just something so consistent about the top dogs in the SEC. I'm not talking Razorbacks or UK Wildcats. I'm talking Bama, Missouri, Texas A&M... And I'm not even really talking about wins and losses. I'm talking performance on the field and knowing what team is going to show up. Some of the top teams of the SEC have experienced losses, upsetting ones. It's because they get out played, however. B1G top dogs look like Pomeranians. We don't get out played, we succumb to self-induced hysteria and, dare I say, ineptitude.
Let's do a fun little connect the dots game, starting with my team. The Michigan that I watched play Notre Dame looked tough. Offensive line protected the QB. The quarter back was on point. Defensive line did a wonderful job. That's the last time during this season that I ever saw Michigan play with an offense and a defense that were on the same page. And, I say this cautiously since it seems like the picks thrown at this game were just a sample of the COSTCO sized quantity to be ordered up later in the season.
Michigan v UConn. Obvious disaster. Michigan wins in scathe and shame, only to retroactively be embarrassed when UConn is wrecked by one of college football's lowest achieving teams (Buffalo Towson). In conference play, I offer you the Michigan - Indiana game. Defense lets 47 points go by. FORTY SEVEN POINTS. Was the Defense asleep? I was asleep, literally speaking. Got made fun of for the rest of the night... On the other hand, Devin (Head Case) Gardner breaks a school record? And if you don't like the phrase "head case," I'm dying to be proved wrong. Seriously, I don't even know what I would do if I was wrong. But the fact is he's unpredictable for a reason that no one has been able to resolve.
Indiana terrified Penn State with a win, as Michigan later loses to Penn State in a battle of who could make the worst coaching decisions. Northwestern takes on TOSU* like champs for 7/8 of the football game and then makes The Nuts look like a great football team at the end. TOSU was the same "powerhouse," top 5 school that, through much labor, struggled to lay down Wisconsin.
Northwestern's loss to TOSU was all a big foreshadow to the massive failure against a team named after an animal that dies often from heart attacks (Gophers). Meanwhile, Michigan State is still watching Youtube videos to learn how to get an offensive touchdown. And as I live and breathe, trying to understand our very mixed up world, Minnesota is poised to embarrass the hell out of Nebraska - the supposed sleeping giant of the B1G.
I'm not turning on my people. I never will. I just can't take being called "The Cupcake Big Ten," with literally nothing valid to say back. It would be nice if the stars of this conference played to their potential and not their fears. Just give me some consistency. Stop playing down to the talent (or lack there of) before you. I'm rooting for you. Millions of us are. But what you're doing is not working. Take your scholarships and millions of dollars in salaries and figure this out. We look very small, very sweet, and very uninterested in sitting at the table with the big boys. If you're going to keep living up to this cupcake persona, you're going to get eaten.
*And that's why you shouldn't call yourself THE Ohio State University. It looks really stupid.
Consistency.
There is just something so consistent about the top dogs in the SEC. I'm not talking Razorbacks or UK Wildcats. I'm talking Bama, Missouri, Texas A&M... And I'm not even really talking about wins and losses. I'm talking performance on the field and knowing what team is going to show up. Some of the top teams of the SEC have experienced losses, upsetting ones. It's because they get out played, however. B1G top dogs look like Pomeranians. We don't get out played, we succumb to self-induced hysteria and, dare I say, ineptitude.
Let's do a fun little connect the dots game, starting with my team. The Michigan that I watched play Notre Dame looked tough. Offensive line protected the QB. The quarter back was on point. Defensive line did a wonderful job. That's the last time during this season that I ever saw Michigan play with an offense and a defense that were on the same page. And, I say this cautiously since it seems like the picks thrown at this game were just a sample of the COSTCO sized quantity to be ordered up later in the season.
Michigan v UConn. Obvious disaster. Michigan wins in scathe and shame, only to retroactively be embarrassed when UConn is wrecked by one of college football's lowest achieving teams (Buffalo Towson). In conference play, I offer you the Michigan - Indiana game. Defense lets 47 points go by. FORTY SEVEN POINTS. Was the Defense asleep? I was asleep, literally speaking. Got made fun of for the rest of the night... On the other hand, Devin (Head Case) Gardner breaks a school record? And if you don't like the phrase "head case," I'm dying to be proved wrong. Seriously, I don't even know what I would do if I was wrong. But the fact is he's unpredictable for a reason that no one has been able to resolve.
Indiana terrified Penn State with a win, as Michigan later loses to Penn State in a battle of who could make the worst coaching decisions. Northwestern takes on TOSU* like champs for 7/8 of the football game and then makes The Nuts look like a great football team at the end. TOSU was the same "powerhouse," top 5 school that, through much labor, struggled to lay down Wisconsin.
Northwestern's loss to TOSU was all a big foreshadow to the massive failure against a team named after an animal that dies often from heart attacks (Gophers). Meanwhile, Michigan State is still watching Youtube videos to learn how to get an offensive touchdown. And as I live and breathe, trying to understand our very mixed up world, Minnesota is poised to embarrass the hell out of Nebraska - the supposed sleeping giant of the B1G.
I'm not turning on my people. I never will. I just can't take being called "The Cupcake Big Ten," with literally nothing valid to say back. It would be nice if the stars of this conference played to their potential and not their fears. Just give me some consistency. Stop playing down to the talent (or lack there of) before you. I'm rooting for you. Millions of us are. But what you're doing is not working. Take your scholarships and millions of dollars in salaries and figure this out. We look very small, very sweet, and very uninterested in sitting at the table with the big boys. If you're going to keep living up to this cupcake persona, you're going to get eaten.
*And that's why you shouldn't call yourself THE Ohio State University. It looks really stupid.
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